I have just read **Oct 15,2022 at 3:36** and it reminded me of oil I asked a priest to bless. He read the rite word for word except that he did not sprinkle it with holy water. Is it still as efficacious? Thank you. God bless!

I am studying a Agnus Dei made of rock crystal of the 16th century. The piece / pendant has a little center door that opens and inside a fragment of the blessed wax (Agnus Dei) is found. What is this little door for? The Agnus Dei with a door was it used for a special purpose or by a certain type of person?

The Agnus Dei sacramental is one of the Church's strongest sacramental which can only be blessed by a pope. This great consecration of Agnus Dei sacramentals takes place only in the first year of each pontificate and every seventh year afterwards. > On the Wednesday of Easter week these discs are brought to the Pope, who dips them into a vessel of water mixed with chrism and balsam, adding various consecratory prayers. The distribution takes place with solemnity on the Saturday following. - Catholic Encyclopedia The last known blessing of the Agnus Dei sacramentals was in 1964 by Pope Paul VI. > In a wonderful article by Charles Hugo Doyle, entitled "The Forgotten Sacramental," the author provides a summary of the special virtues of the Agnus Dei, as cited by Popes Urban V, Paul II, Julius III, Sixtus V and Benedict XIV, which include the following benefits: > > They foster piety, banish tepidity, preserve from vice and dispose to virtue. > > They cancel venial sins and purify from the stain left by grievous sin after it has been remitted in the Sacrament of Penance. > > They banish evil spirits, deliver from temptation and preserve from eternal ruin. > > They are a protection from a sudden and unprovided death. > > They dispel fears occasioned by evil spirits. > > They are a protection in combat, and have power to ensure victory. > > They deliver from poison and from the snares of the wicked. > > They are excellent preventatives against sickness and are also an efficacious remedy -- especially in cases of epilepsy. > > They hinder the ravages of pestilence, of epidemics and infectious diseases.\ > > They quiet the winds, dissipate hurricanes, calm whirlwinds, and keep away tempests. > > They save from shipwreck and the danger of lightning and floods. An anecdote is recalled here of Pope St. Pius V, who had recourse to this expedient when the Tiber was in flood and seemed likely to submerge the city. We are told that when an Agnus Dei had been thrown into the river, the angry waters at once subsided. - Agnus Dei Sacramentals and other relics Lost Catholic culture: the Agnus Dei wax > If you visit the parish of Santa Susanna (the English-speaking parish in Rome), you can ring the bell of the second sacristy and the sister will let you into the room which is a little gift shop. There you can receive, with a little donation, the wonderful Agnus Dei wax along with this informative brochure (with an Imprimatur from 1960). - Lost Catholic culture: the Agnus Dei wax Since these sacramental have gone the way of the dodo bird (1964), how can there still be some of these wax sacramental available for the faithful? The Catholic website Fish Eaters made an update on their Agnus Dei page stating the following: > Update: I've received an e-mail from a priest who was kind enough to take the time to inform me that the Holy Father issued Agnus Dei sacramentals during the Jubilee Year 2000. Wonderful! My question is this: **Is it possible to find a source (in print or online) that states definitively that Pope John Paul II actually blessed these wax tablets of the Agnus Dei sacramentals during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000?**

A priest I requested kindly to bless salt and oil did not use the prescribed prayer but used his own. Is the blessing valid? The prayer for exorcising the salt and blessing the oil was available. However, the vision of the elderly priest was poor and he could not read the prayer to bless/exorcise the salt and bless the oil. The priest then said that his own prayer is still valid and efficacious to bless the salt and oil. **Is his blessing on the salt and oil as valid or efficacious as the prescribed prayers for these items?**

I was thinking about [this question](https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/86541/holy-water-container-is-dirty) about holy water container cleaning. And I'm talking specifically in reference to anything between the ubiquitous holy water bottles you can get at the back of church that are sold at Autom in packs of 100 down to a 100 year old bottle you inherited from your great grandma caked with calcium. Are these sacramentals? Are they "converted" into sacramentals when they begin to contain holy water? Do they need to be blessed? Can they be sold (empty)?

Is the Bible a sacramental because it is a Bible, or must it be blessed by a priest to become the Holy Bible? *Also, is there a distinction between the holiness of the Bible as an object, and the holiness of the words in it when spoken? This essentially is a question about the written word vs the spoken word.* Keep in mind the sin of simony in your answer, as I think this can get nuanced. Citing of sources is welcome. Considering that is is called the word of God, if possible and this is not an obligation, it would be nice to know if its holiness is equal to that of the Eucharist, inferior, superior, etc.

How can I clean my Holy Water bottle? The Holy Water has sediment and the lid looks dirty

**According to the Catholic Church, can a tattoo be considered a sacramental?** I have a friend who is thinking about getting a tattoo on each shoulder, containing the image of the Medal of St. Benedict . There are several different blessings for this medal now. Any priest may bless the Medal of St. Benedict and some blessings have the word image in lieu of the word medal. If a priest were to bless this image would it be considered a sacrament, according to the Catholic Church. Although I am bring up the case of the Medal of St. Benedict, any other image in use in this question could hold also. In the case of lack of official Catholic Church teachings on this subject could a priest simply bless such holy images? Is there any Church prohibitions against this? Are priests allowed to bless tattoos? After all there are also blessings for people in the Rituale Romanum! Here follows the image of the Medal of St. Benedict that my friend is considering. St. Benedict Medal

In churches or cathedrals that have a special room for making/preparing the sacramental bread, does this room have a special name? Edit: I'm wondering because I saw a room in an Eastern Orthodox cathedral where the windows were clouded over, apparently because they cook the sacramental bread in there. I was wondering whether that kind of room has a special name, or is it okay to just call it a kitchen?

In Catholic tradition, can a Catholic acquire exorcised salt from a priest? If yes, what are the rules of such salt (acquiring, use, handling, storage) that the laity have to comply with? I have so far read here telling the laity that they can sprinkle salt all over their property, their neighborhood, in their cooking, etc. with an accompanying prayer, and sometimes medallions, to send a clear message to the demons that they are not welcome in that particular place. One believer tapes some of the grains of the salt into fence posts, etc. to keep it in place. Are the faithful are allowed to use the salt in such manners? Very much appreciated!

Is it appropriate to ask priests to bless things like oil, salt and water that you bring to them for a blessing? I was reading [this answer](https://christianity.stackexchange.com/a/78215/4) and was wondering if it made sense for a layperson to bring things like salt and oil for a blessing. Would a priest be responsible for making sure that the thing they're blessing really _is_ salt, oil and water?

It might be "1st" class; a 3" high metal cross with a flat round container of a liquid at cross beam This has some lettering surrounding it. A male figure in "bibical dress" holding a tablet(?) is on the reverse, several symbols next to him and EVSINOBITVNRO PRAE SENTIAMVNIAMVR (what I can make out) written about the image. Three small holes at foot and hands position may have held a gem or stone originally. Any ideas? I doubt this is a treasure. I came across it in my husband's what-not drawer and have no idea where it came from.

My question is kind of similar to [this one](https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/48657/how-should-must-catholics-handle-transport-and-use-holy-water) , but more specific. There's a lot of conflicting information on the internet regarding diluting the holy water. Some people suggest that the water must be comprised of more than 50% originally blessed water to be considered "holy". None of the sources seemed to suggest that it is "50% holy" then, though; to the contrary, "holiness" of the water is supposed to be a boolean property. This would imply that holy water obtained by 50-50 dilution and contact with originally blessed holy water is different to the originally blessed holy water. Specifically, that all the properties of the original water are kept, *except* the ability to be diluted with non-blessed water. This is my understanding basing on some public findings though; I was struggling to find any real canonical source that would definitely answer all of my questions.

Every Thursday in the National Shrine of St. Jude Thaddeus Manila , students of various universities nearby go to Mass. After Mass, the priest comes out with his holy water and sprinkles it on the mass-goers. Students would then break out their notebooks, their pens, their pencils, their laptops, etc., and hold it up high so it would catch some holy water. The students do this at least once in a semester during their exam periods, before defending their papers, etc., believing that when they use these now-blessed objects during review, exam, or thesis defense, they would have God's Grace (not necessarily have good luck) when they attempt to pass their academic requirements. Take note that they are having the priest bless objects that are secular, that had been used for secular purposes, and that will be used for secular purposes. Assuming that this method does bless their school stuff, are these categorically lower than the "normal" blessed sacramentals, such as chalices, priest vestments, and rosaries? I am asking for the Church dogma/doctrine standpoint, please, if it applies. Thanks!

When a sacramental, for example, a chalice, an altar, or a church has been desecrated, can it be reconsecrated? If yes, does the desecrated item have to undergo a normal consecration process, or does it have to undergo extra steps for it to become consecrated again? Does it apply to all sacramentals, or only certain types of sacramentals can be re-consecrated? Thank you!

Some shrines, like the Shrine of Padre Pio Chapel in Quezon City , distribute holy water in bottles for Catholics who want some. So far the only guideline I saw in getting holy water from a basin is that to get one, you use a clean pitcher to scoop the water and pour it into the bottle. You do not sink the bottle into the basin of holy water until it gets full. But that is all. How should/must observant Catholics handle, transport, and use holy water such that it won't get desecrated? Thanks!