Catholic Blessings: Who Can Bless and Common Blessing Prayers

A Catholic blessing is a prayer that praises God and asks his gifts for a person, a place, a meal or an object, usually with the Sign of the Cross. Blessings are the most common of the Church’s sacramentals, and while some are reserved to priests and deacons, every baptized Christian is called to bless: parents bless their children, families bless their meals, friends bless one another. Below is what the Church teaches about blessings, who may give them, the great blessings of the liturgical year, and simple blessing prayers that anyone can use.

What is a blessing?

“Among sacramentals blessings (of persons, meals, objects, and places) come first. Every blessing praises God and prays for his gifts” (CCC 1671). Sacramentals “do not confer the grace of the Holy Spirit in the way that the sacraments do, but by the Church’s prayer, they prepare us to receive grace and dispose us to cooperate with it” (CCC 1670). A blessing is not magic and not a charm: it is a prayer of faith that places a person or a thing under God’s care and dedicates it to his service.

The oldest blessing in the Bible, which God gave to Aaron and his sons:

The Lord bless thee, and keep thee.
The Lord shew his face to thee, and have mercy on thee.
The Lord turn his countenance to thee, and give thee peace.

And every blessing comes from Christ:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with spiritual blessings in heavenly places, in Christ:
As he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and unspotted in his sight in charity.

Who can give a blessing?

“Every baptized person is called to be a ‘blessing,’ and to bless. Hence lay people may preside at certain blessings; the more a blessing concerns ecclesial and sacramental life, the more is its administration reserved to the ordained ministry (bishops, priests, or deacons)” (CCC 1669).

Lay people may bless their children, their meals, their homes in family prayer, and one another, using simple forms such as “May God bless you” with the Sign of the Cross. Lay people do not use the priest’s raised hand or bless “in the name of the Church.”
Priests and deacons bless holy water, religious articles, homes, the sick, expectant mothers, vehicles and many other things in the name of the Church, following the Book of Blessings.
Bishops bless churches, altars and holy oils, and consecrate persons and places for worship.

Blessings through the Church year

February 2, Candlemas: blessing of candles. See marian feast days.
February 3, St. Blaise: blessing of throats. See the St. Blaise prayer.
Ash Wednesday: blessing and imposition of ashes. See Ash Wednesday.
Palm Sunday: blessing of palms.
Holy Saturday: blessing of Easter food baskets, a beloved Polish and Slovak custom (Święconka).
August 15, the Assumption: blessing of herbs and flowers. See the Assumption of Mary.
October 4, St. Francis: blessing of animals. See the Feast of St. Francis.
January 6, Epiphany: blessing of chalk and of homes. See the Epiphany house blessing.

Other common Catholic blessings

Holy water, used to bless ourselves as we enter a church and to bless homes.
Religious articles: rosaries, medals, crucifixes, scapulars and statues are blessed by a priest before use.
Homes: see the Catholic house blessing.
The sick: priests bless the sick and anoint the seriously ill. See the prayer for the sick.
Expectant mothers and a child in the womb, a blessing approved for use in the United States.
Married couples, on their anniversaries and at the end of the wedding Mass.
Travelers and vehicles. See the Catholic travel prayer.
The dead, with holy water and the prayers of the funeral rites. See the Catholic prayers for the dead.

Simple blessings anyone can pray

A parent’s blessing for a child

Trace a small cross on the child’s forehead with your thumb and say (written for this page):

May God bless you and keep you,
may Jesus be your friend,
and may Mary and your guardian angel watch over you,
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

A blessing for someone setting out on a journey

May the Lord go before you to guide you, behind you to protect you,
beside you to keep you company and within you to give you peace.
May he bring you safely home. Amen.

This blessing was written for this page.

A blessing at the table

See grace before meals for the traditional “Bless us, O Lord.”

A blessing for a friend

May God bless you with his peace, keep you in his love,
and give you everything you need today. Amen.

This blessing was written for this page.

Frequently asked questions

Can a layperson give a blessing?

Yes. Every baptized person may bless, especially parents their children. Blessings that concern the Church’s liturgy and sacramental life, such as blessing holy water or religious articles, are reserved to priests and deacons.

Do rosaries and medals need to be blessed?

They are blessed by a priest or deacon before use, which sets them apart for prayer. Ask any priest after Mass.

What should I do with old blessed objects?

Blessed items that are broken or worn out should not be thrown in the trash. The custom is to burn them or bury them respectfully, or to give them to a parish that will dispose of them properly.

Is a blessing the same as a sacrament?

No. Sacraments were instituted by Christ and give grace by their own power; blessings are sacramentals instituted by the Church, which prepare us to receive grace through the Church’s prayer.

More prayers and guides

Sources

Catechism of the Catholic Church 1667–1672.
Book of Blessings (De Benedictionibus, 1984).
Scripture: Numbers 6:24–26; Ephesians 1:3–4, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
The simple blessings were written for this page.