A lunette, or lunula, is an liturgical item used by in the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

for the

exposition Exposition (also the French for exhibition) may refer to: *Universal exposition or World's Fair *Expository writing *Exposition (narrative), background information in a story * Exposition (music) *Trade fair * ''Exposition'' (album), the debut alb ...

of the Host.

Description

The lunette takes the form of a flat, circular container, composed of a ring of metal (usually lined with gold) holding two glass or crystal discs, which create a round, flat, glass-enclosed space for the Eucharistic Host. This is used for

and

Benediction A benediction (, 'well' + , 'to speak') is a short invocation for divine help, blessing and guidance, usually at the end of worship service. It can also refer to a specific Christian religious service including the exposition of the eucharisti ...

services. The lunette, containing the consecrated Host, is placed in the centre of a vessel known as a

monstrance A monstrance, also known as an ostensorium (or an ostensory), is a vessel used in Roman Catholic, Old Catholic, High Church Lutheran and Anglican churches for the display on an altar of some object of piety, such as the consecrated Eucharisti ...

, or ostensory, which can be mounted or carried within the church. The lunette is often kept in another object, sometimes called a lunette or lunula case, which is usually a round box often on a small stand, serving to hold the Host upright.O'Brien, William ''The Sacred Vessels''
at sanctamissa.org; retrieved 16 December 2018 (dead link) The lunette resembles another liturgical object, the pyx or carrying case, but their functions are distinct; the pyx serves to transport the Host outside the church in order to take communion to an alternate venue, while the lunette remains within the church and serves to display the Host to onlookers. All of these objects, whenever they contain a consecrated host, are normally kept within the

church tabernacle A tabernacle or a sacrament house is a fixed, locked box in which the Eucharist in the Catholic Church, Eucharist (consecrated communion hosts) is stored as part of the "reserved sacrament" rite (Christianity), rite. A container for the same p ...

when they are not in use. The tabernacle may be behind the main altar, at a side altar, or within a special Eucharistic chapel.

Notes

References

* Rev. William A O'Brien: ''The Sacred Vessels'' (2008) Biretta Books * G Thomas Ryan: ''The Sacristy Manual'' (2011) Liturgy Training Publications {{DEFAULTSORT:Lunette (container) Eucharistic objects Artworks in metal