Votive candles, rosaries, and holy water. These are some of the most identifiable religious objects with holy water, being one of the most ancient and spiritually significant items you will see in a church. In Roman Catholicism, there is a variety of holy water, with some only containing consecrated salt, others with wine, anointing oil, and at times even ashes. Every one of them has a different use. For example, holy water with oil is used in baptisms, salted water is used for regular blessings, and holy water containing wine and ashes is for consecrating places of worship.
Purification Role
Regardless of use, all the different types of holy water play the role of purification and this ceremonial cleansing can be traced back to the days of Moses. Such traditions have stood the test of time, with priests still sprinkling holy water over congregations before mass today and giving out small bottles of holy water to help the faithful stay pure spiritually and protect against evil.
Creation of Holy Water
The creation of holy water follows a specific ritual that can only be carried out by an ordained member of the clergy for it to actually be classified as holy water.
In Catholicism, the process of making holy water starts with taking pure salt – either natural rock salt with no added ingredients or Kosher salt and adding that into a small jar or bowl. The salt is then blessed by the priest by repeating words from The Roman Ritual. Once the salt has been blessed, water will be collected from a natural source such as a river, stream, or creek. The water might sometimes be filtered to produce a cleaner result, rendering it safe to be placed around the lips or face. The water is then exorcised before being combined with the salt with words being recited from The Roman Ritual. The mixture is then combined as the salt is poured into the water in the shape of a cross while The Roman Ritual is repeated. Now that holy water has been made, it needs to be blessed once again using prayer from the Novus Ordo Book of Blessings. Once the blessing has been completed, the priest will finish the ritual by making a sign of the cross over the water.
In Catholicism, you can create a larger quantity of holy water by mixing it with regular water, making all of the water holy. However, it must be noted that to do so, regular water must always be added to holy water and not the other way around. Holy water should not be added to regular water. The amount of holy water must also always be more than the amount of regular water poured in.
Why Choose Mystic Water?
Interested in purchasing holy water for you or your loved ones? Mystic Waters contains a mixture of holy water from some of the holiest sites in the world, prayed over for 24 hours a day before being bottled for purchase.
Have questions? Contact us or reach out to us directly at michelle@thewatercompany.net.