Value of Holy Water
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- A statue of St. Bernadette stands near the chapel in the Shrine of St. Bernadette here. The church is an official distributor for water from Lourdes, France, a site of pilgrimages for an estimated 6 million Catholics a year.
Not even holy water, it seems, can get through U.S. customs without a few questions.
"They wanted to know its value," says Dan Paulos, finance manager at Shrine of St. Bernadette Catholic church.
That's a tricky question to ask about 14 10-gallon jugs of water from a spring blessed by the Virgin Mary.
On one hand, these jugs of water that were temporarily held up at Albuquerque International Sunport in January were worth nothing. No monetary value, at least, since they were considered a gift from the Shrine of Lourdes in France.
Yet, this Lourdes water, as it's called, came from the natural spring that the peasant Bernadette Soubirous dug with her own hands in 1858. At Mary's request.
So, yes. It has value. Especially to a parish that has been declared a shrine to St. Bernadette.
"Its value," says Father Tom Zotter, rector of St. Bernadette's, "is infinite."
Theologically a good answer, but not a good answer to tell a customs official when he starts calculating the import tariff on infinite.
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On the other hand, they will never have to pay the tarriff since there's no way to figure a percentage of infinite. :)
Technically, Lourdes water is not "holy water" (the sacramental blessed by the Church) - yet it is water and there is holiness attributed to it.
But as for the cost - tap water in the US costs about 0.2 cents per gallon. So 10 gallons is 2 cents. So unless you want to grossly overpay the tax at 1 cent, it really averages to zero.
Hey Im grossly overtaxed all the time why not with holy water too?
" jugs of water from a spring blessed by the Virgin Mary."
Only an ordained priest or deacon can bless something. Women have no power to bless and neither do men who are not ordained. As someone said, the water is not blessed and is not holy water but plain water. This is so fresh in my mind because our parish is hosting "In The Footsteps of Bernadette" with Pere Regis-Marie of France.
Some commonly asked questions:
1. Is Lourdes water the same as Holy Water?
No, Holy Water is blessed by a priest making it a sacramental of the Church used to bless people, places or things. Lourdes water has not been blessed.
2. Does the water really come from the spring in Lourdes?
Yes, the Lourdes Marian Center receives the water directly from Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in large 30 liter barrels. The water is then bottled into small ounce and half containers.
3. Can other water be added to Lourdes water?
If it is mixed with other water it cannot be called Lourdes water.
4. Is Lourdes water miraculous?
Lourdes water has no curative or miraculous properties. Lourdes water has been miraculous for many who have used it, but this has been due to their faith and God's mercy.
I met Dan Paulos in 2001, when I visited a friend in Albuquerque who has a website on St. Joan of Arc. St. Bernadette's was her parish at the time. I had my picture taken with Dan, and he gave me a "Chaplet of St. Bernadette" as a gift.
Reading this story reminds me of my first pilgrimage to Lourdes in 1986. Near the end of my stay, a group of SSPX people were staying at my hotel. There was a "traditionalist pilgrimage" going on for the Feast of Christ the King (old calendar). One couple went to the spring and filled a huge plastic water container (the size of a gas can) with water. The woman told her husband, "We have to carry this on the train!" Apparently the group was traveling by train. I had to laugh.....
i would like to receive a catalog from all the waters from lourdes,as well as charms, key chains etc..... thank you