Phony 'Holy water' goes on sale in bottles
Pastor Dale Morgan
Phony 'Holy water' goes on sale in bottles*
Company sells reverse-osmosis purified, bottled H2O blessed by clergy
members
By Michelle Machado
March 05, 2007
Record Staff Writer
LINDEN - A local entrepreneur hopes his company's bottled water will
refresh - perhaps even redeem - those who drink it.
"Our mission statement is to do anything in technology or otherwise that
benefits law enforcement," said Brian Germann, president and chief
executive officer of Wayne Enterprises Inc, a Linden-based high-tech
company. "What could be more beneficial to law enforcement than to
promote people to behave?"
To that end, Wayne Enterprises is distributing Holy Drinking Water - a
half-liter of reverse-osmosis purified water bottled by a Stockton
company and blessed by clergy. So far, the blessings have come from
Catholic and Anglican priests, but the plan is for clergy from any faith
that honors holy water to offer blessings.
The Rev. Mark Smith stood in a Linden self-storage facility Feb. 21,
made the sign of the cross, thanked God for the gift of water, asked
that the bottled water benefit those who consume it and then blessed the
200 cases of water waiting to be shipped.
"This has some potential and is a lot of fun," said the Traditional
Anglican Communion priest from Southern California.
"Most people will pass it off. But some may have a moment," he said.
Julie Thompson and Jeannette Skarbo fell into the first category.
On Tuesday, the two women looked at cases of the water stacked at
Rinaldi's Market in Linden, the only retail outlet for the 99 cent
bottles, also sold through the Internet at www.holydrinkingwater.info.
"We can't drink this," Skarbo giggled after reading the warning to
sinners on the bottle label.
Germann said the product has sparked positive conversations about
religion and what it means to be a sinner.
"As a company, we were prepared for more negative feedback," he said.
Germann was careful to point out that the intent is not for the water to
become a substitute for attending church.
The concept for Holy Drinking Water grew from a conversation Germann had
with his niece on June 6, 2006, or 666 - a number often associated with
Satan.
The pair decided that an antidote to the possible evil inherent in the
day was needed, and the Holy Drinking Water concept was born.
Since January, Germann has sold about 3,000 bottles of the water to
individuals, with another 1,752 bottles purchased to be donated to
troops in Iraq.
Eventually, he hopes to form a nonprofit that would funnel the profits
into scholarships and other educational efforts.
"It's gone from being a local thing in Linden to going national,"
Germann said.
Holy water warning
The label on Holy Drink Water includes a warning to sinners: If you are
a sinner or evil in nature, this product may cause burning, intense
heat, sweating, skin irritations, rashes, itchiness, vomiting, bloodshot
and watery eyes, pale skin color and oral irritations.