"Making" Holy Water?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Sgt_Sweaters
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
S

Sgt_Sweaters

Guest
I’ve been told in the past that you can “make” holy water by mixing holy salt into unblessed water. Does anyone know if this is accurate?
 
A lay person has no authority to sanctify matter - water or otherwise. I would say that this practice would simply be a means of using the already blessed salt…the blessing is associated with the salt, not the water itself. I could be wrong but that would be my feeling on the matter.
 
A friend of mine used to mention having to go make holy water. Then again, he’s a priest. 😃
 
Anybody can make holy water, just take regular water and boil the heck out of it 😛
 
I’ve had people tell me that you can add water to Holy Water as long as it’s not over 50 percent and it is considered Holy Water. That seems like cheating to me.
 
You need a priest for the holy water.

I guess technically, adding blessed salt to regular water would make it blessed, but similar in the way we bless our food. It would not be holy water though…
 
Bix said:
You need a priest for the holy water.As mentioned once already in this thread, and countless times before, or a deacon, or a bishop.

I guess technically, adding blessed salt to regular water would make it blessed, but similar in the way we bless our food. It would not be holy water though…
Click to expand...
The way a lay person can “make” holy water is to bring an empty water bottle to mass and fill it at church from the reservoir that is designed for this exact purpose. Or bring a full jug and ask your priest or deacon to bless it after Mass, they will be happy to do so.
 
Lapey said:
The way a lay person can “make” holy water is to bring an empty water bottle to mass and fill it at church from the reservoir that is designed for this exact purpose. Or bring a full jug and ask your priest or deacon to bless it after Mass, they will be happy to do so.
Click to expand...
Thank you for correcting me and pointing out it was previously noted in red. 🙂

At our parish deacons can not or will not bless rosaries, holy water, etc.

Btw-
Bringing a jug or taking blessed holy water from the church is not " making it."
 
Bix said:
Thank you for correcting me and pointing out it was previously noted in red. 🙂

At our parish deacons can not or will not bless rosaries, holy water, etc.

Btw-
Bringing a jug or taking blessed holy water from the church is not " making it."
Click to expand...
First off, red was a mistake, I normally put it in blue and I clicked on the wrong color, sorry. Second, the deacon could and is authorized to bless rosaries and water, if there is a priest present he is correct in deferring. If he simply chooses not to then by his choice he does not use the faculties given him in ordination.

Third, the “making” water comment was a play on words, notice the use of “quotes”, chill please.

Forth, don’t be so sensitive. Life is too short.
 
twf said:
A lay person has no authority to sanctify matter - water or otherwise. I would say that this practice would simply be a means of using the already blessed salt…the blessing is associated with the salt, not the water itself. I could be wrong but that would be my feeling on the matter.
Click to expand...
That makes sense. The holy salt in the water is the holy and blessed part. The water is simply a vehicle for administering it. The idea is that when the water dries, the holy salt remains and is visible.

What I prefer doing is having kosher salt blessed by multiple different priests (I have some holy salt blessed by 8 different priests, some using elaborate Latin blessings and sprinkled with holy water, and some with simpler blessings), putting a fairly large amount of the holy salt in water and a spray bottle, and spraying walls, doors, ceilings, statues, window sills, and other areas. Of course the spraying is done reverently and prayerfully.

What I like about this method is that when the water dries, the holy salt sticks to whatever you sprayed, and you can see the glistening of the holy salt crystals.

bless you
 
Deo_Gratias42 said:
Not if it’s done in the old form with exorcized salt.
Click to expand...
As with many of the older rites, this one will only be found with the rubrics stating the “priest”. Simple reason for this is the permanent diaconate was reinstated after this, and this rite and other rites were re-written after the reinstatement. You will not find any instruction that states specifically that a deacon can use this old rite, but I challenge you to find one that states he cannot.

The new rites read in the rubrics “priest or deacon” for salt and or water. The deacon is excluded from these permissions during the celebration of the Holy Mass. The reason is because there is a priest there and he presides over the entire celebration. The deacon SHOULD always defer to the priest any time one is present, whether in Mass or not; but in Mass it is required. I will always defer, simply because it shows to the laity the levels of the hierarchy. There is a very distinct difference between a deacon and a priest. I am not a priest light, I am a deacon. I do not wish to be a priest.

Outside of the Mass, the deacon can, and I have, use this old rite licitly and validly. Every once in a while the little old lady in the parish will ask to bless some salt and water for her outside of Mass, using this old rite; I will not tell her no unless there is a priest with me who can do this for her. I only wish I knew Latin, it’s much more powerful to witness in Latin.

Fr. Z disagrees; he states in his blog basically that deacons can’t bless anything. However, canon law, the Book of Blessings and the commentaries on both state in plain English differently. This confusion comes in simply because the reinstatement of the PD is in its infancy stage compared to the long history of the Church. Some priests say yes, some say no; the ruling documents say yes. I’ll go with that.

One other thing, your point really is a moot point because for the most part, the simple fact is that only the older priest will have this old rite and therefore the priest himself having the rite will use it. If there is a deacon present with the priest, he SHOULD as always stand aside and assist the priest.

PS. I capitalized SHOULD simply to add emphasis to the word. I personally wish it would read shall. The priest should always be emphasized over the deacon. We don’t have a shortage of deacons, although more would help, we have a shortage of priests and this vocation needs to be highlighted. Just my humble opinion.
 
svid2 said:
Or a deacon.
Click to expand...
Regarding this post and the more recent and lengthy one, I don’t see how a deacon can bless anything using the Rituale Romanum (the older form) whether or not it’s within the context of the liturgy. The blessing in the book for outside the liturgy does not say anything about deacons being able to bless, and the Pope recently clarified that under the terms of Summorum Pontificum, the rules in force in 1962 have to be used…
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top