Citations:sacramental

'a rite'

 * 1999, Paul Haffner, The Sacramental Mystery, page 23:
 * Blessings, indulgences and exorcisms are examples of sacramentals. Sacramentals do not function with the intrinsic efficacy of the sacraments. Yet their power does not simply depend upon the subjective disposition of the person carrying out the particular rite.

probably 'a rite'

 * 2000, Michael Theisen, Exploring Catholicism, page 17:
 * The activities in this strategy immerse the young people in the many sacramentals that are part of the daily, weekly, and seasonal Catholic individual and communal religious expressions.
 * 2008, The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Catholic Catechism (Mary DeTurris Poust, David I. Fulton):
 * Sacramentals and Devotions
 * Let's switch gears a little and discuss something called sacramentals, which are "sacred signs" of grace, not to be confused with "sacred instruments" of grace, as are the sacraments. Sacramentals are designed to help Catholics in various circumstances of life to get closer to true holiness.

a rite or an object

 * 1997, James Monti, The king's good servant but God's first:
 * But under the twofold pressure of solafideism’s rejection of "good works" for the sake of merit and sola scriptura’s denial of anything not explicitly mentioned in the Bible, sacramentals such as images, relics, blessings, and pilgrimages became the objects of the dissenters' most bitter condemnation and scorn.
 * 2003, The Big Book of Catholic Customs and Traditions (Beth Branigan McNamara, Sue Robinson, Anne E. Neuberger), page 18:
 * In popular thinking, sacramentals are often equated with blessed objects used for a religious purpose. Sacramentals are sacred signs, both objects and actions, that reflect the truths of our Faith.
 * 2008, The Catholic Faith Handbook for Youth (Brian Singer-Towns, Janet Claussen, Clare Vanbrandwijk):
 * They are called sacramentals, and we are encouraged to make use of them as part of our spiritual practices. A sacramental is usually an action or an object that is sometimes accompanied by a special prayer. A popular sacramental is putting your hand in the holy water font