Sacred Vessels
Cruets
Cruets hold the wine and water brought to the altar at the Offertory of the Mass.
About this collection
About Cruets
Cruets hold the water and wine brought to the altar at the Offertory. This collection offers cruet sets with matching trays: a brass set with a 9 1/2-inch tray, an ornate set whose tray carries a grapevine motif, and a set with an oval tray inscribed with a Latin prayer. Cruets range from about 5 to 7 inches tall. Listed prices currently run from about $495 to $1,670. Call or request a quote. Freight is billed separately. See also lavabo sets.
Cruets
In the Sacred Liturgy
Cruets are the two small vessels, one for wine and one for water, used at Mass. They wait on the credence table until the Offertory, when the server brings them to the altar and the priest pours wine into the chalice, adding a few drops of water.
The mingling of water with wine has long been understood as a sign of the union of Christ's divinity with our humanity, and of the faithful offering themselves together with Christ. It also recalls the blood and water that flowed from His side on the Cross. After the Offertory the water cruet is used again for the Lavabo, when the server pours water over the priest's fingers into a small dish.
Cruets are often made of glass, so that the wine and the water can easily be told apart, or of metal, sometimes marked with A and V, for the Latin aqua and vinum. They usually come as a pair, often with a matching tray on which they rest.
But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.
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