Blessing of Water and Renewal of Baptismal Promises

Blessing of Water

let us humbly beseech the Lord our God
to bless this water he has created,
which will be sprinkled upon us
as a memorial of our Baptism.
May he graciously renew us,
that we may remain faithful to the Spirit
whom we have received.

(After a brief pause in silence, the Bishop/Priest proclaims the following prayer, with hands extended:)

Lord our God,

in your mercy be present to your people
who keep vigil on this most sacred night,
and, for us who recall the wondrous work of our creation
and the still greater work of our redemption,
graciously bless this water.
For you created water to make the fields fruitful
and to refresh and cleanse our bodies.
You also made water the instrument of your mercy:
for through water you freed your people from slavery and quenched their thirst in the desert;
through water the Prophets proclaimed the new covenant
you were to enter upon with the human race;
and last of all,
through water, which Christ made holy in the Jordan,
you have renewed our corrupted nature
in the bath of regeneration.
Therefore, may this water be for us
a memorial of the Baptism we have received,
and grant that we may share
in the gladness of our brothers and sisters,
who at Easter have received their Baptism.
Through Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

Renewal of Baptismal Promises 

All stand, holding lighted candles in their hands, and renew the promise of baptismal faith The Bishop/Priest addresses the faithful in these or similar words:

Dear brothers and sister), through the Paschal Mystery
we have been buried with Christ in Baptism,
so that we may walk with him in newness of life.
And so, now that our Lenten observance is concluded,
let us renew the promises of Holy Baptism,
by which we once renounced Satan and his works
and promised to serve God in the holy Catholic Church.
And so I ask you:

Priest: Do you renounce Satan?
All: I do. 

Priest: And all his works?
All: I do. 

Priest: And all his empty promises?
All: I do.

Priest: Do you believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth?
All: I do.

Priest: Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, suffered death and was buried, rose again from the dead and is seated at the right hand of the Father?
All: I do. 

Priest: Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?
All: I do. 

And the Bishop/Priest concludes: 

And may almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has given us new birth by water and the Holy Spirit
and bestowed on us forgiveness of our sins,
keep us by his grace,
in Christ Jesus our Lord,
for eternal life.
All: Amen. 

As Bishop/Priest sprinkles the people with the blessed water, one person, using a twig, sprinkles water on the other members of the family

Holy Week 2020 - A message from Bishop Donal 

We may also be interested in... 

• TV and Online Broadcasts for Holy Week
• Prayers, Projects and Activities at home for Holy Week
• Reflections of Lent by Bishop McKeown