Q: I guess my question is trifold. Can incense be used at Compline? Can lay people burn incense as a part of Compline? And can an electric incense burner be used for this? Thank you.

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A: GILH 261 says incense may be used for the gospel canticle at morning and evening prayer. It says nothing about incense at compline. So in general, the answer would be no, but if it were a one-off event, like the end of a retreat day, in my opinion, a standing pot of incense may be fine.

Laypersons may light incense, for example, when exposing the Blessed Sacrament when no priest or deacon is present. However, GILH 261 presumes that a priest is present when incense is used to incense the altar.

The liturgical documents do not cover electric incense burners, so you may make a prudent judgment.

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