A priest of the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra-Ghana, Rev. Fr. Ebenezer Hanson, has called for the return of Holy Water fonts at church entrances.
He argues that though Covid protocols have been lifted with many shaking hands and hugging outside of the Church, the holy water fountain is yet to return to the life of the Church.
In a message shared on his Facebook page, Fr. Hanson lamented the absence of what he describes as an important tradition since the outbreaks of Ebola in 2014 and the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
“When was the last time you dipped your fingers into Holy Water font at the entrance of the Church? When was the last time Holy Water was sprinkled upon you at the start of Holy Mass (asperges)?” Fr. Hanson asked. He noted that for many, it may have been since the Ebola crisis, or even longer for those who grew up during the pandemic.
Fr. Hanson raised a concern that children born in 2014, who have never seen or used Holy Water at church entrances, may grow up without understanding its spiritual importance.
“It is possible that a child born in 2014 has never seen anyone use Holy Water before entering the Church. Worse still are those who were seven years then, they may have forgotten about it,” he said.
This, he pointed out, could lead to young men entering seminaries in the future without a deep appreciation for the power of Holy Water.
The priest also questioned the growing practice of blessing offertory gifts with Holy Water, stating that this tradition should not overshadow the essential use of Holy Water at the entrance.
“I see us blessing offering gifts with Holy Water, and I wonder where the tradition comes from. Applying Holy Water at the entrance of the Church is more important than sprinkling expired milk with Holy Water,” he remarked.
In March 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the COVID-19 pandemic no longer poses a public health emergency of international concern.
Given this, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie, C.S.Sp.., announced revised COVID-19 protocols for liturgy.
The letter dated March 6, addressed to Priests, Religious and Lay Faithful of the Archdiocese, touched on several key issues regarding the liturgy, including those listed below, but did not mention Holy Water fountains.
HOLY COMMUNION
i. Priests and lay faithful who have cold and occasionally use the tissue or the handkerchief should use the hand sanitizer even after they wipe their nostrils with tissues or handkerchiefs. Priests with cold and cough should use the face mask during the celebration of Holy Mass.
ii. Priests or Eucharistic Ministers who distribute Holy Communion should wash/sanitize their hands before doing so. Communicants should sanitize their hands before reception of Holy Communion. While it is still advised, for safety reasons that the faithful receive Holy Communion in their hands, it is also permitted to receive communion on the tongue as before.
iii. Priests should be seen using hand sanitizers when celebrating Holy Mass
especially before distributing Holy Communion.COLLECTION
Ushers should continue to sanitize people’s hands after collection.KISS OF PEACE
On Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024, we can get back to our usual Kiss of Peace but it is highly recommended that hand sanitizers become compulsory for use after the Kiss of Peace. Priests should sanitize their hands thoroughly
right after the Kiss of Peace.
Read the full story below
Archbishop of Accra announces reviewed COVID protocols for liturgy
Why Catholics bless themselves with holy water when entering a church
Before the era of Covid, it was hard not to notice all the parishioners pause for a second as they file in through the various entrances. They stop, dip their fingers in a bowl of water and then make the sign of the cross. Why?
Besides remembering Christ’s passion and professing their faith in the Holy Trinity, Catholics bless themselves with holy water primarily as a reminder of their Baptism.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains why water plays such an important role in the life of the Church.
“The symbolism of water signifies the Holy Spirit’s action in Baptism, since after the invocation of the Holy Spirit it becomes the efficacious sacramental sign of new birth: just as the gestation of our first birth took place in water, so the water of Baptism truly signifies that our birth into the divine life is given to us in the Holy Spirit. As ‘by one Spirit we were all baptized,’ so we are also ‘made to drink of one Spirit.’ Thus the Spirit is also personally the living water welling up from Christ crucified as its source and welling up in us to eternal life” (CCC 694).
The Catechism further instructs about the need for a place within the church walls for a remembrance of this birth in the life of grace.
“The gathering of the People of God begins with Baptism; a church must have a place for the celebration of Baptism (baptistry) and for fostering remembrance of the baptismal promises (holy water font)” (CCC 1185).
Originally the water used for baptisms and holy water fonts was blessed once a year at the Easter Vigil and preserved for the whole year. A portion of the water is still blessed by the priest during a ceremony at the Easter Vigil where the congregation is reminded of the many saving acts of God in history that occurred through water.
The blessing concludes when the Easter candle, representing the Light of Christ, is lowered into the water three times. By this act, the water is deemed “holy” and set apart for this specific function.
Leaving the secular and entering the sacred
In addition to being a reminder of the rebirth experienced at Baptism, holy water fonts also provide a practical function that helps transition from the secular world into the House of God.
According to Fr. John Bartunek at SpiritualDirection.com, the holy water fonts were originally much bigger and were mainly used to cleanse a person’s dirty body before walking into the sacred space.
“Even in ancient non-Christian religions (including Judaism), ritual ablutions (washings) were frequently an initial step in formal worship. And so, when the first Christian houses of worship were built, the atrium that formed a kind of transition space between the outside, public arena and the church proper, where the liturgy was celebrated, often contained a large fountain. Worshipers would stop at the fountain and bathe their hands and feet (shoes were not as common in ancient times as they are now, at least in the warmer climates) before entering the sacred space.”
Even Jesus washed the feet of his disciples before celebrating the first Eucharist.
While not currently used in that same way, holy water fonts still provide a reminder that before one can enter the “Wedding Feast of the Lamb,” one must wash him or her self and put on the “wedding garment” to be admitted to the table.
In the end, while it is sometimes easy to get into the habit of entering a Catholic church and rushing through the ritual of blessing oneself with holy water, the symbolism behind the act is worth pausing a few extra seconds.
It is meant to be a reminder of our Baptism and provides an opportunity to leave behind the secular and enter into the sacred.
Discussion about this post