"Making" Holy Water?

[Leon_Bloy]

Sgt Sweaters, this is a good question, though, that you brought up. To answer your question, I think no, it does not, and we lay people would not want to “attempt” to in appropriately do anything priestly, obviously (which is why you are respectfully inquiring, no doubt), but I think putting blessed and exercised salt into water would bring a blessing to the water itself. It would not make it “holy water,” though.

When the priest puts the blessed salt into the water during the older rite, he makes a sign of the cross and is performing a blessing in the way that he puts it in (in addition to the blessing the water receives from the already-blessed salt itself) - so just putting it into the water does not accomplish this.

 

[Deo_Gratias42]

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.

I’m not talking about BLESSING salt. I’m talking about EXORCIZING salt. Deacons can’t do so. When a deacon does a baptism using the old form he must use holy water that was already made by a priest prior because he is not able to exorcize salt.

 

[Cristiano]

…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)…

To me that sounds a lot just simple superstition and lack of understanding of what sacramentals are.

 

[Cristiano]

I’m not talking about BLESSING salt. I’m talking about EXORCIZING salt. Deacons can’t do so. When a deacon does a baptism using the old form he must use holy water that was already made by a priest prior because he is not able to exorcize salt.

What are you talking about? If you go back to the old form, the minor order of the exorcist came before the subdeacon and the deacon.

 

[Lapey]

Not if it’s done in the old form with exorcized salt.

I’m not talking about BLESSING salt. I’m talking about EXORCIZING salt. Deacons can’t do so. When a deacon does a baptism using the old form he must use holy water that was already made by a priest prior because he is not able to exorcize salt.

I hope I didn’t missunderstand what you wrote here. You said perform the blessing with exorcised salt, not exorcize the salt. Sorry if I stated anything wrong about your words.

Kept this one shorter for you Leon…

I’ll have to do some more research on your point concerning deacons and the old rites. For now I stand corrected on that point while waiting for a response from our Office of Worship.

 

[Merrin]

To me that sounds a lot just simple superstition and lack of understanding of what sacramentals are.

To me it sounds like getting salt blessed.

 

[Leon_Bloy]

Lapey… lol

Anyway, there is no need to have salt blessed/exorcized more than once - multiple blessings for the sake of multiple blessings is not a sound principle, I’m afraid…

Regarding another post, I hate to say this, but the Office of Worship will probably have no idea what you are talking about!

Lastly, the power to exorcize that a priest uses in the old rite does not come from the minor order of exorcist (yes, I am nerdy enough to have looked into this). In any case, the minor orders prior to Deacon were abrogated by Paul VI in the 1960s. They are now all understood to be rolled into the priesthood. But the minor order of exorcist had nothing to do with exorcizing objects in the past.

The main principle here is that when using the old books, you have to use the rules in force in 1962, as the pope said, so this bars deacons from doing the older things.

There are no exorcisms in the Book of Blessings.

 

[Merrin]

Anyway, there is no need to have salt blessed/exorcized more than once

There may not be a need, but sometimes there is a want. It is comforting and assuring to know that many priests have conferred their own blessings and exorcisms on an object.

 

[arkwright]

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.

That is exactly what a priest I knew used to do .

He would regularly top up the barrel of holy water as long as it was more than half full .

 

[Cristiano]

That is exactly what a priest I knew used to do .

He would regularly top up the barrel of holy water as long as it was more than half full .

I have been told the same: “add water and the blessed salt too”.

 

[Cristiano]

Lapey… lol

Anyway, there is no need to have salt blessed/exorcized more than once - multiple blessings for the sake of multiple blessings is not a sound principle, I’m afraid…

Regarding another post, I hate to say this, but the Office of Worship will probably have no idea what you are talking about!

Lastly, the power to exorcize that a priest uses in the old rite does not come from the minor order of exorcist (yes, I am nerdy enough to have looked into this). In any case, the minor orders prior to Deacon were abrogated by Paul VI in the 1960s. They are now all understood to be rolled into the priesthood. But the minor order of exorcist had nothing to do with exorcizing objects in the past.

The main principle here is that when using the old books, you have to use the rules in force in 1962, as the pope said, so this bars deacons from doing the older things.

There are no exorcisms in the Book of Blessings.

Why do you say that the minor order of exorcist had nothing to do with exorcising objects in the past? I am not denying what you say, I am just looking for some details or a reference.

 

[karaleigh]

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.

I like your answer! As kids, my grandmother would tell us to dip the corner of our hanky, into the reservoir, that is after Mass, and carry the wet thing home with us. Nice way to get it there.