Incense is used in Catholic Worship as we ponder the mystery of our transcendent God.  It connects us to the cloud of unknowing.  Our worship brings us to the top of Mount Sinai.  It surrounds the Light of the Transfiguration. It fills the Holy of Holies in the Temple, and it is shared by the angels around the altar in the Book of Revelation.  

Some people are sensitive to smoke and smells.  So each Lord’s Day at St. Mary's, we offer at least one Mass with no incense.  If a person wants to make sure they can worship without incense, he or she can call the office to ask the pastor which Mass will be incense free.  (Most often it would be the late Sunday Mass—but it can be the Saturday and sometimes it will be all three Masses.) 

Whenever we do use incense, we light the high altar candles as an “early warning system.”  This allows people with an incense sensitivity to choose a seat at the back of church.