My son accidentally knocked over a blessed statue of the Virgin Mary. Unfortunately, the statue's head broke clean off of it. How am I to dispose of it?
Also, how should one dispose of unblessed religious items (like unsolicited rosaries received with pleas for donations from various religious organizations via mail)? What about past issues of Magnificat? I just need to know what I can toss in the trash and what needs special consideration.
The best way to dispose of items that have been blessed but are now broken or not serviceable is to bury them. Something like the statue you describe could be smashed further and then just scattered outside, in the woods or in a body of water (not your neighbor's pool however). Magnificat's can be tossed in the trash because they are more like reading and devotional materials eventhough they contain the Word of God, they are different than a Bible. Medals, rosaries, prayer cards and other items that we get unsolicitated in the mail can be tossed since they are not blessed, though some might bear the sacred image of Jesus (better to piously tear those in half). But instead of tossing them you might want to stick them in the back of a Church were there is a pamphlet rack or free stuff rack and you would be suprised how quickly they will walk away.