Baptismal fonts & holy water

[Rmac81]

A friend asked about this & I wanted to know more about it so I came here. Here’s the scenario:

You’re at a parish. Baptismal font is empty. While you’re there praying, a staff person (perhaps a janitor) turns on the font, fills up a bucket, & then uses that bucket to fill the small fonts at the parish entryways.

Is the water in the bucket holy water? Is there a blessing that allows any water that comes out of the baptismal font faucet to be blessed? Or is there now just plain city water in the entryway fonts?

 

[paduard]

A friend asked about this & I wanted to know more about it so I came here. Here’s the scenario:

You’re at a parish. Baptismal font is empty. While you’re there praying, a staff person (perhaps a janitor) turns on the font, fills up a bucket, & then uses that bucket to fill the small fonts at the parish entryways.

Is the water in the bucket holy water? Is there a blessing that allows any water that comes out of the baptismal font faucet to be blessed? Or is there now just plain city water in the entryway fonts?

Plain city water is quite good enough for valid Baptism.
paduard.

 

[Phemie]

Plain city water is quite good enough for valid Baptism.
paduard.

That wasn’t the question. The questions was “Is the water that fills the baptismal font blessed automatically?” No, it’s not. The small stoups should not be filled from it. When Baptisms are celebrated the water in the font is blessed during the ceremony.

 

[zab]

A friend asked about this & I wanted to know more about it so I came here. Here’s the scenario:

You’re at a parish. Baptismal font is empty. While you’re there praying, a staff person (perhaps a janitor) turns on the font, fills up a bucket, & then uses that bucket to fill the small fonts at the parish entryways.

Is the water in the bucket holy water? Is there a blessing that allows any water that comes out of the baptismal font faucet to be blessed? Or is there now just plain city water in the entryway fonts?

I’m not sure what you meant by “…turns on the font”, but this is how it is done in our parish. Like many Catholic churches, we have a large holy water supply container in the vestibule of our church. Every Saturday morning after Mass and Confession, the pastor blesses the water that has been put into the supply container and cleaned and filled baptismal font. After the water has been blessed (our pastor uses a special blessing including the addition of blessed salt), certain individuals who are responsible for the weekly cleaning of the fonts fills them with the freshly blessed holy water. On the rare occasion when Father has had to leave before the water can be blessed (perhaps he got called to the hospital) the attendants will put a note on the holy water supply container and baptismal font stating that the water has not yet been blessed. Regarding the holy water supply container, individuals may bring their personal holy water bottles and fill them from this metal container.

 

[Phemie]

I’m not sure what you meant by “…turns on the font”, but this is how it is done in our parish. Like many Catholic churches, we have a large holy water supply container in the vestibule of our church. Every Saturday morning after Mass and Confession, the pastor blesses the water that has been put into the supply container and cleaned and filled baptismal font. After the water has been blessed (our pastor uses a special blessing including the addition of blessed salt), certain individuals who are responsible for the weekly cleaning of the fonts fills them with the freshly blessed holy water. On the rare occasion when Father has had to leave before the water can be blessed (perhaps he got called to the hospital) the attendants will put a note on the holy water supply container and baptismal font stating that the water has not yet been blessed. Regarding the holy water supply container, individuals may bring their personal holy water bottles and fill them from this metal container.

What I’m picturing in the OP’s case is that the font is connected to running water as many of the newer immersion fonts are. If the water is turned off and the font drained, filling it up again does not result in holy water.

Our baptismal font is a bowl type which is only filled for Baptisms, but the one in the next Catholic parish is an immersion font with flowing water.

 

[zab]

What I’m picturing in the OP’s case is that the font is connected to running water as many of the newer immersion fonts are. If the water is turned off and the font drained, filling it up again does not result in holy water.

Our baptismal font is a bowl type which is only filled for Baptisms, but the one in the next Catholic parish is an immersion font with flowing water.

Our Baptismal Font is newer but is not an immersion one. It has a drain and is hooked up to a water supply. So when it is cleaned and refilled, Father blesses it, too.

P. S. Our pastor had to get special permission when we did our restoration/renovation not to install a font with an immersion.

 

[bardegaulois]

A friend asked about this & I wanted to know more about it so I came here. Here’s the scenario:

You’re at a parish. Baptismal font is empty. While you’re there praying, a staff person (perhaps a janitor) turns on the font, fills up a bucket, & then uses that bucket to fill the small fonts at the parish entryways.

Is the water in the bucket holy water? Is there a blessing that allows any water that comes out of the baptismal font faucet to be blessed? Or is there now just plain city water in the entryway fonts?

Is the water that comes into the font through the tap just plain water from the public water supply? If so, it’s not holy water until blessed and should not be used to fill the stoups.

It may, however, be added to the font, so long as the amount added does not exceed the amount of holy water already in the font. Water taken from the font should, to my understanding, never be used to fill the stoups or in an aspersion.

 

[Rmac81]

Thanks everyone!

I was thinking the same thing…just because a baptismal fount has a faucet, it doesn’t mean that whatever water comes out of that faucet is already blessed. Just wasn’t sure if a priest could say some sort of blessing like “all water that comes through this faucet is also blessed”.

 

[Crusaderbear]

Might be good to ask the priest, in case the cleaning/filling staff has the wrong impression of the water faucets supply source. After all, the only foolish question is the one not asked.

 

[1ke]

Just wasn’t sure if a priest could say some sort of blessing like “all water that comes through this faucet is also blessed”.

No, he can’t. I suggest you say something to the pastor.

 

[paduard]

That wasn’t the question. The questions was “Is the water that fills the baptismal font blessed automatically?” No, it’s not. The small stoups should not be filled from it. When Baptisms are celebrated the water in the font is blessed during the ceremony.

Quite correct I appreciate what you say. Just mentioned the reference to validity in case there could arise some misunderstanding; perhaps it would have been better had I not.

paduard