Glasses.

Rich Leonardi criticizes the Archdiocese of Cincinnati's stemware. 

Exhibit A is the quotation from the rules of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacrament:

The Bishops’ Conferences have the faculty to decide whether it is appropriate... for sacred vessels [i.e., chalices and ciborium --- the containers that hold the Eucharist] to be made of other solid materials .... It is strictly required, however, that such materials be truly noble in the common estimation within a given region, so that honour will be given to the Lord by their use, and all risk of diminishing the doctrine of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharistic species in the eyes of the faithful will be avoided.

Reprobated, therefore, is any practice of using for the celebration of Mass common vessels, or others lacking in quality, or devoid of all artistic merit or which are mere containers, as also other vessels made from glass, earthenware, clay, or other materials that break easily. This norm is to be applied even as regards metals and other materials that easily rust or deteriorate."

Exhibit B is a photograph of Archbishop Pilarczyk presiding over Mass, an array of plain wineglasses before him.  "Pottery Barn" indeed, or maybe Target.

Bottom line:  Place the Eucharist in noble, not ignoble containers.   The Gospel may be a  "treasure in earthen vessels," (2 Cor 4:7) but the Eucharist is not.  Glass isn't allowed because it can break.  Will someone please tell me why on earth anyone would bother flouting this rule?  It isn't cost; spending priorities maybe, but not cost.

Are Catholic pastors ashamed to use rich stuff, scandalized by the thought that someone will criticize us because we didn't sell the chalice to give to the poor?  Goodness, I'm not a proponent of skimping on Church art in general --- why should we come to a place of tasteful emptiness when we are called to the fullness of life? --- but if you're going to pare down, don't do it with the Eucharist itself.  It's the most important stuff in the building and the containers that hold it ought to indicate: here be the Holy of Holies.  If you're going to do that, would it not be pretty powerful to have a generally spare Church with an exquisitely carved, lovingly detailed Tabernacle and sacred vessels.

Maybe the liturgist thinks it's more meaningful for the people to be able to see the liquid in the glass, when it's raised up during the Consecration.  I am not sure why this should matter.  It looks like wine.  Traditionally the appearance of the stuff, namely its persistent refusal to look like what we say it is (with a few notable exceptions), tends not to help us have faith in the Real Presence.   

UPDATE.  "Papa Ratzi" and his commentors discuss this in the comments to this unrelated, and very funny, post:

Thank you for your kind offer, but I already have a ‘classic’ refrigerator in harvest gold. Perhaps your mother could donate hers to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and then use the second collection at Mass to purchase metal chalices to donate to the Archdioceses of Cincinnati or Los Angeles; apparently those regions are suffering from a severe metal shortage and have to use glass goblets for Mass.   [--Papa]

Dear Papa, we had a metal shortage here too before we got a new parochial vicar. Suddenly, the shortage abated and we haven't had an issue since. The parochial vicar must have had connections to the metal business.  [--Linda]

The curious shortage in precious metals affecting parts of the United States is indeed a very unusual thing. It seems that the problem is that many of the priests of a certain age do not realize that precious metals are generally found in deep and dark places, like say, mines or the cupboards in the sacristy.

Instead, they seem to be under the illusion that precious metals are to be found at their local Pier-One Imports, and when they can't find gold chalaces there the silly things pick up tea cups or class goblets or wooden cups or some such silly thing.

Perhaps an apostolic letter "Looking For Gold In All the Wrong Places" could be issued on this topic. It has happened from time to time that priests who look find that perfectly suitable chalaces are sitting right in their own sacristy cupboards if they only look.  [--- DarwinCatholic]

Nice.