Once water has been appropriately blessed and made Holy, can it ever be desanctified or made un-holy?
Essy
Say it with flowers. Send a triffid.
Well, some of the artifacts in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons had the power to contaminate any holy water within 30 feet of them.
Which could make some folks pretty upset. A one-ounce vial of holy water cost a whole 25 gold pieces. (And in 1st Edition AD&D, a gold piece weighed 1/10 of a pound!)
Well, once it evaporates, it’s de-sanctified. I’ve never heard of Catholic Holy Water being de-sanctified in bulk. If they have to get rid of it, they probably pour it down the same drain they use for the washings from the cruets at Mass. This goes to a special “trap” in the ground – sort of a Holy Waste Dump, as opposed to a Toxic Waste Dump. I’ve long been fascinated by the way things “Holy” are treated the same as things Radioactive.
By the way, Essy – Love your sig.
If they have to get rid of it, they probably pour it down the same drain they use for the washings from the cruets at Mass. This goes to a special “trap” in the ground – sort of a Holy Waste Dump, as opposed to a Toxic Waste Dump.
Is this true? Special Catholic plumbing?
You know how they make Holy water in the first place, don’t you?
Boil the hell out of it.
::d&r::
I can’t remember whether they still build this into churches, but it is no big deal. It is simply a drain pipe that goes directly into the ground (perhaps with some sand at the bottom to encourage leeching). The idea is simply to allow the bits of Host or dregs of sacramental wine to return to the earth rather than be mixed with sewage. It’s a sign of respect, but it does not require any elaborate purification rites that go on for days or anything.
Think of the specifications for retiring a U.S. flag: it is to be burned with appropriate ceremony and the ashes buried, yet “burning the flag” or letting it drag on the ground are subjects for rioting. Respect is in the perception of the action, not in any objective reality.
Special Catholic Plumbing who’da thunk it. Learn something new every month or so.
All I know about holy water is IT BURNS, IT BURNS!!!
Thanks Gobear. I needed that chuckle.
If it passes through your kidneys & bladder, it’s de-sanctified.
If it’s not de-sanctified, **I don’wanna be blessed!!! ** 
I thought Holy Water was not for drinking. It was to purify things and battle demons.
Dignan wrote:
Go bingle your bongle. (2 pt. reference)
Actually, as a former Altar Boy (memorized the Mass in Latin and eveything), I know how they make Holy Water. No boiling involved.
The stuff that’s consecrated at Easter gets a lot of prayers said over it, gets the Paschal candle dipped into it, and olea sancta – holy oil – poured into it.
You probably don’t wanna drink this stuff. Just let the priest spinkle you with the aspergillum and count yourself lucky. And blessed.
Amp wrote:
True, a vial of holy water does do 1d6+1 or 2d4 damage points to any undead or creature from the lower planes that it hits.
For the bigger demons, though, this will hardly be enough damage to kill it. You’d be better off finding a bunch of foolhardy fighters or paladins (fighters can usually be tricked into fighting anything if you tell them how many experience points they can get, and paladins can always be browbeaten into “battling evil”). Arm them with +1 swords, and send them wading into battle against the invading demon hordes.
And while the demons are distracted, you can loot their demon lairs for magic treasure.