Sacramentals are not Sacraments. There are seven Sacraments – Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Matrimony and Holy Orders. A Sacrament is an outward sign of an invisible reality, that accomplishes what it signifies. A wedding ring is an outward sign of the invisible reality that the wearer is married. However, wearing a ring on the third finger of your left hand does not make a person married. Whereas the marriage rite of the Church, the Sacrament of Matrimony, actually makes a person married.

Sacramentals, on the other hand, are sacred signs – prayers, blessings, objects – instituted by the Church, that dispose a person to receive the grace of the Sacraments. They differ fundamentally from the sacraments as they are instituted by the Church, while the Sacraments are instituted by Christ. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says this: ‘”[Sacramentals] are sacred signs which bear a resemblance to the sacraments. They signify effects, particularly of a spiritual nature, which are obtained through the intercession of the Church. By them men are disposed to receive the chief effect of the sacraments, and various occasions in life are rendered holy.”’  (CCC #1667). The Catechism goes on: ‘Sacramentals derive from the baptismal priesthood: every baptized person is called to be a “blessing,” and to bless. Hence lay people may preside at certain blessings; the more a blessing concerns ecclesial and sacramental life, the more is its administration reserved to the ordained ministry…’ (CCC #1669). It is appropriate that parents bless their children, or that we bless our food by saying a Grace Before/After Meals. The difference between a priestly blessing and lay person blessing is this: when a priest blesses it is in fact GOD Himself who blesses through the priest. Just note the final blessing at Mass; ‘May Almighty GOD bless you, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.’ Note that it is not in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, which is how a lay person would bless.

The Catechism continues: ‘For well-disposed members of the faithful, the liturgy of the sacraments and [using] sacramentals sanctifies almost every event of their lives with the divine grace … From this source (the Paschal mystery) all sacraments and sacramentals draw their power. There is scarcely any proper use of material things which cannot be thus directed toward the sanctification of men and the praise of God.”’ (CCC #1670)

Some common examples of sacramentals include: Holy water, blessed candles, crucifixes, medals (like the Miraculous Medal), rosaries, scapulars, blessed salt, ashes, palms. As well as some actions and prayers, such as: The Sign of the Cross, blessings (of people, homes, meals), exorcisms, liturgical gestures. There are 3 main types of Sacramentals; Blessings, Consecrations and Exorcisms.

A sacramental isn’t magic or superstition; it’s a tool for devotion. When a priest blesses a crucifix, or a person uses holy water with faith, they are inviting God’s grace, remembering Christ’s sacrifice, and asking for spiritual strength, making the everyday world a path to holiness.