Thuribles, Incense Boats & Spoons

A thurible is a metal censer suspended from chains, in which incense is burned during worship services. It is used in the Catholic Church as well as in Anglican (High), Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Lutheran, Old Catholic, and in various Gnostic Churches.  In Catholic, Lutheran, and Anglican churches, the altar server who carries the thurible is called the thurifer.    The workings of a thurible are quite simple. Burning charcoal is inside the metal censer. Incense, sometimes of many different varieties, is placed upon the charcoal. This may be done several times during the service as the incense burns quite quickly. Once the incense has been placed on the charcoal the thurible is then closed and used for censing.

The Roman Missal, as revised in 1969, allows the use of incense at any Mass: in the entrance procession; at the beginning of Mass to incense the cross and the altar; at the Gospel procession and proclamation; after the bread and the chalice have been placed upon the altar, to incense the offerings, the cross, and the altar, as well as the priest and the people; at the elevation of the host and the chalice after the consecration.  The number of swings of the thurible to be used when incensing persons or objects is specified in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal.

Use of incense was abandoned in the Church of England by the turn of the 19th century and was later thought to be illegal.  Today, the use of incense in an Anglican church is a fairly reliable guide to how 'high' (more Catholic in liturgical style) or how 'low' (more Protestant) the church is. Anglo-Catholic churches may use generous quantities of incense. In recent years, some middle-of-the-road Anglican churches have taken to using incense a few times a year for special occasions.