Can the laity bless rosaries and holy water?

[pcordero]

Yes?

 

[markomalley]

No.

 

[Bookcat]

No.

 

[pcordero]

Can they use holy water themselves?

 

[svid2]

Only priests and deacons can bless or make holy water. Anyone can use it piously.

 

[LaSainte]

What about using blessed oil or water to bless someone else, like my children?

 

[Mary_Gail_36]

What about using blessed oil or water to bless someone else, like my children?

Parents can bless their children this way.

 

[Bookcat]

Can they use holy water themselves?

Yes

 

[Spirithound]

What about using blessed oil or water to bless someone else, like my children?

Yes, but this is not the Sacrament of the Anointing.

 

[puzzleannie]

Yes?

No

 

[mburn16]

so, parents could actually baptize their own children?

Interesting.

 

[centurionguard]

so, parents could actually baptize their own children?

Interesting.

In case of an emergency, anyone- even a non-believer – can baptize an infant validly. They must cause water to flow on the head while saying – and it must be the same person – the words “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” That short form and the pouring of water on the head is all that is needed for valid baptism in an emergency. Some medical personnel, such as nurses, will often be sensitive during emergencies and will even know what to do.

If the water cannot for some reason be poured on the head, then it can be poured over another part of the body. If that is the case, however, then there must be a conditional baptism performed if the child survives.

In either case, when the child survives the full rites surrounding the baptism should be celebrated when possible.

 

[Joan_M]

so, parents could actually baptize their own children?

Interesting.

Only in the case of emergency, as can anyone, Christian or not.

The priest is the proper minister of Baptism. Deacons also can baptize.

Just because anyone can baptize in an emergency (and that means that the person to be baptized is in imminent danger of death), does not mean that parents can decide to baptize their babies because they would like to.

The Church has instituted a Rite of Baptism and it is normally carried out in a church. This is how it should be done, except in emergency.

 

[markomalley]

so, parents could actually baptize their own children?

Interesting.

From the Code of Canon Law:
CHAPTER II.

THE MINISTER OF BAPTISM

Can. 861 §1. The ordinary minister of baptism is a bishop, a presbyter, or a deacon, without prejudice to the prescript of ⇒ can. 530, n. 1.

§2. When an ordinary minister is absent or impeded, a catechist or another person designated for this function by the local ordinary, or in a case of necessity any person with the right intention, confers baptism licitly. Pastors of souls, especially the pastor of a parish, are to be concerned that the Christian faithful are taught the correct way to baptize.

Can. 862 Except in a case of necessity, no one is permitted to confer baptism in the territory of another without the required permission, not even upon his own subjects.

Can. 863 The baptism of adults, at least of those who have completed their fourteenth year, is to be deferred to the diocesan bishop so that he himself administers it if he has judged it Expedient.

From the Catechism:

V. Who can Baptize?

1256 The ordinary ministers of Baptism are the bishop and priest and, in the Latin Church, also the deacon.57 In case of necessity, any person, even someone not baptized, can baptize, if he has the required intention. the intention required is to will to do what the Church does when she baptizes, and to apply the Trinitarian baptismal formula. the Church finds the reason for this possibility in the universal saving will of God and the necessity of Baptism for salvation.58

Note the word for extraordinary ministers of Baptism is “in case of necessity”, not “in case of near death” or “in case of emergency.”

Sure, near death is an obvious example, but there could be other situations where there was a necessity. For example, in a territory with an extreme shortage of clergy, a lay person could be authorized by the bishop to perform baptisms. In the case of a military deployment (with a shortage of Catholic chaplains), a non-Catholic chaplain or a Catholic pastoral assistant could minister baptism. In a hospital, a nurse could administer baptism. And so on.

Also, the issue is not validity of the baptism, but the liceity of the baptism. If the person is baptized with the proper form and matter, it is valid, regardless of who does the baptizing. The only question is if the baptism was done in accordance with the law or not. The recipient is still baptized.

 

[FAB]

What about using blessed oil or water to bless someone else, like my children?

The holy water or an oil can be used to bless someone else by the laity, but the substance to begin with must be blessed by a preist or a deacon.

 

[jimrob]

It’s all in what we mean by “can”. Anyone is capable of calling down God’s blessing. The Catholic Church has firm rules on who may bless what and when. The rule on rosaries and other devotional items is that they may only be blessed by a Bishop, Priest or Deacon. Holy water is a little more complicated, but the laity are not permitted to bless lustral or baptismal water. What would happen if God’s blessing was called in disobedience to the Church’s rules is a matter for theological debate.

It’s interesting that as an Extraordinary Minister, I am permitted to bless the children of communicants, but not their rosaries.

 

[edward_george]

It’s all in what we mean by “can”. Anyone is capable of calling down God’s blessing. The Catholic Church has firm rules on who may bless what and when. The rule on rosaries and other devotional items is that they may only be blessed by a Bishop, Priest or Deacon. Holy water is a little more complicated, but the laity are not permitted to bless lustral or baptismal water. What would happen if God’s blessing was called in disobedience to the Church’s rules is a matter for theological debate.

It’s interesting that as an Extraordinary Minister, I am permitted to bless the children of communicants, but not their rosaries.

Actually, as an EMHC, you are not permitted to bless anyone, nor to give the impression of giving a blessing.

catholicanada.com/catholic-news/priests-usa/29068-d-of-madisons-newspapers-explanation-of-emhcs-giving-blessings-as-if-they-were-priests.html

In 2008, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments received a letter asking precisely this question. The congregation responded in a private reply with five observations on why this practice is not permitted. [NOT]

But first, let me note that even though private replies do not have the force of universal law, they typically (and this one especially) contain an excellent analysis and resolution of the issue, giving us a unique look at the practice of the Roman Curia. In other words, this private reply is persuasive not by reason of authority but by the authority of right reason, to which every well-intentioned Catholic should submit. Here are their five observations:

Blessing given at end of Mass

[1] The Congregation for Divine Worship points out in their first observation that the liturgical blessing of the Mass is given to everyone gathered in the church just a few moments after the distribution of Holy Communion. This occurs when the priest, making the sign of the cross, says, “May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

In other words, there is no need to bless only some members of the congregation (e.g. children and non-Catholics) during communion, when the entire congregation is blessed by the priest just moments later.
Laity unable to bless at Mass

[2] In the second observation, we are reminded that within the context of Mass, blessings are the competency of the priest, not lay persons. Article 18 of the Book of Blessings [ugh] notes that even though lay persons may give some blessings, “whenever a priest or deacon is present, the office of presiding [over a blessing] should be left to him.” [And at Mass there is always a sacerdos present.]

A 1997 instruction, Ecclesia de Mysterio, on the collaboration of the lay faithful further indicates that the laity should never say prayers or perform actions during the Mass which are proper to the priest, as this may lead to a confusion of roles. Since the blessing of the congregation during Mass is reserved to the priest, lay persons must avoid doing so.

Laying on of hands discouraged

[3] The third observation addresses the practice in some places where the EMHC lays hands on a member of the congregation as a sign of blessing. The private reply states that this practice “is to be explicitly discouraged” because the laying on of hands has its own “sacramental significance” which is inappropriate here. The Catechism notes that since this specific sign commonly accompanies the administration of sacraments (e.g. Confirmation) and the succession of the apostles, the laying on of hands must not be used here.

Some prohibited from receiving blessings

[4] Finally, in the fourth and fifth observations, the private reply notes there are some who should neither approach Holy Communion nor receive a blessing. This would include non-Catholics and those mentioned in canon 915 of the Code of Canon Law, such as those under the penalty of excommunication and those persisting in manifest grave sin. !] Giving a blessing to these persons might give the impression that they are in full communion with the Church or have returned to good standing. In order to avoid the possibility of scandal, EMHCs should not give blessings.

Additions to the rite prohibited

[5] Finally, even though the private reply does not specifically mention this, we ought to recall that “no one may on a personal initiative add to or omit or alter anything in [liturgical] books” as canon 846 of the Code of Canon Law clearly states. Nowhere in the Roman Missal or the GIRM are the extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion instructed to bless those unable to receive communion; therefore, this practice of blessing is one of these additions to the rite which is strictly prohibited.

Making use of the sacramentals

Sometimes we may be tempted to think that since something is not part of the Mass it has no spiritual importance. But this would be to neglect the power of the sacramentals, such as blessings, which are liturgical actions signifying spiritual effects obtained through the intercession of the Church. Done properly and in the right context, these blessings better dispose us to receive grace and sanctify various occasions in life.

[NB]One such sacramental that lay persons may administer is the blessing of sons/daughters, which can be as simple as praying over your children: “May the Lord keep you and make you grow in his love, so that you may live worthy of the calling he has given you, now and for ever. Amen.”

Therefore, even if EMHCs are not permitted to give blessings during Mass, the desire to bless is good nonetheless and can become a fruitful aspect of our faith when done in accordance with the Church’s rites. As a parent, I have always enjoyed the practice of blessing my young children before bed and teaching them to reverence the Eucharist with a simple bow of the head as they walk past the minister of Holy Communion at Mass.

-ACEGC

 

[Matthew_Holford]

From the Code of Canon Law:
CHAPTER II.

THE MINISTER OF BAPTISM

Can. 861 §1. The ordinary minister of baptism is a bishop, a presbyter, or a deacon, without prejudice to the prescript of ⇒ can. 530, n. 1.

§2. When an ordinary minister is absent or impeded, a catechist or another person designated for this function by the local ordinary, or in a case of necessity any person with the right intention, confers baptism licitly. Pastors of souls, especially the pastor of a parish, are to be concerned that the Christian faithful are taught the correct way to baptize.

Can. 862 Except in a case of necessity, no one is permitted to confer baptism in the territory of another without the required permission, not even upon his own subjects.

Can. 863 The baptism of adults, at least of those who have completed their fourteenth year, is to be deferred to the diocesan bishop so that he himself administers it if he has judged it Expedient.

From the Catechism:

V. Who can Baptize?

1256 The ordinary ministers of Baptism are the bishop and priest and, in the Latin Church, also the deacon.57 In case of necessity, any person, even someone not baptized, can baptize, if he has the required intention. the intention required is to will to do what the Church does when she baptizes, and to apply the Trinitarian baptismal formula. the Church finds the reason for this possibility in the universal saving will of God and the necessity of Baptism for salvation.58

Note the word for extraordinary ministers of Baptism is “in case of necessity”, not “in case of near death” or “in case of emergency.”

Sure, near death is an obvious example, but there could be other situations where there was a necessity. For example, in a territory with an extreme shortage of clergy, a lay person could be authorized by the bishop to perform baptisms. In the case of a military deployment (with a shortage of Catholic chaplains), a non-Catholic chaplain or a Catholic pastoral assistant could minister baptism. In a hospital, a nurse could administer baptism. And so on.

Also, the issue is not validity of the baptism, but the liceity of the baptism. If the person is baptized with the proper form and matter, it is valid, regardless of who does the baptizing. The only question is if the baptism was done in accordance with the law or not. The recipient is still baptized.

While the Code of Canon Law and the Catechism of the Catholic Church both say “in case of necessity” the Rite of Baptism itself make it clear that cases of “necessity” are danger-of-death situations.

 

[John_Lilburne]

From Book of Blessings, Liturgical Press, Minnesota, 1989, ISBN 0-8146-1875-8, page 551, Chapter 45 Order for the Blessing of Rosaries:

“1465 The present order may be used by a priest or deacon.”

Chapter 41 Order for the Blessing of Holy Water Outside Mass:

“1390 But when the blessing of water takes place outside Mass, the rite given here may be used by a priest or deacon.”

From the Rite of Baptism for Children:

"Chapter V
Rite of Baptism for Children in Danger of Death When No Priest or Deacon is Available

1. Water, even though not blessed, is prepared for the rite."

There is no blessing of the water during this rite.

(From The Rites Volume One, Liturgical Press, 1990, ISBN: 0-8146-6015-0, page 432.)

 

[markomalley]

While the Code of Canon Law and the Catechism of the Catholic Church both say “in case of necessity” the Rite of Baptism itself make it clear that cases of “necessity” are danger-of-death situations.

Matthew,

I understand what you are saying. For the baptism rite to be celebrated licitly, the minister must be a priest or deacon. I also understand that, typically, the only extraordinary circumstance “of necessity” would be a near death situation (otherwise, the recipient of baptism could be brought to an ordinary minister, or the ordinary minister could be brought to the recipient). However, that is not the only circumstance.

In fact, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concillium, says the following:

1. The baptismal rite should contain variants, to be used at the discretion of the local ordinary, for occasions when a very large number are to be baptized together. Moreover, a shorter rite is to be drawn up, especially for mission lands, to be used by catechists, but also by the faithful in general when there is danger of death, and neither priest nor deacon is available.

Note that it gives two circumstances where this shorter rite is to be used:

1. 
   *]Mission lands, to be used by catechists
   *]By the faithful in general when there is danger of death, and neither priest nor deacon is available
   
   The first bullet is why chapter 4 exists in the “Rite of Baptism for Children” book:
   i.imm.io/cjRx.png
   You will, of course, note that Chapter 4 is distinct from Chapter 5 (“in danger of death”)
   
   More importantly, though, is the fact that none of the above impacts the validity of baptism. If the proper form (Trinitarian formula) and matter (water) are used. along with the proper intent, the baptism is valid, regardless of whether canon law is followed, the rite is used, or any other criteria. Else why would the Church accept baptisms by non-Catholics?