House Blessing

An annual blessing of the home is a great tradition in the church in many parts of the world. In the USA, many people have a custom of blessing the house when someone moves into a new house. In addition to this, it is also a great tradition and practice to invite your pastor to do a house blessing annually. In my previous parishes, I used to do this in the month of June, in connection with the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in June and do an enthroning of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in every house. Though, June is almost gone, I am hoping to make myself available to do house blessings during the summer, especially in the months of July and August.

When was your house blessed last? Many people are reluctant to ask the pastor for a house blessing thinking one’s house is not in order or a bit messy. I would often respond to those people that I bless the mess, too. If you worry about your house not being so clean, you should come to see our rectories sometimes. It’s not very clean either. So no worries about the mess. What is important is to get your house blessed and be in the presence of God’s grace and providence. So, how to get your house blessed during this summer? Three things to do:

a. Please sign up on the signup sheet or online, with contact information and a parish staff or a volunteer will reach out to you to schedule a convenient date and time for you and me.

b. On the day of the house blessing, if possible, keep a couple of candles, a crucifix, and the Bible on a small desk where you usually do your prayers. I will bring enough holy water to bless the entire house and the surroundings.

c. No food or drinks are expected. No additional stipend is accepted either. If all the family members could be present during the blessing, that would be great.

Let us welcome Jesus into our houses and families as the center of our lives. Once He is with us, we don’t have to worry about anything. We are safe in His presence and no storms or pandemic can hit us. I am looking forward to blessing as many homes as possible this summer.

Fr. Benny Mekkatt, CFIC