sacramentali

Sacramentals are objects, prayers, or gestures that the Church uses to sanctify, to protect from evil, and to obtain spiritual and temporal favors. They are instituted by the Church, not by Christ himself, and their efficacy comes from the prayers of the Church and the devotion of the person using them. Sacramentals prepare people to receive God's grace and dispose them to cooperate with it.

Common examples of sacramentals include holy water, blessed salt, crucifixes, rosaries, scapulars, medals, ashes, and palms. The use of holy water, for instance, is a sacramental that recalls baptism and is used for blessings and purification. Blessed salt is used to protect against evil and to consecrate places or objects. The rosary, a string of beads, is used to count prayers and to meditate on the life of Jesus and Mary.

Sacramentals are distinct from the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony). While sacraments confer grace directly through the power of Christ, sacramentals derive their efficacy from the merits of the Church's intercession and the faith of the user. They are outward signs that direct our minds and hearts toward God and help us to live a more devout life. Their purpose is to increase devotion, to obtain spiritual favors, and to sanctify various occasions in life.