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Published: January 27, 2007
Anything for a buck
California company selling “holy drinking water” blessed by “a priest, churchman, clergyman, cleric, curate, divine, ecclesiastic, elder, father, friar, holy man, lama, monk, padre, pontiff, preacher, rabbi, rector, sky pilot, or vicar”
“Holy Drinking Water” is now on sale at Rinaldi’s Market in the tiny San Joaquin County community of Linden – and soon may be available at a store near you.
Wayne Enterprises Inc. of Linden, the company marketing the water, says on its website, “The initial idea behind this product is to provide people with a daily reminder that they can and should do good in life and that they may not be as bad of a person as they think.”
Each half-ounce bottle sells for 99 cents and carries a “Warning to sinners,” which reads: “If you are a sinner or evil in nature, this product may cause burning, intense heat, sweating, skin irritation, rashes, itchiness, vomiting, bloodshot and water eyes, pale skin color, and oral irritations.”
News of Holy Drinking Water, says Wayne Enterprises, has spread to New York, Rhode Island, Texas, Canada, and Israel. Thirty-three cases have been donated to U.S. troops in Iraq. (The website asks for donations for this “pious” endeavor.)
The water is purified by the reverse osmosis method, but that is not what makes it unique. Rather, its supposed charm lies in the fact that it “is blessed into holy water by hands of god,” by which is meant “a priest, churchman, clergyman, cleric, curate, divine, ecclesiastic, elder, father, friar, holy man, lama, monk, padre, pontiff, preacher, rabbi, rector, sky pilot, or vicar.”
Wayne Enterprises says it is accepting applications from prospective “gods,” whose information will be kept “highly confidential.” Wayne Enterprises president, Brian Germann, told the Oakland Tribune that he has two clergymen from two different religions blessing the water.
To avoid “unnecessary peer pressure” from clergy, Germann said he would not identify his sanctifiers. “This has the potential to be a controversial product,” he said.
Virginia Meagher, liturgy coordinator for the Stockton diocese, told the Tribune selling holy water “seems to be against the reason we bless water.” Bottled holy water, she said, isn’t a sacrilege, but “it’s probably not something we would encourage.”
Wayne Enterprises offers this warning for its product: “Consuming Holy Drinking Water should not replace attending church or any other establishment of worship.”
Posted Wednesday, January 31, 2007 11:43 AM By Ron
Anything that’s blessed should never be sold. We buy and then we get the items blessed. If we want holy water, we get it at the church. It's against God's laws to sell anything blessed.
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Posted Wednesday, January 31, 2007 11:49 AM By Janet
Selling “holy drinking water” blessed by “a priest, churchman, clergyman, cleric, curate, divine, ecclesiastic...” sounds a lot like selling "indulgences" doesn’t it? There is a law against that in the Catholic Church. The selling or purchasing of spiritual things is forbidden both by ecclesiastical law and natural law. I can guarantee it’s not a Roman Catholic priest that’s blessing water to be sold as such. For example, if I want to buy a “blessed” statue or medal, I first must purchase the item and ONLY THEN can I have it blessed. The Catholic Church is very clear and very strict on this matter.
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Posted Thursday, February 15, 2007 11:10 AM By N. McKinnon
"Anything for a buck?" Holy Blessed items should never be sold. This includes water. The devil indeed works wonders when there are companies like this.
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Posted Tuesday, March 06, 2007 4:29 PM By Aris
What can we do to educate Catholics about the real nature and purpose of holy water?
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Posted Monday, June 25, 2007 3:15 AM By Pete
A terrible thing to see that nothing is sacred to some thorougly evil people. I also see they are selling Holy Water from Lourdes on Ebay, claiming it can cure people and animals! Whats really tragic is that society can allow this.
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