"Prayer Service"

[DominusTecum]

It was normative, I believe, it's just very very uncommon, because most atheists and most protestants would not desire to be blessed. When Fr. Novak blessed you, it was a gesture of friendship and generally a good thing. The context of this other blessing, though, was blatant ecumenical "I don't know who you are but join in the party."

 

That's not expressing it as clearly as I'm thinking it  but I hope you understand what I mean.

[AdoramusTeChriste]

Not to mention that deacons in the Catholic Church can bless objects, but not people; only priests can bless people.

 

Are you sure about this, Eric? I thought it was the other way around. Anyone can bless people. I can (and do) bless my kids, but I cannot bless, say, water to make holy water. I thought only a priest could bless objects such as medals, statues, and other sacramentals.

[JLeigh]

 

Are you sure about this, Eric? I thought it was the other way around. Anyone can bless people. I can (and do) bless my kids, but I cannot bless, say, water to make holy water. I thought only a priest could bless objects such as medals, statues, and other sacramentals.

I bless my daughter too with holy water. My mom always blessed us with holy water each night as well. So now I'm wondering.

[DominusTecum]

Nope. A deacon can bless objects, like miraculous medals, rosaries, etc. A priest can bless people also.

 

You can "bless" your children by signing them with Holy Water, and you can "bless" your food by imploring God to bless it, but you cannot "bless" in the sense that a priest does, ex: blessing sacramentals.

[AdoramusTeChriste]

Nope. A deacon can bless objects, like miraculous medals, rosaries, etc. A priest can bless people also.

 

You can "bless" your children by signing them with Holy Water, and you can "bless" your food by imploring God to bless it, but you cannot "bless" in the sense that a priest does, ex: blessing sacramentals.

Look at this from our favorite forum:

 

 

Note: only a priest has the power to bless an object and make it a sacramental. Lay Catholics are free to bless objects, even using the prayers priests use -- and we do so often in blessing our children, blessing meals, blessing Advent wreaths or Mary Gardens, etc. -- but our blessing of something (or a person or an action) is a "mere" plea to God. Priests alone have been given the power to bless with a guarantee, as it were, and it is they and they alone who can take a new Crucifix or Rosary and turn them into sacramentals with the power of the entire Church behind them.

 

This is what I was told by a deacon, back in my NO days.

[AdoramusTeChriste]

By the way,

 

After the Mass Julie and I attended, the (SSPX) priest blessed Julie (a protestant) and me (an atheist). Was this not normative?

 

How did you like the Mass? Did you two meet Royalcello?

[DominusTecum]

I don't see how our positions differ...

[AdoramusTeChriste]

I don't see how our positions differ...

Then I just didn't understand what you were saying.

 

I have been told (by a deacon) that only a priest can bless objects. That is what makes them sacramentals. Deacons cannot do that. I have never seen a deacon bless wedding rings for example, even though they can preside over the sacrament of matrimony in the n.o. rite. They do bless the couple though, but it is not a priestly blessing.

 

So, now I have a question. What exactly would a religious article be called that has been blessed by a deacon?  Sorry for being so dense.   It's just that if I have been wrong about this for 20 years, (an obvious possibility given the strange times we are in) I would like to know about it.

[mrb]

How did you like the Mass? Did you two meet Royalcello?

Yes we did, and we both liked it. I actually posted about it here if you want to read it.

[AdoramusTeChriste]

Yes we did, and we both liked it. I actually posted about it here if you want to read it.

Thanks for the redirect. I have had a couple of rough weeks and missed the thread.