Emptying Holy Water stoups on Good Friday/Holy Saturday

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Hare
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Emptying Holy Water stoups on Good Friday/Holy Saturday

Post by Hare »

Can anyone please tell me where any definite instruction on this can be found? I have searched on the 'net but all I can find is several references to a letter from the Congregation for Divine Worship saying

"# The practice of the Church has been to empty the Holy Water fonts on the days of the Sacred Triduum in preparation of the blessing of the water at the Easter Vigil, and it corresponds to those days on which the Eucharist is not celebrated (i.e., Good Friday and Holy Saturday).

Hoping that this resolves the question with every good wish and kind regard, I am,

Sincerely yours in Christ,
Mons. Mario Marini
Undersecretary"

Many thanks in advance
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musicus
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Re: Emptying Holy Water stoups on Good Friday/Holy Saturday

Post by musicus »

Here is the full text of Marini's letter (from http://www.catholicdoors.com/faq/qu75.htm - itself quoting the Adoremus website). Marini is saying that it is not permitted to empty the holy water from the fonts during Lent, but notes that they are emptied on Good Friday and Holy Saturday in preparation for the blessing of water at the Vigil. (Note that Marini says fonts, not stoups.)

Prot. N. 569/00/L
March 14, 2000

Dear Father:

This Congregation for Divine Worship has received your letter sent by fax in which you ask whether it is in accord with liturgical law to remove the Holy Water from the fonts for the duration of the season of Lent.
This Dicastery is able to respond that the removing of Holy Water from the fonts during the season of Lent is not permitted, in particular, for two reasons:
1. The liturgical legislation in force does not foresee this innovation, which in addition to being praeter legem is contrary to a balanced understanding of the season of Lent, which though truly being a season of penance, is also a season rich in the symbolism of water and baptism, constantly evoked in liturgical texts.
2. The encouragement of the Church that the faithful avail themselves frequently of the [sic] of her sacraments and sacramentals is to be understood to apply also to the season of Lent. The "fast" and "abstinence" which the faithful embrace in this season does not extend to abstaining from the sacraments or sacramentals of the Church. The practice of the Church has been to empty the Holy Water fonts on the days of the Sacred Triduum in preparation of the blessing of the water at the Easter Vigil, and it corresponds to those days on which the Eucharist is not celebrated (i.e., Good Friday and Holy Saturday).
Hoping that this resolves the question and with every good wish and kind regard, I am,

Sincerely yours in Christ,
[signed]
Mons. Mario Marini
Undersecretary

This letter seems to be the only easily accessible reference to this practice, and an oblique reference at that; certainly, as Hare says, if you do an Internet search for 'empty holy water stoups', it is all you find. It does seem strange to me that all we have to go on is a letter from the year 2000. Can antone shed any light on this?
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docmattc
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Re: Emptying Holy Water stoups on Good Friday/Holy Saturday

Post by docmattc »

Our diocesan ordo has the following instruction for Maundy Thursday:

After Mass the altar is stripped without ceremony, holy water stoups are emptied and covered, and any uncovered crucifixes are veiled or removed.


In "Ceremonies of the Liturgical Year according to the Modern Roman Rite" , Mgr (now Bp) Peter Elliot says
After the Mass on the Lord's Supper and Tranfser of the Holy Eucharist...The sacristans remove all holy water from the stoups at the church doors


This practice predates the "Modern Roman Rite", so the definitive reference is a long way back

musicus wrote:(Note that Marini says fonts, not stoups.)

From the context, its clear that this also covers stoups. The usual source of holy water from which the "faithful avail themselves" is the stoup rather than the baptismal font itself.
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Re: Emptying Holy Water stoups on Good Friday/Holy Saturday

Post by musicus »

Very helpful, Doc. Thank you.
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