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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

The Book of Non-Blessings

Fr. David Friel · December 22, 2013

F YOU HAVE EVER taken a look inside the Book of Blessings, you may have noticed a startling pattern. On page after page, in prayer after prayer, it seems almost as if the author of these texts does not really believe in blessings.

That’s a bold claim, I realize, but a look at two seasonal examples will make the point clearer. First, the prayer for blessing an Advent wreath (chapter 47):

Lord God, your Church joyfully awaits the coming of its Savior, who enlightens our hearts and dispels the darkness of ignorance and sin. Pour forth your blessings upon us as we light the candles of this wreath; may their light reflect the splendor of Christ, who is Lord for ever and ever.

That’s a very nice prayer, incorporating traditional Christian imagery of light & darkness and Advent anticipation. But why does it ask God to pour forth His blessings upon “us,” and not upon the wreath?

Compare this with the order for blessing a Christmas manger or Nativity scene (chapter 48):

God of every nation and people, from the very beginning of creation you have made manifest your love: when our need for a Savior was great you sent your Son to be born of the Virgin Mary. To our lives he brings joy and peace, justice, mercy, and love. Lord, bless all who look upon this manger; may it remind us of the humble birth of Jesus, and raise up our thoughts to him, who is God-with-us and Savior of all, and who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

It’s not that it’s not a good thing to ask God’s blessing upon the people who will see the manger, but would it not be better for the blessing of the manger to actually bless the manger?

The question arises: what is the nature of a blessing? Can anything really be blessed, other than ourselves? The tradition of the Church clearly answers yes, and people seem to have an innate sense of this, too.

When people ask me to bless rosaries and crucifixes after Mass (which happily occurs often), I am confident that they are asking me to bless the rosary or the crucifix—not themselves. Their actions alone demonstrate what they believe: that they desire a blessing upon their sacramentals, so that those sacramentals might be set aside for the purpose of leading them to deeper mediation and love for God.

It is perfectly acceptable for lay people to ask God’s blessing upon themselves, their families, their homes, etc. In so doing, they are asking God to look favorably upon them. God, Himself, is doing the work. In the case of a priest, however, he possesses the power and authority to confer blessings, by virtue of his configuration to Christ the High Priest. Ought not the Book of Blessings take advantage of this power?

In Catholic liturgical books of yore, the symbol “” would be placed within the text wherever a blessing or Sign of the Cross was warranted. In the two prayers included above (which are, sadly, representative of every other prayer in the Book of Blessings), where would one place the “”? It’s hard to say, and isn’t that a problem?

Mercifully, because priests possess the authority to bless by virtue of their ordination, they are still free to offer true blessings. They are not bound only to use the prayers set forth in the Book of Blessings, but can adapt those prayers or craft new ones.

To what extent, though, have our official prayers of blessing been antithetical to their intended purpose? Is it unfair to suggest that they may have caused many Catholics to devalue the significance of a priestly blessing? The Book of Blessings, like so many of our liturgical books, stands in need of careful revision.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Reform of the Reform, USCCB Secretariat of Divine Worship Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ with regard to 1960s switch to vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 27th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 5 October 2025, which is the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the spectacular feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin. Readers will want to check out the ENTRANCE CHANT posted there, which has a haunting melody (in the DEUTERUS MODE) and extremely powerful text.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Did they simplify these hymn harmonies?
    Choirs love to sing the famous & splendid tune called “INNSBRUCK.” Looking through a (Roman Catholic) German hymnal printed in 1952, I discovered what appears to be a simplified version of that hymn. In other words, their harmonization is much less complex than the version found in the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal (which is suitable for singing by SATB choir). Please download their 1952 harmonization (PDF) and let me know your thoughts. I really like the groovy Germanic INTRODUCTION they added.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“No official approbation is required for hymns, songs, and acclamations written for the assembly.”

— Statement by the “Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy” (10-NOV-1996)

Recent Posts

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  • “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
  • Involving Women in the Communion?
  • “Toward a More Sacred Style With Pastoral Charity” • Guest Article by Dr. Myrna Keough

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