Holy water in homes?

  • Thread starter Thread starter catholicboy123
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
C

catholicboy123

Guest
Is it ok to have a holy water font with holy water in your home? If so, what is it used for?Thanks
 
Of course it is! It has the same purpose and reminder…to stay fateful to our promises as baptized children of God only instead of crossing ourselves with holy water on Sundays we can do it every day before we head out to work or school etc from home.
 
Dear friends,this a stupid question,even from the mind of a lawyer,but exactly HOW do You get the Holy Water? I mean,do You take it from the Church,or do You ask a priest to bless it,and I think only a Bishop can bless water. And I have never heard of someone who have Holy Water at home. God bless.
 
Every Catholic church has a cistern, with a spigot, which you can take a nice jar to, put under, and fill up with holy water to take home with you.

I recommend going to a TLM parish to get it, or asking your parish priest if he uses the Roman Ritual to bless it, as the older blessing is the one you will want to for the best holy water. The Roman Ritual has it, the new ‘Book of Blessings’ does not.

The prayers that accompany the blessing of holy water in the Roman Ritual, are very helpful, and make it useful for protection from evil, and cleansing of the soul.
🙂

I find using a jar or larger container best for keeping holy water in the home. Many of the fonts dry up quickly and require constant refilling and cleaning because they are so small.

Every home should have a jar of holy water in it. 😃
 
Sum_Fidelis said:
Dear friends,this a stupid question,even from the mind of a lawyer,but exactly HOW do You get the Holy Water? I mean,do You take it from the Church,or do You ask a priest to bless it,and I think only a Bishop can bless water. And I have never heard of someone who have Holy Water at home. God bless.
Click to expand...
If there’s a public font in your parish, you bring a clean bottle, and fill it up.

Otherwise, you ask your local priest or Deacon to fill your bottle with holy water. I’ve seen only one roman parish without a large (5gal+) cistern either in the narthex or sacristy… and that’s because the full-immersion baptismal font is in the nave, and ALWAYS filled.

The Book of Blessings for the Roman Church specifically allows deacons to bless holy water. (And a number of other specific sacramentals.)

The items only a bishop may bless are sacred vessels (Chalices and Pattens), altars, and the sacred Chrism.
Shin said:
Every Catholic church has a cistern, with a spigot, which you can take a nice jar to, put under, and fill up with holy water to take home with you.
Click to expand...
Actually, not so. Most Byzantine Rite Churches in Union with Rome won’t… maybe some in bottles in the sacristy, and a partial gallon in the sacristy, slowly going down… but this is because (1) holy water is not used in the church the same way as the Romans, and (2) because it’s only blessed twice a year in the Byzantine Rite. Theophany, however, it’s not uncommon to see some parishioners taking home a couple gallons (to last the year), and almost everyone taking home a pint or two.

Roman Rite parishes, EF or OF, are supposed to keep holy water available for the faithful except just before Easter, and priests and deacons may bless more as needed.
 
One thing I remember from my childhood, was that my grandmom had a “thing” on the wall…sorry, but I don’t know what to call it!..at the front door with Holy water in it. My father always had holy water in the home as well. When I bought my home, my housewarming gift was a bottle of Holy water. That was 4 1/2 years ago, and the bottle still sits in my kitchen. I actually forgot I even had it until reading this thread.

I was told, as a child, that the Holy water had the power to remit a venial sin. Of course, I have no idea if there is truth to that or not. Every time I left my grandmom’s house, I would make the sign of the cross with the Holy water upon leaving. Now that I’m thinking about it, I may go out and buy something to put at my own front door so I can begin the practice again.
 
Thank You dear friends,I did not know that. I have not seen any jar,but there must be one somewhere,I ask the priest on Sunday. God bless.
 
Sum_Fidelis said:
Dear friends,this a stupid question,even from the mind of a lawyer,but exactly HOW do You get the Holy Water? I mean,do You take it from the Church,or do You ask a priest to bless it,and I think only a Bishop can bless water. And I have never heard of someone who have Holy Water at home. God bless.
Click to expand...
You can get Holy Water from the Church or failing that - Have a Priest over for dinner. Any Priest can give you Holy Water for the home including blessing and making it for you. They sell Holy Water fonts for the home and it is customary to put them next to the exit Doors.

Here is one from Ewtn:

ewtnreligiouscatalogue.com/Holy+Water+Fonts+Bottles/cid=180/shop.axd/Category
 
I have seen in one Latin Church nice little plastic water bottles conviently placed next to the cistern so there was no need to worry about having a container.
 
It might also depend on the age of the church for the location of the fountain. My parents belong to a Catholic Church that just built a new building and it inlcudes a huge Holy Water fountain in the entry hall and you bring your own container and fill from that fountian. My church has a small fountain with a spigot that you can fill a small clean jar or bottle from. You can also ask your preist to come to your home to bless you and your home and usually they will bring holy water with them.
 
catholicboy123 said:
Is it ok to have a holy water font with holy water in your home? If so, what is it used for?Thanks
Click to expand...
Yes of course,

I for one have a holy water font (I made them myself in my shop) at the side of each door that opens to the outside.
 
Holy water should be in all Catholic homes! It is a sacramental, which has the ability to strenghten us in our faith and remove venial sins!

It is obtained from the Holy Water font located in the parish church. You buy a little water bottle (marked “Holy Water”, so it doesn’t get confused with any other bottles you may have) and you place a small bit in a small font that you put on the inside of your front door. Some people put a small font on the door post of every bedroom in the home.

I also keep a small bottle of Holy Water in my purse when I travel a lot and use it to bless the place where I will spend the night.

Very useful and practical sacramental!
 
Pious Orthodox and EC Christians drink Holy Water first thing during their morning prayers - three sips - “in place of Communion” and also, if they have some, eat some blessed bread from the Sunday previously.

Alex
 
Alexander_Roman said:
Pious Orthodox and EC Christians drink Holy Water first thing during their morning prayers - three sips - “in place of Communion” and also, if they have some, eat some blessed bread from the Sunday previously.

Alex
Click to expand...
I often put a few drops in food I’m preparing, in drinks, also in the water for dying eggs at Pascha. When I took a class in painting Holy Icons I brought some with me to mix in the paints for the Icon.

(In the Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Churches we have a Great Blessing of the Water at Theophany/The Baptism of our Lord in the Jordan by St. John, Jan 6th. Cups are there and people drink the water and bring jars of all sizes to take the blest water home. I also have seen as others describe the large vat of Holy Water with a spigot in many Latin parishes.)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top