Q: Greetings!
In the Baptismal Liturgy of the Easter Vigil, clearly, the prayer for the blessing of baptismal water is different from that of the blessing of water. In light of this:
1. Is it okay to use “ordinary” holy or blessed water as a substitute for baptismal water in cases where the supply for the whole year of baptismal water (blessed during the Easter Vigil) had run out? Context: some clerics see no difference between baptismal water and “ordinary” holy water, others say, they are the same.
2. While there is provision to bless water to be used for baptizing during the rite of baptism itself, can a cleric bless a new “batch” of baptismal water outside of the rite of baptism, again, in cases where the supply for the whole year of baptismal water (blessed during the Easter Vigil) had run out? If yes, can the text for the prayer for the blessing of baptismal water on Easter Vigil be used instead of the one in the Book of Blessing (Order for the Blessing of Holy Water Outside Mass), since clearly, the one in the Book of Blessing is only for “ordinary” holy water and not for baptismal water.
Thank you!
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A: The Order of Baptism of Children sees it a different way. The rubric at 54 says, “Then, turning to the font, the celebrant says the following Blessing (outside Easter Time):” And the words for the blessing follow.
Thus, during Easter Time, the water blessed at the Vigil is the best water to be used. Outside Easter Time (or, logically, during Easter Time if the water from the Vigil has already been used up), the celebrant blesses the water he needs within the order of baptism.
As I read the rubric, this is preferred to the usage of previously blessed holy water. This is more than a “provision to bless water,” it is part of the ceremony. It would therefore be unwise for a cleric to bless a new batch of baptismal water outside a baptism.
And, of course, in an emergency, any water may be used, even if it has not been blessed.