With Church Supplies we mean the set of objects that are used to worship, especially for the celebration of the Eucharist, but also to adorn the altar, the church and the person of the priest (in this case we speak more properly of liturgical vestments), and for the conservation of the Blessed Sacrament (sacred vessels).
Church supplies are made in most cases of precious materials. Especially church goods that have to come into direct contact with the Holy Eucharist must take into account the value of what they are going to hold or touch.
In the early Church, church supplies were not that important: the sacraments were celebrated in common rooms, with clothes and objects of everyday life, in imitation of Christ. Later, when the liturgy took on a more and more definite way ritual form, church supplies became an indispensable and symbolic component of the celebration.
The shape and materials of other church goods, vessels, for example, are defined over the centuries according to particular dictates. Embroideries, works of chasing and inlaying performed by excellent artists and skillful craftsmen, inextricably tied the history of church supplies with that art, enriching the churches and places of worship with authentic masterpieces, and creating an increasingly obvious gap between everyday objects and those dedicated and reserved to the liturgy. Nevertheless, the Church calls also respect of the principles of noble simplicity for church supplies: form and matter are more important than the wealth of the ornament itself.
Most of church goods are consecrated before use and kept in a specific place dedicated to them in sacristy.
