The Cathedral Church of Saint Matthew

The Mother Church of the Diocese of Dallas

Christ | Compassion | Community

The Use of a Thurifer at the Cathedral Church of Saint Matthew
The ministry of thurifer at the Cathedral Church of Saint Matthew is fulfilled by lay persons (non-clergy persons). The thurifer carries the incense in a thurible, swinging the thurible back and forth at several points during the worship service.

When incense is used:
Incense is always used at the seven principal feasts of the church:  
Easter Day                                 
All Saints’ Day, November 1
Ascension Day                            
Christmas Day, December 25
The Day of Pentecost                  
The Epiphany, January 6
Trinity Sunday

Incense is also used at ordinations and our festival Eucharist for our patron saint.

In addition, we use incense for the Stations of the Cross when we follow the way of the outdoor stations.

Incense may be used on other occasions as determined by the dean of the cathedral. 

The Work of the Thurifer
The thurifer serves at four times during the worship service:

·        At the procession into the church

·        At the reading of the Gospel

·        At the Holy Eucharist

·        At the procession out of the church

The thurifer should arrive about 45 minutes before the worship service. The boat boy or boat girl should arrive no less than twenty minutes before the worship service.

Forty five minutes before the service:
The thurifer collects the charcoal, fire starter, lighter, incense, thurible, and boat (the boat is the brass bowl that holds the incense) and takes these items to the Bishop Garrett Meditation Garden. The thurifer lights the fire starter and puts coals on the rack above the flames to heat the coals.

The thurifer meets with the lead verger of the service. The verger and thurifer review the bulletin and determine when the verger should get the thurifer. The thurifer will normally need about five minutes lead time, so the verger and thurifer should review the bulletin and readings, psalms, and hymns, and determine appropriate times.

The thurifer then vests and returns to the Bishop Garrett Meditation Garden and work the coals.

Fifteen minutes before the service:
The verger should look for the boat boy or girl and send the boat boy/girl to the Bishop Garrett Meditation Garden once vested.

Ten minutes before the service:
The thurifer puts incense into the boat and gives the boat and a spoon to the boat boy/girl. The thurifer then taps the coals to knock off ash and places four coals flat into the thurible. Before leaving the garden, the thurifer adds some coals to the fire so that coals will be ready for the next part of the service.

The thurifer carries the thurible in the left hand with the lid raised so that air can pass over the coals to keep them hot.

The thurifer and boat boy/girl walk outside along the church and wait for the celebrant. When the celebrant arrives, wait for his/her cue to come over. The thurifer and boat boy/girl walk over. The thurifer raises the thurible. If the bishop is celebrant, the thurifer should kneel down on one knee and raise the thurible. The celebrant takes the boat from the boat boy/girl, puts incense on the coals, and blesses the incense. The celebrant hands the thurible to the thurifer and the boat back to the boat boy/girl. The thurifer bows to the celebrant and closes the lid of the thurible tightly. The thurifer and boat boy/girl move to the front of the procession.

At the procession into the church:
The thurifer processes immediately behind the verger and in front of the crucifer. The boat boy/girl stays to the left of the thurifer anytime they are inside the church. They should process at a stately pace swinging the thurible in long graceful swings. The thurifer and boat boy/girl process at a distance of four or five pews behind the verger.

In general, in large open areas, the thurifer swings the thurible in long graceful swings. In confined areas, the thurifer should minimize swings.

The thurifer and boat boy/girl process onto the chancel and into the sanctuary. The thurifer and boat boy/girl move around to the altar and stand near the bishop’s throne out of the way of the altar party arriving behind them. The thurifer should secure the lid of the thurible, as it is likely to come loose during the procession.

The celebrant comes over sometime before the processional hymn ends. The thurifer hands the thurible to the celebrant and bows. The celebrant bows and then circles the altar censing it, then returns the thurible to the thurifer. The thurifer bows to the celebrant. The thurifer and boat boy/girl leave the sanctuary and return to the Bishop Garrett Meditation Garden.

The thurifer dumps out the coals and incense and scrapes the bowl of the thurible with a spoon to remove all melted incense.

The thurifer tends to the coals to prepare for the next trip into the church.

At the reading of the Gospel:
The verger gives notice to the thurifer about fives minutes before the Gospel is to be read. The thurifer gives the boat and a spoon to the boat boy/girl. The thurifer then taps the coals to knock off ash and places four coals flat into the thurible. Before leaving the garden, the thurifer adds some coals to the fire so that coals will be ready for the next part of the service.

The thurifer carries the thurible in the left hand with the lid raised so that air can pass over the coals to keep them hot.

The thurifer and boat boy/girl walk to the ambulatory near the chancel. The verger opens the door to the chancel. The thurifer and boat boy/girl walk through the chancel and inside the sanctuary directly up to the celebrant. The thurifer raises the lid to the thurible. If the bishop is celebrant, the thurifer should kneel down on one knee and raise the thurible. The celebrant takes the boat from the boat boy/girl, puts incense on the coals, and blesses the incense. The celebrant hands the thurible to the thurifer and the boat back to the boat boy/girl. The thurifer bows to the celebrant and closes the lid of the thurible tightly. The thurifer and boat boy/girl move to the chancel about half way to the chancel steps. They turn around and face the altar and wait for the Deacon of the Word, subdeacon, and torches to line up. When they turn around, the thurifer and boat boy/girl turn around and walk into the nave. The thurifer and boat boy/girl stop at about the fourth pew and step to the side. The torches and subdeacon pass by. The deacon stops even with the thurifer. The deacon announces the reading then turns to receive the thurible. The thurifer hands the thurible to the deacon. The deacon censes the Bible and hands the thurible back to the thurifer. The thurifer and boat boy/girl step behind the deacon. The thurifer swings the thurible gently left and right during the reading.

At the end of the reading, the thurifer and boat boy/girl turn around, walk onto the chancel, and exit through the side door, and return to the Bishop Garrett Meditation Garden.

The thurifer dumps out the coals and incense and scrapes the bowl of the thurible with a spoon to remove all melted incense.

The thurifer tends to the coals to prepare for the next trip into the church.

At the Holy Eucharist:
The verger gives notice to the thurifer about five minutes before the Great Thanksgiving is to be read. The thurifer gives the boat and a spoon to the boat boy/girl. The thurifer then taps the coals to knock off ash and places four coals flat into the thurible.

The thurifer carries the thurible in the left hand with the lid raised so that air can pass over the coals to keep them hot.

The thurifer and boat boy/girl walk to the ambulatory near the chancel. The verger opens the door to the chancel. The thurifer and boat boy/girl walk through the chancel and inside the sanctuary directly up to the celebrant. The thurifer raises the lid to the thurible. If the bishop is celebrant, the thurifer kneels down on one knee and raises the thurible. The celebrant takes the boat from the boat boy/girl, puts incense on the coals, returns the boat to the boat boy/girl, and blesses the incense. The thurifer secures the lid to the thurible and hands the thurible to the celebrant. The celebrant takes the thurible. The celebrant and thurifer bow to each other. The celebrant circles the altar censing it and returns the thurible to the thurifer. The thurifer takes the thurible, bows, steps back, and censes the celebrant with three sets of doubles. The celebrant and thurifer bow to each other.

The thurifer and boat boy/girl turn and walk into the chancel all the way to the steps, then turn around and face the altar party. The thurifer bows, and then censes the altar party center, left, right with big swings.

The thurifer bows and turns around. The thurifer bows, and then censes the congregation center, left, right with big swings. The thurifer bows and turns around.

The thurifer and boat boy/girl turn around and walk back to the altar rail and kneel at the altar. The thurifer swings the thurible left and right on the other side of the rail in short swings (chain held short) continuously.

The thurifer, though still kneeling, raises the thurible high and censes high at these times:

·        Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might

·        Do this for the remembrance of me

·        Do this for the remembrance of me

·        …in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and forever, AMEN

The thurifer and boat boy/girl stand and walk out of the chancel and exit through the side door, and return to the Bishop Garrett Meditation Garden.

The thurifer dumps out the coals and incense and scrapes the bowl of the thurible with a spoon to remove all melted incense.

The thurifer tends to the coals to prepare for the next trip into the church.

At the procession out of the church:  
The thurifer and boat boy/girl return to the chancel to receive communion or blessing. The thurifer returns to the Garden to prepare the thurible and return for the procession out of the church.

The thurifer gives the boat and a spoon to the boat boy/girl. The thurifer then taps the coals to knock off ash and places four coals flat into the thurible.  

The thurifer carries the thurible in the left hand with the lid raised so that air can pass over the coals to keep them hot.

The thurifer and boat boy/girl walk to the ambulatory near the chancel. The verger opens the door to the chancel. The thurifer and boat boy/girl walk through the chancel and inside the sanctuary directly up to the celebrant. The thurifer raises the lid to the thurible. If the bishop is celebrant, the thurifer should kneel down on one knee and raise the thurible. The celebrant will take the boat from the boat boy/girl, put incense on the coals, return the boat to the boat boy/girl, and bless the incense. The thurifer secures the lid to the thurible and bows to the celebrant. During that time, the verger moves to the chancel steps. The thurifer and boat boy/girl move about half way down the chancel. The torches and crucifer line up in front of the altar when the celebrant and altar party step up and line up.

When the celebrant turns around, the thurifer and boat boy/girl turn around (as well as the rest of the altar party).

The verger processes out. When there is a reasonable distance between the verger and the thurifer, the thurifer and boat boy/girl begin to process out of the church. They should process at a stately pace, and at a distance of four or five pews behind the verger.

The thurifer and boat boy/girl return to the Bishop Garrett Meditation Garden. The thurifer dumps out the coals and incense and scrapes the bowl of the thurible with a spoon to remove all melted incense. The thurifer and boat boy/girl clean the garden and return everything to storage.