In several Christian denominations, such as Catholicism, Lutheranism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy; holy water is water that has been sanctified by a priest for the purpose of baptism, for the blessing of persons, places, and objects, or as a means of repelling evil.Chambers's encyclopædia (1870). Philadelphia: Lippincott & Co. p. 374.Nathaniel Altman, 2002 Sacred water: the spiritual source of life pp 130–133

History

The Apostolic Constitutions, whose texts date to , attribute the precept of using holy water to the Apostle Matthew. It is plausible that the earliest Christians may have used water for expiatory and purificatory purposes in a way analogous to its employment in Jewish Law ("And he shall take holy water in an earthen vessel, and he shall cast a little earth of the pavement of the tabernacle into it", Numbers 5:17). Yet in many cases, the water used for the sacrament of Baptism was flowing water, sea- or river-water, which — in the view of the Roman Catholic Church — could not receive the same blessing as that water contained in the baptisteries. However, Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic Christians perform the same blessing, whether in a baptistery or at an outdoor body of water.

Use and storage

Sprinkling with holy water is used as a sacramental that recalls baptism.Catechism of the Catholic Church, Sacramentals, ss. 1667, 1668 In the West, the blessing of the water is traditionally accompanied by exorcism and by the addition of exorcised and blessed salt.The New International Dictionary of the Christian Church (1974). J. D. Douglas (ed.). "Holy Water". Grand Rapids: Zondervan. p. 478.

Holy water is kept in the holy water font, which is typically located at the entrance to the church (or sometimes in a separate room or building called a baptistery). Smaller vessels, called stoups, are usually placed at the entrances of the church, to enable people to bless themselves with it on entering.

In the Middle Ages, Christians esteemed the power of holy water so highly that in some places fonts had locked covers to prevent the theft of holy water for unauthorized magic practices. The Constitutions of Archbishop Edmund Rich (1236) prescribe that: "Fonts are to be kept under lock and key, because of witchcraft (sortilege). Similarly the chrism and sacred oil are kept locked up.""Fontes sub serura clausi teneantur, propter saortilegia. Chrisma similiter et oleum sacrum sub clave custodiantur." (Wilkinson, Consilia, 1:636, quoted in George C. Homans, English Villagers in the Thirteenth Century, 2nd ed. 1991:384 and note 2).

In Catholicism, holy water, as well as the water used during the washing of the priest's hands at Mass, is not allowed to be disposed of in regular plumbing. Roman Catholic churches will usually have a special basin (a ) that leads directly into the ground for the purpose of proper disposal. A hinged lid is kept over the holy water basin to distinguish it from a regular sink basin, which is often just beside it. Items that contained holy water are separated, drained of the holy water, and then washed in a regular manner in the adjacent sink.Theiler, Henry (1909). Holy Water and Its Significance for Catholics. Ratisbon, New York: F. Puster & Co. Reprint: Sophia Institute Press, 2016. p. 48.

Hygiene Holy water fonts have been identified as a potential source of bacterial and viral infection. In the late-19th century, bacteriologists found staphylococci, streptococci, coli bacilli, Loeffler's bacillus, and other bacteria in samples of holy water taken from a church in Sassari, Italy.Dietetic and Hygienic Gazette, Volume 14, page 578. The Gazette Publishing Company, 1898. In a study performed in 1995, 13 samples were taken when a burn patient acquired a bacterial infection after exposure to holy water. The samples in that study were shown to have a "wide range of bacterial species", some of which could cause infection in humans.J.C. Rees and K.D. Allen, 1996 "Holy water—a risk factor for hospital-acquired infection". Journal of Hospital Infection 32(1), pages 51–55. During the swine-flu epidemic of 2009, Bishop John Steinbock of Fresno, California, recommended that "holy water should not be in the fonts" for fear of spreading infections.California Catholic Daily. "Holy water should not be in fonts during this swine flu epidemic [...]." 4 May 2009. Also in response to the swine flu, an automatic, motion-detecting holy-water dispenser was invented and installed in Milan Cathedral in 2009.NPR Morning Edition. "In Italy, An Automatic Holy-Water Dispenser". 12 November 2009. In 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Episcopal Conferences directed that holy water be removed from the fonts or stoups.Examples as the conferences of England and Wales , New Zealand and various African conferences

In Catholicism Sacramental and sanctification A blessing, as a prayer, is a sacramental. By blessing water, Catholic priests praise God and ask for his grace. As a reminder of baptism, Catholic Christians dip their fingers in holy water and make the sign of the cross when entering a church.

Fr. John F. Sullivan, writing in the early twentieth century, noted that, "Besides the pouring of baptismal water ... the sprinkling with holy water is a part of the ceremonies of Matrimony, of Extreme Unction and of the administration of the Holy Eucharist to the sick, and it is employed also in services for the dead."Sullivan, John F. (1917). The Externals of the Catholic Church. New York: P. J. Kennedy. Reprint: New York: Nine Choirs Press, 2010. p. 167.

The Sunday liturgy may begin with the Rite of Blessing and Sprinkling Holy Water, in which holy water is sprinkled upon the congregation; this is called "aspersion" (from the Latin, , "to sprinkle"). This ceremony dates back to the 9th century. An "aspergill" or aspergillum is a brush or branch used to sprinkle the water. An is the vessel which holds the holy water and into which the aspergillum is dipped, though elaborate Ottonian examples are known as . Blessed salt may be added to the water where it is customary to do so.

The Catholic Church teaches that this use of holy water and making a sign of the cross when entering a church reflects a renewal of baptism, a cleansing of venial sin, as well as providing protection against evil.Bold, Philip (1896). Catholic Doctrine and Discipline Simply Explained. Rev. and ed. by William H. Eyre. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner. Reprint: Kessinger Publishing, 2010. page 283. It is sometimes accompanied by the following prayer:Jacquelyn Lindsey, 2001 Catholic Family Prayer Book OSV Press p.65

Some Catholics believe that water from specific shrines (such as Lourdes) can bring healing – although that water is not the same as typical holy water found in parishes, since it has not been blessed by a priest.Richard Clarke, 2008 Lourdes, Its Inhabitants, Its Pilgrims, And Its Miracles page 38.

Formula

A priest may choose from three other formulae found in the Book of Blessings for blessing water. They are to be accompanied by the priest blessing the water with the sign of the cross. They are as follows:

V. Blessed are you, Lord, all-powerful God, who in Christ, the living water of salvation, blessed and transformed us. Grant that when we are sprinkled with this water or make use of it, we will be refreshed inwardly by the power of the Holy Spirit and continue to walk in the new life we received at Baptism. We ask this though Christ our Lord. R. Amen.

V. Lord, holy Father, look with kindness on your children redeemed by your Son and born to a new life by water and the Holy Spirit. Grant that those who are sprinkled with this water may be renewed in body and spirit and may make a pure offering of their service to you. We ask this through Christ our Lord. R. Amen.

V. O God, the Creator of all things, by water and the Holy Spirit you have given the universe its beauty and fashioned us in your own image. R. Bless and purify your Church. V. O Christ the Lord, from your pierced side you gave us your sacraments as fountains of salvation. R. Bless and purify your Church. V. Priest: O Holy Spirit, giver of life, from the baptismal font of the Church you have formed us into a new creation in the waters of rebirth. R. Bless and purify your Church.

Protection against evil

In his book The Externals of the Catholic Church, originally published in 1917, Fr. John F. Sullivan writes:

The prayers said over the water are addressed to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, that through the power of the Blessed Trinity the spirits of evil may be utterly expelled from this world and lose all influence over mankind. Then God is besought to bless the water, that it may be effective in driving out devils and in curing diseases; that wherever it is sprinkled there may be freedom from pestilence and from the snares of Satan.Sullivan, John F. (1917). The Externals of the Catholic Church. New York: P. J. Kennedy. Reprint: New York: Nine Choirs Press, 2010. p. 166.

Catholic saints have written about the power of holy water as a force that repels evil. Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582), a Doctor of the Church who reported visions of Jesus and Mary, believed fervently in the power of holy water and stated that she used it with success to repel evil and temptations.Tessa Bielecki, Mirabai Starr, 2008 Teresa of Avila: The Book of My Life pp 238–241 She wrote:

The 20th-century nun and mystic Saint Faustina in her diary (paragraph 601) said she once sprinkled a dying sister with holy water to drive away demons. Although this was wrong to do, since it was the priest's duty, she remarked, "holy water is indeed of great help to the dying".

In Holy Water and Its Significance for Catholics, Cistercian priest Henry Theiler states that in addition to being a strong force in repelling evil, holy water has the twofold benefit of providing grace for both body and soul.Theiler, Henry (1909). Holy Water and Its Significance for Catholics. Ratisbon, New York: F. Puster & Co. Reprint: Sophia Institute Press, Manchester (New Hampshire), 2016. pp. 24–31 - "The priest [...] first blesses the salt that he afterwards puts in the water. [...] 'I exorcise thee, thou creature salt, [...] that thou mayest become health of soul and body [...].' [...] In the following prayer the blessing is pronounced over the water: 'let Thy creature serving in Thy mysteries, by divine grace be effectual for casting out devils and for driving away diseases [...].'"

The new excludes the exorcism prayer on the water. Exorcised and blessed salt has traditionally been added to the holy water as well. Priests can continue to use the older form if they wish as confirmed by Pope Benedict XVI in , which states "What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too".

In Eastern Christianity

Among Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Christians, holy water is blessed in the church and given to the faithful to drink at home when needed and to bless their homes. In the weeks following the Feast of Epiphany, clergy visit the homes of parishioners and conduct a service of blessing by using the holy water that was blessed on the Feast of Theophany. For baptism, the water is sanctified with a special blessing.

Throughout the centuries, there have been many springs of water that have been believed by members of the Orthodox Church to be miraculous. Some still flow to this day, such as the one at Pochaev Lavra in Ukraine, and the Life-Giving Spring of the Theotokos in Constantinople (commemorated annually with the blessing of holy water on Bright Friday).