Holy Running Water

I noticed this Holy Running Water at St. Catherine's in Meath St. recently and it has been intriguing me ever since.

I assume it is not meant to be permanently running as it is here. At least that is what the presence of the tap suggests.

So let us assume for the moment that it is not running, but only turned on at discrete intervals as needed. Where is it coming from? I assume it is ultimately from the mains, probably with the intervention of a special tank as, otherwise, all water used in the church would be holy water. I am also assuming that the tank is blessed at discrete intervals, so we have from time to time a tank full of holy water.

Now lets run the water permanently. My first thoughts were that the tank would become depleted and the supply dry up. That has clearly not happened here. So my next assumption was that it is continuously refilled from the mains, in which case, would the original holy water eventually turn into ordinary tap water, to the detriment of those attempting to use it for holy purposes?

But then it finally struck me. Holy water has homeopathic qualities. No matter how much it is diluted it remains holy water. So the supply needs only to be blessed once at source and Bob's your uncle.

Glad I figured that one out.

Next question. Where does the "waste" holy water go. There is a "wastepipe" leading from the bowl, but I never thought to check where it went.

Just as well it's not the Real Presence we're dealing with here instead of just Holy Water.

Waterbabies

Sir John Gray appeared posthumously in O'Connell Street in the same year the Blessed Virgin appeared in his native Mayo. She was later to become associated with the limitless provision of Holy Water to both the natives and visitor/pilgrims at Knock, while he was the force behind the provision of the water supply to the people of Dublin from the Varty Scheme which he vigorously promoted.

This photo of him, or rather of his statue in O'Connell Street, is brought to you with the collaboration of Bus Éireann and the Department of Social Protection who accorded me free entry to the upper deck of the No. 11 bus.

Vartry Lodge on Strand (private) Road in Killiney/Ballybrack was so named by his widow in his honour.