Remember that you can bless Epiphany Water, and chalk, and gold, frankincense and myrrh, and houses….
Lot’s of cool Catholic stuff can be done on Epiphany!
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Blessing of chalk with which to mark the lintels of one’s home is doubtless a mediaeval custom, but like giving Christmas presents, eating a “galette des rois” for Epiphany, covering crosses in the home for Passiontide, making Easter eggs and taking a blessed rose home on the feast of the Holy Rosary, they all give a simple gesture to our Faith.
One of the great faults of recent changes has been to make the Faith too cerebral and abstract: processions, outward signs, sacramentals still have their place. Marking lintels with blessed chalk is in fact reminiscent of the Chosen People and the Passover; when Holy Week comes, a child can easily see the connection – “we did that at home” – and adults too. It is the simple things that we remember, not always the complex.
We did this at home. Great photo, but you are cheating….need a new one!
This raises a couple of questions for me personally, if anyone cares to answer. I once asked a priest to bless my house during Paschal time, which he did… but by his personal choice he did the Epiphany blessing, with the chalk and everything. So I wonder if anyone has an informed guess:
1. Was this blessing “valid” outside of Epiphany time?
2. If so, is the Epiphany blessing as “good” as the Paschal house blessing, or should I still try to get the Paschaltide blessing for the house?
Thanks in advance.
We use the blessed chalk. I love Sacramentals!
Of course this is where all the ill-informed get their “hocus-pocus” from where Catholics are concerned. These are very beautiful traditions; we always did the blessed chalk. Also, using holy water is very important to me.
Jesus didn’t say ‘deliver us from evil’ for nothin’!
I saw the Epiphany over-the-door-lintels inscription when I went to the Franciscans of the Immaculate friary in Maine, NY last month. I was waiting in line for confession in the vestibule and I happened to look up and see it. Pretty cool!
Wonder if it can be done if the lintels are painted?
Hello Irish Girl!
I also learned of the Epiphany blessing from visiting the Franciscans of the Immaculate–in New Bedford. I had never seen the chalk inscriptions over the door before in my life. And now I have my blessed chalk and some leftover Epiphany holy water and will be doing a house blessing this Friday, January 6th.
You must live near Binghamton? How I love going to Mt. St. Francis! I have been several times; it is a slice of heaven.
@legisperitus: No-one seems to be answering your query. A blessing is a blessing, I would have thought; it doesn’t have a “sell by” date. But those appointed for specific purposes or seasons are there for a reason. The blessing of a house with the new water of Holy Saturday is meant for Paschaltide. There is a specific ritual for blessing of a house at any time. Blessing of the throats on St Blaise’s day is meant for that day, but I imagine it could be used at any other time, should the need arise.
Perhaps the answer is to engage a liturgically-minded priest for such events then you wouldn’t need to worry.
What would be a fair amount of monetary remuneration for a priest coming to bless the house?
@asperges: Thanks. It did take me by surprise, since this priest was generally the say-the-black, do-the-red sort.