Holy water font
Encyclopedia
Holy water
Holy water is water that, in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Lutheranism, Oriental Orthodoxy, and some other churches, has been sanctified by a priest for the purpose of baptism, the blessing of persons, places, and objects; or as a means of repelling evil.The use for baptism and...
generally placed near the entrance of a church. It is used in Catholic Church and Lutheran
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
churches, as well as some Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
churches to make the Sign of the Cross
Sign of the cross
The Sign of the Cross , or crossing oneself, is a ritual hand motion made by members of many branches of Christianity, often accompanied by spoken or mental recitation of a trinitarian formula....
using the holy water upon entrance and exit. Holy Water is blessed by a priest, and Catholics believe it can repel evil and cleanse venial sins, although its primary purpose is to remind people of their baptism.
See also
- Baptismal fontBaptismal fontA baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
- Nipson anomemata me monan opsinNipson anomemata me monan opsinNipson anomēmata mē monan opsin , meaning "Wash the sins, not only the face," or "Wash my transgressions, not only my face," is a Greek palindromic phrase which was inscribed upon a holy water font outside the church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople...
- Home stoupHome stoupA home stoup was a small font with a small bowl and a decorated plaque that Catholic people hung inside their homes, either in the entrance, or more often on the wall of their bedroom, near the head of their bed. Sometimes, they put on it a piece of blessed buxus, or they hung a rosary ring.The...
, for usage and blessing at home