Laity and the blessing of salt and holy water?

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braeden_mackay

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Hello!

I was talking to my parish RCIA leader and we were discussing where i could find holy water in the church. He told me you can bless it yourself at home, he says his uncle (who is a very old priest) told him that priests don’t get special powers when they are ordained and that any one belonging to the laity can bless water. Is this acceptable? And is it right for me to bless my own water / salt. My pastor agreed with him on this matter too. Calling it the “common priesthood”, he also said it is superstitious to think that a priest has the power to bless something and the laity cannot. Is this correct?

Thanks so much for any answers, i appreciate this! 🙂
 
There are different kinds of blessings. Only a priest can bless sacramentals, objects and invoke sacramental blessings upon people. These are priestly or sacradotal blessings. Blessing Holy Water falls under this kind of blessing.

Lay people can impart blessings and do upon their children, upon the food they eat, upon a gathering or home, but this is not the same as the blessing a priest may impart. These are more like asking God to bless these people or things. We do not act in the person of Christ when doing so. WIth a priestly blessing the priest or deacon is acting in the person of Christ.
 
braeden_mackay said:
My pastor agreed with him on this matter too. Calling it the “common priesthood”, he also said it is superstitious to think that a priest has the power to bless something and the laity cannot. Is this correct?
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No, it’s not correct. In fact it is heretical.
 
Your RCIA leader was misinformed. The laity doesn’t bless objects to be used as a sacramental such as rosaries, candles, prayer books, etc. I recently purchased a rosary from a Benedictine Monastery. In the envelope was enclosed a note on a torn and tattered piece of paper and charmingly hand written in pencil were the words, “This rosary has been blessed.”

P.S. Did you find where they keep the holy water? Was it next to the hidden tabernacle?
 
Thanks for all the answers! Glad that got cleared up. Yes,i did find the holy water it was in the church office. Thanks again!!
 
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