LINDEN, Calif. — A Stockton-area businessman is peddling blessed bottled water.
The half-liter bottles of Holy Drinking Water distributed by Wayne Enterprises Inc., of Linden, only carries the blessings of Catholic and Anglican priests, but company president Brian Germann said he plans to expand to other faiths.
He said he thought of the concept on June 6, 2006, or "666," and has sold about 3,000 bottles since January at a Linden market and on the Internet.
The bottles, filled with plain, purified water, carry a label that warns sinners who drink the water that they may experience burning, intense heat, sweating and skin irritations.
"This has some potential and is a lot of fun," said the Rev. Mark Smith, who blessed a batch in February. "Most people will pass it off. But some may have a moment."
Holy Drinking Water has led to positive conversations about religion and what it means to be a sinner, but it should not be used as a substitute for attending church, Germann said.
As a pure publicity stunt to sell water this is kind of funny. Though of course selling blessed water is simony. They claim they have Catholic and Anglican priests involved in this and if it is true that is rather sad. First off Holy Water requires salt as part of the blessing, and since this is pure water this isn’t happening. So at the least you would have only blessed water. Of course when you sell a blessed item which is basically a sacramental it loses its blessing.
The water you would receive would be the type a Demon-possessed person could chug-a-lug with no problem.
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Had to check to see if this was a Roto-Reuters press release. I just looked to much like a Jester parody.
Salt is not required in order to make Holy Water. It just requires a priest’s blessing.
In the Tridentine rite, the water is blessed in its cruet at the beginning of the Offetory, and becomes holy water before it is added to the chalice or used in the lavabo. It’s very common for the water remaining in the lavabo dish to be added to the holy water fonts at the enterences of the church after mass is finished.
But you are correct in your interpretation of Simony. This is an evil practice.
Ah no.
The water used in the chalice is not Holy Water.
Adding water to a container of Holy Water in which the Holy Water was blessed in the very container makes the added water Holy Water as well.
In other words, you never have to bless more assuming the original was blessed in that SAME container.
“The half-liter bottles of Holy Drinking Water distributed by Wayne Enterprises Inc.”
Is this what Batman is up to nowadays?
Obvious Curt Jester parody alert: a “Pet Papal Rock.”
Actually, Some Day, I believe you’re wrong about the adding regular water to holy water. I don’t remember where I read it, but that is not supposed to be done. I think it might have been in Redemptoris Sacramentum.
usually has a low TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) and is relatively soft