No holy water...

[bmadamsberry]

I would question the practice of no holy water in the fonts with the Pastor. If it is about the Holy Water being desecrated later, it doesn’t make any sense that all one has to do to get a bottle of it, in this case, is pay $1 for the bottle in the gift shop. It seems easier for someone with ill intent to to pay the dollar and receive a full bottle of holy water, than siphon some out of a little font cup in the Church.

As someone else suggested maybe the real reason is that the holy water fonts require some maintance, such as regular cleaning and filling. I am sacristan at my parish and I know how scuzzy the fonts get after a few hundred people on a Sunday morning dip their fingers in. You might want to offer to do the cleaning and filling. The holy water available in the church is an important part of the continual renewal of our baptismal promises and should be encouraged.

You don’t just buy the bottle, though. As other posters have clearly pointed out, you just buy the bottle. More than likely you then have to go get water, and have the priest bless the water. The priest, if he knows that people are using the water sacriligiously, probably knows the people using it for ill. Therefore he can not bless the water for the bad people and only for the people who are going to use it properly.

 

[zab]

Is it ok for a parish to never have holy water available on the fonts? I love the parish I go to but this is the case there.

I once asked an altar server why there was no holy water and he told me that it was to prevent santeros from taking it. i do live in an area where there are a number of practicing santeros so that could be the case.

In case you don’t know a santero is a person who practices Santeria which is a religion that mixes Catholicism with african religions.

Anyways I have always blessed myself with holy water when entering and leaving a church since infancy so I kind of miss it.

They do have holy water in the church shop which you can get for a dollar. Also the priest will bless water for free if you ask him to of course.

What do you think of this situation?

You don’t just buy the bottle, though. As other posters have clearly pointed out, you just buy the bottle.** More than likely you then have to go get wate**r, and have the priest bless the water. The priest, if he knows that people are using the water sacriligiously, probably knows the people using it for ill. Therefore he can not bless the water for the bad people and only for the people who are going to use it properly.

The OP did ask. And the reason given was to keep it from being used sacriligiously. However, there may also have been other things that we don’t know about, such as the extent to which the sacriligious people were using the Holy Water.

 

[bmadamsberry]

If you read the other posts, you will see what stanncie posted, it states that they are selling the bottle, and that you go to the priest to get the water blessed. Just read the other posts.

I was assuming that the altar server was giving the reason that came from the priest.

 

[zab]

Is it ok for a parish to never have holy water available on the fonts? I love the parish I go to but this is the case there.

I once asked an altar server why there was no holy water and he told me that it was to prevent santeros from taking it. i do live in an area where there are a number of practicing santeros so that could be the case.

In case you don’t know a santero is a person who practices Santeria which is a religion that mixes Catholicism with african religions.

Anyways I have always blessed myself with holy water when entering and leaving a church since infancy so I kind of miss it.

They do have holy water in the church shop which you can get for a dollar. Also the priest will bless water for free if you ask him to of course.

What do you think of this situation?

The church is open everyday at most times since there is adoration every weekday from 9 to 6 at the adjacent chapel.
I have holy water in my house, car, etc. I guess I could carry some in my purse lol. I just thought that the whole thing is strange since like the other poster said, they could just buy it from the shop for a dollar.

Anyways, it’s not a huge deal but i just found it unusual

they are technically not selling you the water but the bottle it comes in. Like I said if you bring your own water in a bottle the priest will bless it.

This is my thinking as well. How about just having a little holy water? Should I ask the priest this or just let it be?

If you read the other posts, you will see what stanncie posted, it states that they are selling the bottle, and that you go to the priest to get the water blessed. Just read the other posts.

I was assuming that the altar server was giving the reason that came from the priest.

I read the other posts. I believe that you are misunderstanding what stanncie wrote.

 

[bmadamsberry]

I read the other posts. I believe that you are misunderstanding what stanncie wrote.

they are technically not selling you the water but the bottle it comes in. Like I said if you bring your own water in a bottle the priest will bless it.

There ya go. They are not selling the water, but the bottle it comes in.

Anyway, if they were selling water, then selling it for $1 would actually deter people from attaining it (although it would be wrong to do it). The trouble to actually go into the store, get it, pay for it, and leave actually stops people from doing it.

 

[zab]

There ya go. They are not selling the water, but the bottle it comes in.

Anyway, if they were selling water, then selling it for $1 would actually deter people from attaining it (although it would be wrong to do it). The trouble to actually go into the store, get it, pay for it, and leave actually stops people from doing it.

There ya go…
Why would it be wrong to sell the bottle that comes with the free holy water?

 

[bmadamsberry]

There ya go…
Why would it be wrong to sell the bottle that comes with the free holy water?

I don’t think your parish is supposed to sell holy water. Even rosaries etc are to be blessed after being sold, not before.

Catechism of the Catholic Church:
SIMONY: The buying or selling of spiritual things, which have God alone as their owner and master (2121).

What I stated was that selling the holy water would be wrong, and so only selling the bottle would be okay. I’m not going to bother answering any more of your questions if they’re already found in the posts.

 

[Cathryn]

**Is it ok for a parish to never have holy water available on the fonts? I love the parish I go to but this is the case there. **

I once asked an altar server why there was no holy water and he told me that it was to prevent santeros from taking it. i do live in an area where there are a number of practicing santeros so that could be the case.

In case you don’t know a santero is a person who practices Santeria which is a religion that mixes Catholicism with african religions.

Anyways I have always blessed myself with holy water when entering and leaving a church since infancy so I kind of miss it.

They do have holy water in the church shop which you can get for a dollar. Also the priest will bless water for free if you ask him to of course.

What do you think of this situation?

In this situation I would speak with the Pastor. Catholic Answers has been asked this question in its Ask an Apologist and the apologist answers with the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

Re: Why don’t some churches have holy water fonts?

Answer: Every Catholic church is required to have a holy water font.

Catechism of the Catholic Church
**1185 The gathering of the People of God begins with Baptism; a church must have a place for the celebration of Baptism (baptistry) and for fostering remembrance of the baptismal promises (holy water font). **

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=16286&highlight=holy+water

 

[stanncie]

Thank you all for your responses. Also I didn’t mean to cause an argument between those two posters lol!

The holy water is already in the bottles when you buy it but like I said you are technically paying for the bottle and not the water. You can brig your own bottle with water and have the priest bless it for free.

If I get a chance with the priest I might bring it up. He’s a good priest and is the only one in my parish except for the occasional visitor priests that help out sometimes.

There are two daily masses and five masses on Sunday so he has his plate full. I’m sure one of the many ministries at the parish can take care of the holy water issue even my own young adult group or maybe take turns. The parish is extremely active and pretty much there’s something going on in the evening daily.