Sacrament Tablecloths

[russell208]

Does the Church have an opinion on the transparency of the Sacrament tablecloth? Both the Handbook 18.9.3 and the Online store are mute on the subject. We have a 'concerned' member that alleges the church has always specified non see through sacrament tablecloths and that ours are too transparent. By all standards they fit the description of the online store.

thanks,
Brother Clark
ward clerk

[russellhltn]

Nothing I've ever heard of. Does anyone know the source of the current cloth? It might be worth buying a new one from the church store just to end any concern. Worst case it's $32.

[swigginton]

Does the Church have an opinion on the transparency of the Sacrament tablecloth? Both the Handbook 18.9.3 and the Online store are mute on the subject. We have a 'concerned' member that alleges the church has always specified non see through sacrament tablecloths and that ours are too transparent. By all standards they fit the description of the online store.

From the old red handbook 2:

Sacrament tablecloths should be white, nontransparent, clean, and pressed.

The "nontransparent" requirement was removed several years ago.

[BrianEdwards]

Out of curiosity, did your ward buy a semi-transparent cloth from some source, or did it acquire that state through decades of use and washing/drying cycles? Many cloths that have years of use may still be appropriate to use, depending on the eye of the beholder...

[mdcollette]

Should the cloths for the sacrament be folded up after the last sacrament meeting and be folded up and placed in the sacrament preparation room? It seems the bottom cloth is never taken off and put away….isn’t it as important as the top cloth is as regarding the sacrament ordinance?
Daniel C

[BrianEdwards]

Should the cloths for the sacrament be folded up after the last sacrament meeting and be folded up and placed in the sacrament preparation room? It seems the bottom cloth is never taken off and put away….isn’t it as important as the top cloth is as regarding the sacrament ordinance?
Daniel C

If you look at GHB 18.9.4, that contains the instructions for the sacrament ordinance, and bullet points #2 and #12 speak about the "tablecloths". I'd note that this section never specifically refers to a cloth that is underneath the sacrament trays, only about cloths that are used to cover the trays. I've seen places where separate cloths are used for the water trays and another for the bread trays, and that seems appropriate per these guidelines.

To your point, I think practically everyone uses a tablecloth underneath the trays, and that's probably the implied scenario (for instance, the Sacrament Service Field Kit in the online store provides two cloths and only one multi-use tray, indicating one cloth below and one cloth above). I agree the "bottom cloth" would fall into the same category as the "covering cloths", and should be handled the same way. Since the Bishop holds the priesthood keys for administering the sacrament, he would be the correct one to address this concern.