Can someone give a blessing to a sick friend, or a birthday blessing, a blessing at a meal, or on other occasions? Does the person need the permission of the local bishop?
Yes, laypeople may give the types of blessings that you describe. Extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, for example, can bless people who come up at Mass with arms crossed over the chest, usually indicating that they are not Roman Catholics. Anyone can offer a blessing at the start of a meal or at its conclusion. The same is true for visiting the sick or celebrating someone’s birthday. I once visited an Irish American household where each person was blessed with holy water before leaving that house. Such blessings remind everyone that God is the author of all life.
Because some blessings are more public, they are normally reserved for priests, deacons, or bishops. Ordinarily, one of them is the Church’s official witness at a wedding or presides at a funeral outside Mass, but the local bishop can designate a properly trained layperson to be the Church’s witness in either of those situations. The blessing of churches, altars, chalices, and patens is normally done by a bishop.
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4 thoughts on “Can Laypeople Give Blessings?”
When going to communion, a layperson is not to offer a blessing to anyone in the Arlington Diocese.
Respectfully, the laity should not bless anyone except parents blessing their own children.
Would you mind clarifying that for me? My understanding is that normally you can only bless those who you have authority over by natural law, but the church as an institution with authority can extend its authority to laypeople. Much in the same way that a bishop is the exorcist of his diocese and priests cannot conduct a solemn exorcism without being delegated to do so by the authority of his bishop.
Says who??