Simply Catholic and Welcoming You

Catholic Sacramentals

A Statue of the Sacred Heart - A Common Sacramental in Catholic Churches

In the Church, Catholic sacramentals are holy objects or actions that the Church uses to help people receive spiritual blessings from God. They are not as central as the seven sacraments, but they serve to prepare believers for grace and deepen their faith. They are never, of themselves, objects of worship. They are aids to deepening our connection to the Divine.

The Church prioritizes the sacramental of blessings, which includes people, food and meals, objects, and places. While the laity may bless things like their food, this is considered more of a plea to God for the blessing. Church clergy, by virtue of Apostolic Succession and valid Priesthood Orders have the full authority to Bless with the full power of the priesthood, appropriate to their level as clergy.

Sacramentals do not confer the grace of the Holy Spirit in the way that the sacraments do, but by the Church's prayer, they prepare us to receive grace and assist us to cooperate with it.

Key aspects of Catholic sacramentals

Objects
Common examples include holy water, the Rosary, medals (like the Miraculous Medal or St. Benedict Medal), statues, crucifixes, blessed salt, and blessed candles.
Actions
Catholic sacramentals can also be actions like blessings, including of homes, vehicles or other objects, consecrations, dedications, or exorcisms. (When the Church asks publicly and authoritatively in the name of Jesus Christ that a person or object be protected against the power of the Evil One and withdrawn from his dominion, it is called exorcism.)
Purpose
Sacramentals help individuals prepare for God's grace and deepen their faith by prompting them to reflect on their faith and seek God's blessings.
Catholic Sacramentals are Not a Substitute for Sacraments
While sacramentals can be helpful, they are not a replacement for the seven sacraments which were instituted by Christ.
Intercession of the Church
Catholic sacramentals are a way for the Church to intercede for individuals, praying that they may be open to receiving God's grace.

Examples of Catholic Sacramentals

Holy Water: Used for various purposes, including baptism, blessing homes, and personal devotions.
The Rosary: A traditional form of prayer that involves beads and the recitation of prayers.
Medals: Often worn to honor saints or to remind the wearer of the teachings of the Church.
Crucifixes: Symbolize the sacrifice of Christ and serve as a focus for prayer and reflection.
Blessed Salt: Used to ward off evil and to purify spaces and objects.
Blessed Candles: Used as a symbol of Christ's light and to aid in prayer.
Religious Statuary: Statues used as aids to assist in focusing when praying.

All Catholic sacramental objects should be purchased from known and preferably religious sources, with prayerful intention and blessed by a priest BEFORE use. This is because sacramentals are NEVER neutral. They help connect us to God or work to block our connection. One or the other, ALWAYS.

The simplest in form are often the most powerful in function. As an example, the most recommended Rosary is simple in design, wooden, with a simple wooden or plain metal cross (usually an empty cross to signify the Risen Christ). Conversely black, blood red or crystal Rosaries, or those with symbols such as eyes on them, can carry the most negative of energies. This is even more important if they come from unknown sources or have been used in non Christian rituals.

This is not to cast dispersion on black rosaries, signifying mourning in the church or red rosaries, signifying martyrdom. I only mean to highlight that these colours, along with crystal rosaries and those with various symbols on them are most often made or used in non Christian rituals. Know their source and prior use.

Always check the source, intention and blessing status of any Rosary or other physical sacramental. Follow discernment of the Holy Spirit around sacramentals to ensure they are clear and work as intended.

If you experience any mental or spiritual fogginess, unease, loss of peace or loss of prayerful focus when around a sacramental, dispose of it properly and prayerfully by burning or burial as is most appropriate.

Choose with prayerful intent and spiritual discernment any and all sacramentals you bring into your home or carry on your person. When working properly they should help bring or instill a sense of peace, deeper prayerfulness and stronger spiritual connection. Remember, peace is the hallmark and gift of the Holy Spirit.

Using Catholic Sacramentals

A Statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary with Rosary Beads Draped Over Her Hands

Catholic sacramentals should be used in every Catholic home and many Catholics carry one or more on their person. Every Catholic home should have a spot dedicated to prayer. Some will have a home altar, others simply a place to pray in front of a cross.

Every Catholic home should be blessed by a priest and refresh this blessing following major events or annually. A practice I grew up with and would love to see revised is having a cross hung over each main door to the home and Holy Water set to the side of those doors.

Families should once again grow the habit of having each family member bless themselves by dipping their fingers into the Holy Water and make the sign of the cross on themselves (blessing) every time they leave the house. Likewise when entering a church or other sacred space.

Each Catholic home should have on display the simplest of wooden crosses, without the statue of the Crucified Christ, as constant reminders of His Sacrifice and that He is risen.

There should be a blessed sacramental in every room of the home, especially the bedrooms, where they serve to remind us to pray upon rising and before going to bed. These can be a cross, a Rosary or a bible.

A practice too often neglected is to go through our personal belongings and our homes and remove all ‘sacramentals’ originating from non Catholic and especially anti Catholic sources and dispose of them appropriately and prayerfully. This would include Catholic sacramentals of questionable origin as well as prayer books and scriptures dropped at the door from organizations opposed to Catholicism as well as jewelry from non Christian groups which have symbols on them from faiths other than Christianity and so on.

Think of it in simple terms, if something wouldn’t be appropriate in a Catholic church then it shouldn’t be considered appropriate in a Catholic home. This is not a bias against others. It is a focused intention to make our homes our first sacramental conduits of grace for ourselves and our families.

I’ll close by repeating myself here. All Catholic sacramentals should be acquired by prayerful intention, from proper sources and be blessed by a priest before use.

Catholic Sacramentals

Using Catholic Sacramentals

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