The sacristy is also where the
priest and attendants vest and prepare before the
service. They will return there at the end of the service to remove their
vestments and put away any of the vessels used during the service. The
hangings and
altar linens are stored there as well. The
parish registers may be kept in the sacristy and are administered by the parish
clerk. Sacristies usually contain a special wash basin, called a
piscina, the drain of which is properly called a "sacrarium" in which the drain flows directly into the ground to prevent sacred items such as used baptismal water from being washed into the sewers or septic tanks. The piscina is used to wash linens used during the celebration of the
Mass and
purificators used during
Holy Communion. The
cruets,
chalice,
ciborium,
paten, altar linens and sometimes the
Holy Oils are kept inside the sacristy. Sacristies are usually off limits to the general public. The word "sacristy" derives from the Latin
sacristia, sometimes spelled
sacrastia, which is in turn derived from
sacrista ("sexton, sacristan"), from
sacra ("holy"). A person in charge of the sacristy and its contents is called a
sacrist or a
sacristan. The latter name was formerly given to the
sexton of a
parish church, where he would have cared for these things, the fabric of the building and the grounds. In the
Moravian Church, in addition to storing vestments and other vessels, the preparation room is where the
Lovefeast is made ready for distribution to the congregation. Work is planned to rebuild the demolished processional sacristy as an entry route for tourists and visitors to Westminster Abbey. ==See also==