A Fr. Z OLDIE rant! First Blessings by new priests. Indulgenced? NO! Latin texts for blessings.

This has been ordination season, for deacons and priests even in the Diocese of Libville.  It is always a pleasure to read of ordinations.  HOWEVER… there are issues concerning claims of indulgences and about the manner of newly ordained priests imparting blessings.  I posted some information about this some time ago, which I now share again.

There have been quite a few ordinations in the last month or so.  I am always glad to see the pictures or good videos.  However, year in and year out, I note with a measure of concern among the newly ordained and younger priests a trend to be curtailed as soon as possible.

Fathers, when you give your first blessings, don’t hunch over people and grab their heads as if you were a dark wizard extracting their life force for your own evil purposes.

Firstly, don’t hunch.   Next, stand up straight.  If you simply must hold your hands over someone, hold them straight and parallel to the ground.   When you make the Sign of the Cross, put your left hand on your breast while you make the Sign with your right.

And… just how much piety do you think you can squeeze into a blessing before people get impatient or lost in what you are trying to say?  There is no need to throw in all sorts of other ingredients as if those to be blessed were lined up at a salad bar …  sprinklings of pious imagery, vague invocations of niceness and holy fluff, rambling discourses that dead end in words like “beautiful” … you know of which I speak.

Say the blessing and get over yourselves.

The blessing:

Benedíctio Dei omnípotentis Patris, et + Filii, et Spiritus Sancti descéndat super te [plural: vos] et máneat semper. Amen.

May the blessing of Almighty God, Father, + Son, and Holy Spirit/Ghost, descend upon you and remain with you forever. Amen.

Memorize this.

This is also the blessing the priest should give to servers after Mass.

HOWEVER: There are some blessing prayers for people having to do with their state in life.  Some, quite lovely.  You would probably have to have these texts.   Alas, I don’t have their provenance.  I had an old file that has gone from computer to computer over the years and eventually to this blog.   These are blessings prayers for new priests.

Formulæ Benedictionum

Sacerdoti:

Resúscitet in te Dóminus grátiam Spíritus Sancti quam per mánuum impositiónem accepísti, ut sis dignus mínister Christi et fidélis dispensátor misteriórum Dei – sis sal Christi numquam infatuándum et lucérna ardens in domo Dei – memor sit Dóminus omnis sacrifícii tui, et holocaústum tuum pingue fiat. Tríbuat tibi Dóminus longitúdinem diérum et finálem grátiam, ut possis bonum certámen certáre et cursum tuum felíciter consummáre, adiuvánte Dómino nostro Iesu Christo, qui vivit et regnat cum Deo Patre in unitáte Spíritus Sancti Deus, per ómnia saécula sæculórum. Amen.

Clerico [Let’s call this deacons and major seminarians]:

Effúndat super te Dóminus Spíritum sapiéntiæ et intelléctus, consílii, sciéntiæ, fortitúdinis, pietátis ac timóris Dómini, ut evádas sacérdos secúndum cor Dei. Adímpleat Deus petitiónes tuas et omne consílium tuum confírmet, ac omni benedictióne cœlésti ac terréstri benedícat te Deus Pater et Fílius et Spíritus Sanctus.  Amen.

Regulari vel Moniali:

Deprecatiónes tuas admíttat Dóminus ad sacrárium exauditiónis suæ, ut possis gloriári in cruce Dómini nostri Iesu Christi, per quem tibi mundus crucifíxus est et tu mundo, et cui fidéliter desérvis, ipse sit tibi merces tua, qui vivit regnat cum Deo Patre in unitáte Spíritus Sancti Deus, per ómnia saécula sæculórum. Amen.

Patri vel Matri [adjust if they are together]:

Accipe Pater (Mater) benedictiónem a fílio, qui tibi sit báculus in senectúte tua, benedícat te Deus benedictiónibus cœli et terræ, ímpleat omnes petitiónes tuas, det tibi ómnia secúndum cor tuum, confírmet omne consílium tuum. Largiátur tibi de abscóndito thesaúro suo, plenitúdinem omnis grátiæ et longitúdinem vitæ tuæ; cum autem defécerit virtus tua non derelínquat te Dóminus, sed tríbuat tibi finálem grátiam meque in ætérnæ claritátis gaúdio fáciat te vidére, qui vivit et regnat in saécula sæculórum. Amen.

Fratri vel Sorori:

Accipe frater (soror) benedictiónem a fratre tuo, quam Deus ratam hábeat in conspéctu suo (reliqua si sit adolescens, ut infra pro adolescente; si virgo, ut pro virgine.)

Adolescenti:

Omnipoténtia ætérni Dei Patris consérvet te, Fílii Dei sapiéntia erúdiat te, et Spíritus Sancti cáritas inflámmet te, ut crescas sapiéntia et ætáte, ac grátia apud Deum et hómines. Sis báculus in senectúte tuórum paréntum, et vídeas bona Ierúsalem ómnibus diébus vitæ tuæ, ac omni benedictióne cœlésti ac terréstri benedícat te Deus, Pater et Fílius et Spíritus Sanctus.

Virgini:

Tríbuat tibi Dóminus de abscóndito thesaúro suo grátiam, ut sis virgo sápiens, et una de número prudéntum. Effúndat super te Spíritum pietátis, castitátis ac timóris sui, ut sponso cœlésti complacére, et ad thálamum eius admitti mereáris, qui vivit et regnat in saécula sæculórum. Amen.

Benedictio communis: [along with the other one, above, the winner!]

Omni benedictióne cœlésti et terréstri, benedícat te omnípotens Deus, Pater et Fílius et Spíritus Sanctus. Amen.

Benedictio generalis: in casu innumerabilis populi ambas manus extendendo dicit:

Pax Dómini nostri Iesu Christi, et virtus sanctíssimæ passiónis, et signum sanctæ crucis, et intégritas beatíssimæ Maríæ Vírginis, intercessiónes ómnium Sanctórum et suffrágia electórum Dei sint in vobis, ut inimícos vestros visíbiles et invisíbiles, máxime in hora mortis superáre valeátis, et omni benedictióne cœlésti et terréstri benedícat vos omnípotens Deus, Pater et Fílius et Spíritus Sanctus.

Per impositiónem (extensiónem*) mánuum meárum sacerdotálium, et per intercessiónem beátæ Maríæ semper Vírginis, et Sancti (Sanctæ)…, et ómnium Sanctórum; Benedíctio Dei Omnipoténtis, Patris, et Fílii, et Spíritus Sancti, descéndat super te (vos) et máneat semper Amen.

* “Extensiónem” was/is used for anyone tonsured or for consecrated nuns.  You wouldn’t touch them.

Another thing about 1st Blessings.

While there is a plenary indulgence given to the faithful who assist devoutly at the first Mass of a priest (and also as his 25, 50, 60 and 70 year anniversaries, as per Enchiridion Indulgentiarum, art. 27), there is no indulgence now for receiving the first BLESSING of a priest.

HOWEVER: The law permits diocesan bishops the right to grant partial indulgences to their subjects (Enchiridion 7).   Hence, a new priest could ask the bishop to grant for a period of time – say 30 days – a partial indulgence for those who receive his first blessing.  In the case of religious, the newly ordained’s major superior could ask the bishop to grant this.