Discarding of Blessed Items and Holy Icons, Books or Medals

What Should You Do with Old or Broken Religious Items?

It’s common for Catholics to accumulate sacramentals over time—rosaries, medals, statues, holy cards, palms, devotional books, and more. But what happens when they wear out, break, or are no longer needed?

According to the Diocese of Superior:

“Once a religious object is blessed and dedicated for divine worship or veneration, it must be treated with reverence and must not be used in either an improper or profane way (cf. Code of Canon Law, #1171).”

The preferred methods of respectful disposal are:

• Burning the item and burying the ashes, or

• Burying the item directly.

For items that cannot be burned (like metal or certain textiles), the Diocese recommends disassembling or destroying them to prevent profane reuse, then burying the remnants on sacred ground (church property or a Catholic cemetery).

“It is not a sin to throw away blessed items, but out of proper respect, one should dispose of them in this way.”

Source: Diocese of Superior – Disposal of Religious Items

We Can Help — Donate Your Religious Items to Us

At St. Anthony’s Catholic Gift Shop, we accept donations of Catholic items, whether they’re old, worn, broken, or just in need of a new home. We do our best to repair and repurpose what we can, and we reverently dispose of what we can’t.

We gladly accept:

• Rosaries (even broken)

• Statues (even chipped or damaged)

• Prayer books, Bibles, missals

• Crucifixes, medals, and holy images

• Blessed palms and devotional items

Please note:
We do not offer reimbursement.
Donated items may be resold, restored, or shared with others in need.