Non Solum: When to Use the Sprinkling Rite

Today’s Question: When to Use the Sprinkling Rite

The Roman Missal allows for the substitution of the sprinkling rite for the Penitential Act on Sundays throughout the year, but especially at Easter, as a reminder of baptism. The sprinkling rite is a wonderful way to reinforce the initiatory quality of Easter, and serves to tie the dying and raising of the faithful in the waters of baptism to the dying and rising of Christ celebrated during Holy Week. But Easter is not the only time that the sprinkling rite can be used. Contrary to the popular desert motif of Lent, Lent’s two-fold baptismal and penitential emphasis makes it an appropriate time for the occasional usage of the sprinkling rite, especially at the scrutinies. Other times throughout the year also lend themselves to the sprinkling rite. The rite specifically provides for the blessing of the water in front of the people so as to solidify its baptismal symbolism. But how often does the priest sprinkle himself as the rubrics suggest?

What are your thoughts? What does your parish do, and why?

Moderator’s note: “Non solum” is a feature at Pray Tell for our readership community to discuss practical liturgical issues. The title comes from article 11 of the Vatican II liturgy constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium: “Therefore there is to be vigilance among holy pastors that in liturgical action not only are laws for valid and licit celebration to be observed, but that the faithful should participate knowingly, actively, and fruitfully.” (Ideo sacris pastoribus advigilandum est ut in actione liturgica non solum observentur leges ad validam et licitam celebrationem, sed ut fideles scienter, actuose et fructuose eandem participent.) May the series contribute to good liturgical practice – not only following the law, but especially grasping the spirit of the liturgy!

Nathan Chase

Nathan P. Chase is Assistant Professor of Liturgical and Sacramental Theology at Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, MO. He has contributed a number of articles to the field of liturgical studies, including pieces on liturgy in the early Church, initiation, the Eucharist, inculturation, and the Western Non-Roman Rites, in particular the Hispano-Mozarabic tradition. His first book The Homiliae Toletanae and the Theology of Lent and Easter was published in 2020. His second monograph, published in 2023, is titled The Anaphoral Tradition in the ‘Barcelona Papyrus.’

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Comments

25 responses to “Non Solum: When to Use the Sprinkling Rite”

  1. Fritz Bauerschmidt

    From my reading of the rite it looks like the blessing of water during the rite is mandatory, not optional. Is there something I’m missing?

    We use it on the Sundays of Lent and I’ve got to say that I find it a bit tedious, largely because of the fairly lengthy blessing prayer for Easter season. It adds a big block of spoken words to the entrance rite, which is not what I think the Entrance Rite really needs. Perhaps if you didn’t have too repeat the blessing every time, or if the prayer were chanted, maybe with a repeated congregational response, I would like it better.

    As I have mentioned before, at our place the actual sprinkling takes place during the Gloria, which I think is a fairly common practice. I notice in the rite that there are antiphons other than the Asperges and Vidi Aquam provided. Does anyone have any experience of these being used? At the Easter Vigil we have used the song “Out of Darkness,” which is a paraphrase of the 4th antiphon given for the Easter Season.

    Reply
    1. Fr. Allan. McDonald

      @Fritz Bauerschmidt – comment #1:
      I prefer the EF’s form of Sprinkling as it uses already blessed Holy water and begins immediately with the priest introducing it by beginning the chanting of the Asperges Me. I was also under the impression that the revised rite required the blessing of water and I too find it too long and tedious thus we only do it during the Easter season singing an English version of Vidi Acquam. However for the EF Sung Masses the schola always chants either the Asperges or the Vidi Acquam in Latin depending on the season. In the late ’80’s when I was at our Cathedral the bishop at the time chided me for encouraging the sprinkling during the Gloria, a 1970’s innovation. I can’t now recall his cogent liturgical theology forbidding me to do this but he was correct that the singing of the Gloria is too important to be accompaniment music for an adjunct liturgical action. On top of that there is a slightly modified absolution that concludes this rite which would have to be omitted if the sprinkling takes place during the Gloria. The Vatican liturgies always have the free standing Kyrie following the sprinkling rite’s absolution then followed by the Gloria.

      Reply
    2. Nathan Chase

      @Fritz Bauerschmidt – comment #1:
      Thank you for your clarification. I have looked back over the rubrics and have corrected the post. I myself have never seen the blessing done as part of the sprinkling rite. Whenever I have seen the sprinkling rite used the water was blessed before mass, which is why I assumed that the blessing was often omitted.

      Reply
      1. Jordan Zarembo

        @Nathan Chase – comment #4:

        Whenever I have seen the sprinkling rite used the water was blessed before mass, which is why I assumed that the blessing was often omitted.

        In the EF, the holy water must be blessed before the clergy enter the sanctuary to begin the asperges. The older rubric might explain why some of the clergy use water that has already been blessed. Perhaps this is done out of custom or habit.

    3. Charles Urban

      Sprinkling during the Gloria is a “fairly common practice”? Really?? First–the Easter Vigil excepted–I could go for YEARS AT A TIME and not see the blessing/sprinkling rite performed at all. Second, there is no warrant from traditional custom or the rubrics in the current Missal that allow for this rite during the Gloria. It’s bad liturgy, and as Fr. Mc Donald posted, these are two different liturgical actions within the rite of Mass.
      As far as a congregational “response” there are several antiphons provided in the Missal for this. (Hymns IMHO should be absolutely avoided–we have already expunged enough Scripture from the Liturgy!!)
      However… I suspect, based on the context of your response, and what Fr. McDonald has posted below, you might agree that there should be just a sprinkling rite, like the pre-Conciliar “Asperges” except that (for reasons I can’t fathom) the Novus Ordo does not provide for this, i.e. if there is a sprinkling the holy water must be blessed in the same rite. (If I’ve gotten that one wrong, please somebody reply to this.)

      Reply
      1. Fritz Bauerschmidt

        It may be less common than when I made that comment ten years ago. I hope so.

        A decade on, I would say that my dislike for the current form of the sprinkling rite has only increased. Too many words explaining what should be an eloquent action. On the whole I think the entrance rite is the least successful part of the reform of the Mass.

    4. Chris Dobrowolski

      Some churches may do the sprinkling while singing Gloria to save time. First the priest and deacon go to the alter with an entrance song. Then the preist blesses the water and sometimes we also renew the bapistm promises by responding I do to a few questions the priest asks. Then the priest should dip his finger in and sign himself with the water but in some churches the deacon can sprinkle the priest and the end of the sprinkling rite , the priest with the deacon through the all church sprinkling all the people there and gloria can be sung then to speed up the time. Other churches sometimes do it at the very start of the mass like when they are walking to the alter- if done that way, the preist stays at the baptimal font at the church says the greeting blesses the water and then while walking to the alter the priest, deacon(s), altar servers, ministers, possilbe members of that church can also do the sprinkling and then they go to the sides of the church sprinkling and after the done the preist starts and says May Alimighty God …. and after congreation say amen the gloria is song.

      Reply
  2. Richard Skirpan

    As the parish community where I currently work celebrates infant baptisms (following Mass) on the third Sunday of the month, in lieu of celebrating those baptisms within Mass, for the time being and during Ordinary Time, the pastor has introduced the custom of using the Sprinkling Rite on those weekends to remind all of our baptism. He has also suggested we will make frequent use of the sprinking during Eastertide. The blessings are a bit long, but can be somewhat didactic (at least during the first few hearings), and I don’t feel once a month during Ordinary Time is too much of burden.

    Reply
  3. Dan McKernan

    I am still thrown aback by the practice of combining two different rites, the sprinkling and the Gloria, during the liturgy. It begs the question – are there other ceremonies subject to ad hoc combination? How do we justify these substitutions and forbid others? With this question I am thinking of a few older clerics I’ve encountered who simply refuse the Lavabo, leaving altar servers standing with cruet in hand wondering what to do.

    Reply
    1. Chris Dobrowolski

      They do that for some reasons I can think of. One the water is at the rear of the church in some churches, two the priest is old and does not want to walk too much-that happens a little bit in California. Also so the mass go a little quicker in some parishes or in some small parishes where they have one main aisle in the front of the altar. If the water is in the back of the church the priest does the introductory right and then immediately blesses the water and then goes up to the alter sprinking both sides of the main aisle, singing Gloria and then may go to other aisles to sprinkle those two after reaching the alter and then after done sprinkling goes up to to alter.

      Reply
  4. John Swencki

    Is using the Sprinking Rite when people “bless themselves” with holy water on entering the church redundant?

    Reply
  5. Scott Pluff

    I believe that the sprinkling may no longer take place during the Gloria. I’m not sure it was ever officially allowed, but it has been clarified that we mustn’t do that. Having a separate sprinkling rite followed by the Gloria makes the opening rites quite long. The effect is that many parishes have quit, or seriously reduced, their use of the sprinkling rite even during Easter. Law of unintended consequences, perhaps?

    Reply
    1. Joshua Vas

      @Scott Pluff – comment #7:

      Perhaps, but I remember reading Senn’s observation in one of his books that maybe in the modern day, especially on Sundays, the introductory rites should be longer so that people have more time to ease into the flow of things before listening to the Word.

      Reply
      1. Scott Pluff

        @Joshua Vas – comment #12:
        Not to mention that many people are still arriving 5 or 10 minutes after the hour!

    2. Chris Dobrowolski

      The priest or deacon can sprinkle the churchgoers usually doing the beginning of the mass (after the Greeting ) (replaces the Potential Act but sometime the preist prefers to do it after the homily (that is rare but I have seen it on two Sundays (Easter Sunday and I think it was Divine Mercy Sunday one year when it happened). Just before the churchgoers are sprinkled the priest has to bless the water. Also Sometimes to save time the Gloria is Sung during the Sprinkling (especially if a small church) so the mass want go to long. I think many priests do not like to do it unfortunately but a few priests love to do the Sprinkling. I know in California it is rarely done but when I lived in Illinois it was always done and the priest would sprinkle me twice every time.

      Reply
    3. Charles Urban

      No, actually, it never was permitted to replace it–or be taken during the Gloria. (I don’t know where these notions originate. 🙂

      Reply
    4. Chris Dobrowolski

      Where do if you have that information that the sprinkling of people can not be done singing gloria. I have been to a church in 2023 in CA on the 2nd sunday and 3rd sunday of Easter the preist, and deacon if they have one process to the alar sininging and entrance hym. Then the preist quickly does the Lord have mercy, then we do the baptismls vows, and then the priest, deacon, and possilbe helpers sprinkling the whole congreation singing the gloria and then after the preist say “Let us pray …. and ends when the congreation says amen then we sit down for the liturgy of the word.

      Reply
  6. Andrea Duda

    Scott Pluff : Having a separate sprinkling rite followed by the Gloria makes the opening rites quite long. The effect is that many parishes have quit, or seriously reduced, their use of the sprinkling rite even during Easter. Law of unintended consequences, perhaps?

    I rather like the sprinkling rite and my parish does it while singing a related song. It adds what — a couple of minutes to the length of Mass?

    Who is authorized to do the sprinkling? In a very large church can the priest take one aisle, the deacon another, and perhaps an EMHC take a third? That seems like it would go rather quickly.

    Reply
    1. Chris Dobrowolski

      I am not sure who is authorized. At one Church I saw a priest do one half of a church and than a guy do the other half of the church but I do not know who the guy was and how it got to do it (but I have only seen that once). In some Churches the priest can let the Deacon do it if needed or both can do it if they have two vessels, and two wands. I would always prefer the priest to do it since they usually do the best job.

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    2. Chris Dobrowolski

      I think anybody the parish priest wants can do the sprinkling (although only adults I have seen them do it) although the priest has to say the blessing first and only the preist can say the blessing of the water. I have been sprinling by the priest, by the deacon, by presits not doing the mass, possibly by atlar servers, possilby by ministers, or members of that church.

      Reply
  7. Doug Reatini

    We have encouraged the use of the sprinkling rite during Easter by parishes for the reasons mentioned. It is always included with Ordinations and we encourage it for Confirmation to make the link between Baptism-Confirmation-Eucharist. There are parishes that will use it for First Eucharist celebrations.

    The issue of whether to use the blessing portion of the sprinkling rite can be circumvented, especially if the water in the font is already blessed (It is redundant to re-bless at each liturgy). The RCIA offers an option at #222 D & E and #354 B – that is an Easter-Season Thanksgiving Over Water Already Blessed. I am aware of a few parishes that will make use of one of these options during the Easter season. I’m sure many of our parishes connect the Gloria with the sprinkling.

    I also know that parishes with immersion fonts will have to periodically use the Blessing & Sprinkling of Water throughout the year when maintaining their fonts. Like pools/spas, they need constant attention and need to be drained, cleaned & re-filled at times. How often this happens varies from parish to parish due to maintenance schedules, but those with substantial fonts are the ones that tend to make a fuller use of this rite during the year.

    Reply
  8. Karl Liam Saur

    I strongly dislike collapsing the Asperges into the Gloria. If length is your concern, don’t bother with the Asperges. If you’re going to do it, do it right. The ritual already provides the texts (rather beautiful ones that have the virtue of making more sense for the rite) for music that would be part of the ritual, and the Gloria is not that.

    Reply
  9. Michael H. Marchal

    There is an important fact about the Gloria that many people don’t seem to notice. Since it fits into the berakhah format, the actual petitions are for mercy and for the reception of our prayers and are mainly addressed to Jesus as the one who takes away our sins. And so in Germany one uses the Confiteor, the Kyrie, or the Gloria since they all have a “penitential” element. In other words, it seems to me to be a very appropriate song to accompany a sprinkling.

    Reply
  10. Mark Anthony P. Bola

    Is it lawful to have the rite of blessing and sprinkling during weekdays of lent?

    Reply
    1. Chris Dobrowolski

      According to the Missile in the Catholic Church under Sprinkling rite (the book with the readings people use in the pews) or above it is says “this rite can be used anytime but especially for Easter Season.” Most of the time they only used it during Easter. But a few times I got Sprinkled in Ordinary time in January for Baptism of the Lord. Also during Ordinary time I got a few times sprinkled by the bishop since they were either having any aniversary of the church or blessing a brand new church. I have never been sprinkled during lent or advent but possilble but many preists do not like doing the Sprinkling Rite.

      Reply

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