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japhy
Guest
I’m just curious if any parishes use Holy Water for the lavabo, as opposed to just normal tap water. I don’t think there’s any prescription (or prohibition) either way, just curious.
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D
Deacon_Ed
Guest
Plain water is what is generally used. While there is nothing to preclude the use of Holy Water, I don’t know of any parish that does so.
Deacon Ed
Deacon Ed
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Rickwood
Guest
When I prepare the lavabo in the sacristy I use very hot water. By the time I wash the priest’s hands, it’s still nice and warm. Most people miss little niceties like this…
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Phemie
Guest
Since we use the same cruet for the water for the chalice as we do for the lavabo, we go for cold.
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NeedImprovement
Guest
I know several priests -particularly two, both of whom are members of religious orders; Missionaries of Africa, and The Servites of Mary, who bless the water just before it is mingled with the wine.
I often serve their Masses. After the Mass, one can’t simply pour the water down the drain because it is blessed. The cruet Holy Water can always be added to the Holy Water font. But the lavabo water has been used to wash hands and neither of the two places where I serve their Masses has a sacrarium. So if it can’t be poured into the ground, the next best thing is a plant. There are a couple of plants I use regularly for this purpose.
…Ohh lucky plant! You’re getting Holy Water more times a week than half the Catholics I know.
I often serve their Masses. After the Mass, one can’t simply pour the water down the drain because it is blessed. The cruet Holy Water can always be added to the Holy Water font. But the lavabo water has been used to wash hands and neither of the two places where I serve their Masses has a sacrarium. So if it can’t be poured into the ground, the next best thing is a plant. There are a couple of plants I use regularly for this purpose.
…Ohh lucky plant! You’re getting Holy Water more times a week than half the Catholics I know.
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NeedImprovement
Guest
It’s not a parish per se, but one can notice a significant percentage (I have to guess a bit because I was never counting) ,say a “ballpark figure” 50% of the Holy Cross Fathers at St. Joseph’s Oratory here in Montreal, who will commonly bless the water just before it is mingled with the wine when they are celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
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Rickwood
Guest
I would never use the same cruet.
Though it’s certainly not required by the Church I prepare two distinctly different vessels of water – a cruet and a proper ewer for the lavabo based on historical considerations.
Potable water would be been fairly scare back when Jesus Christ instituted the Mass and their would have been a distinction between water for washing and that for drinking. Even then their best drinking water was often mixed with wine to kill goodness knows what.
I appreciate preserving that little historical distinction.
P.S. I’m not sure their is a prohibition against pouring blessed water down a regular sink?
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NeedImprovement
Guest
I didn’t read it anywhere Rickwood…just sort of thought it through a bit. There’s a reason for sacrariums.
Maybe we could agree if it’s phrased this way: Would you pour blessed water or Holy Water into a toilet full of unflushed you know what ? Because essentially that’s what happens when you pour it down a sink: even before the time it hits the sewers in the streets it’s all one big mix. Often we don’t realize it because none of us follow the pipes out of our houses/institutions out into the sewers.
It’s hidden from our view.
Does that make a little more sense ?
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Rickwood
Guest
I’m certain it’s not a bad practice to pout blessed water out in the garden or down a piscina, but I’m not sure it’s required either…
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Deacon_Ed
Guest
Small technical correction… It’s “Servants of Mary” or “Servites” – don 't mix the two. I spent four years at a Servite high school and have many Servite brothers and priests who are friends.
Deacon Ed
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NeedImprovement
Guest
I’m not sure it’s required either…just permits me to rest a little easier. It would be interesting to find out. It would appear to be in line with the thinking about burying or burning a blessed object such as a scapular at the time they are discarded.
Either way, the fact remains that pouring it down a regular sink mixes it with the aforementioned (ahem) in the sewers.
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NeedImprovement
Guest
Sorry about that Rev. Deacon.
I’m speaking of the Order of Servites, of whom St. Alessio Falconieri was one of the seven holy founders … the same order to which St. Peregrin belonged.
You see 90% of my apostolate is in french and I did a direct translation. In french here, they are commonly referred to as Les Servites de Marie.
If I’m not mistaken, the Servites’ patroness is Our Lady of Sorrows; - the members of the Congregation of The Holy Cross also take Our Lady of Sorrows as their patroness.
In Latin their order’s name is written Ordo Servorum Beatae Virginis Mariae and acrostically (using a fictitious name here) appears this way Rev. Etienne Xavier Lessard, o.s.m.
The “m” stands for Mary.
Irregardless, in english, I’m guilty as charged (gotta live up to my user name
). Thanks for the correction. I’ll be sure to make the distinction from now on.
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bpbasilphx
Guest
** Even then their best drinking water was often mixed with wine to kill goodness knows what.**
**Actually, water was mingled with wine as an act of temperance.
Microorganisms were not known until the invention of the microscope.
That there were pathogenic ones was not known until the time of Louis Pasteur.
And there’s not enough alcohol in wine to be of any antiseptic value in water.**
**Actually, water was mingled with wine as an act of temperance.
Microorganisms were not known until the invention of the microscope.
That there were pathogenic ones was not known until the time of Louis Pasteur.
And there’s not enough alcohol in wine to be of any antiseptic value in water.**
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Rickwood
Guest
Actually they empirically knew LONG ago (certainly pre-biblical times) that water mixed with wine kept people from getting sick. Same with beer – they knew that drinking beer in place of water kept them from getting ill, LONG before they understood the chemistry behind it.
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NeedImprovement
Guest
What I don’t understand is how come so many canadian men still get ill then.
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Phemie
Guest
Too much of a good thing is no good?What I don’t understand is how come so many canadian men still get ill then.
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Rickwood
Guest
I should also add that they added water to wine because the wine was often very strong tasting. Temperance? Not a lot of baptists around back in them days…
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NeedImprovement
Guest
…lol.
A little strategically placed mirth can change the complexion of an entire day.
@ Phemie , & @ Rickwood : Thanks.
C
clock
Guest
Lavabo 
the funniest word I heard today so far 
the funniest word I heard today so far
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NeedImprovement
Guest
Honestly…??? The funniest one you’ve heard today?
…Sounds like you might be a little too wound up clock.
…Sounds like you might be a little too wound up clock.
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