House Blessing: Blessing and Prayer for the Christian Home

After the feast of the Epiphany, three letters in chalk appear above many a front door; a cross hangs in the hallway, and in the living room a picture of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. All of this may be called a house blessing. At its core, however, it means something other than a saying on the wall: the plea that God may bless a house and all who live in it. This guide shows how the Church blesses houses, what the chalk marks C+M+B mean, how a family blesses its house during the holy nights of Christmastide and what the consecration to the Sacred Heart is.

What is a house blessing?

A house blessing is the plea for God's blessing upon a house and all who live in it. In the strict sense it is the blessing given by a priest according to the Rituale Romanum; in a wider sense the name also covers the customs by which a family places its home under God's protection.

The blessing of a house is one of the sacramentals, that is, the actions by which the Church, in a certain imitation of the sacraments, asks above all for spiritual gifts (CIC 1917, can. 1144). It has a model in the Gospel. Our Lord sent out the disciples and charged them: “Into whatsoever house you enter, first say: Peace be to this house” (Lk 10:5, Douay-Rheims).

With this greeting, Pax huic domui, the priest enters the house he blesses, as the Rituale prescribes. In the wider sense the house blessing includes the cross on the wall, holy water in the home, the chalk marks of the Epiphany and the consecration of the family to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. For the cross on the wall you will find a selection among our crosses.

How does a priest bless a house?

The priest blesses a house according to the Rituale Romanum: he greets it with “Pax huic domui”, sprinkles the rooms and those who live there with holy water while praying a verse of a psalm, and closes with a collect asking God to send his holy angel to protect the household.

The Rituale knows several forms. On Holy Saturday and throughout Eastertide the parish priest visits the houses of his parish with the water blessed in the baptismal font on Holy Saturday and prays the antiphon Vidi aquam, “I saw water” (Tit. VIII, cap. 4). Outside Eastertide he uses the Asperges me, “Thou shalt sprinkle me” (cap. 5).

The Eastertide collect recalls the houses of the Hebrews at the Exodus from Egypt, which were marked with the blood of the lamb and spared by the destroying angel. It asks that God may send his holy angel, qui custodiat, foveat, protegat, visitet, atque defendat omnes habitantes in hoc habitaculo, to guard, cherish, protect, visit and defend all who dwell in this house.

According to the rubric, the houses of the parish are blessed in Eastertide by the parish priest or by another priest with his permission. For the simple blessing of a place or house, which you might ask for when moving in, for example, there is the short Benedictio loci vel domus (cap. 6). Any priest may give such blessings, except those that are reserved (CIC 1917, can. 1147 § 2).

Benedic, Domine, Deus omnipotens, domum istam: ut sit in ea sanitas, castitas, victoriae virtus, humilitas, bonitas, et mansuetudo, plenitudo legis, et gratiarum actio Deo Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto; et haec benedictio maneat super hanc domum, et super habitantes in ea. Per Christum, Dominum nostrum. Amen.

Bless, O Lord God almighty, this house, that in it there may be health, chastity, the strength of victory, humility, goodness and meekness, the fullness of the law and thanksgiving to God the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and may this blessing remain upon this house and upon all who dwell therein. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Latin: Rituale Romanum, Appendix, Benedictio domorum in Festo Epiphaniae (Regensburg edition 1937, p. 390; similarly Tit. VIII, cap. 6). English: our translation from the Latin. A shorter German house form is given in “Heiliges Volk”, Diocese of St. Pölten 1960, p. 188

What does C+M+B mean on the front door?

C+M+B are the initials of the holy Magi Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. They are written on the front door with blessed chalk together with the new year. The Rituale Romanum provides a blessing of chalk of its own for this purpose on the feast of the Epiphany.

The appendix of the Rituale contains three blessings for 6 January: the blessing of gold, frankincense and myrrh, the blessing of chalk and the blessing of houses (Benedictiones non reservatae, non-reserved blessings, nos. 4 to 6). The formula for blessing the chalk asks that all who with this chalk in domus suae portis scripserint nomina sanctorum tuorum Gasparis, Melchioris et Baltassar, that is, write the names of the saints on the doors of their house, may through their intercession receive health of body and protection of soul.

The 1960 prayer book of the Diocese of St. Pölten describes the custom briefly: the blessing of the chalk “with which the letters C+M+B and the new year are written on the doors” (translated from the German). For 6 January 2027, then, the year 2027 goes with the three letters.

The blessing of houses on the Epiphany begins with Pax huic domui and the antiphon Ab Oriente venerunt Magi, “The Magi came from the East to Bethlehem to adore the Lord …”. While the Magnificat is prayed, the priest sprinkles the house with holy water and incenses it.

How does a family bless its house during the holy nights of Christmastide?

On the three holy nights (Rauhnächte), the eves of Christmas, New Year and the Epiphany, the father goes through the house with holy water and incense while the family sings a Christmas carol. Back in the living room he prays the prayer of the feast and the house blessing.

This is how the prayer book “Heiliges Volk” of the Diocese of St. Pölten of 1960 describes it, pp. 186 to 188. You prepare holy water and a vessel with glowing charcoal on which incense is placed. The father takes a son or another member of the family with him. Each of the three nights has its own introductory verse and the collect of the feast; on the eve of the Epiphany, for instance: “The Wise Men opened their treasures and offered the Lord gold, frankincense and myrrh.” It closes with the prayer of blessing “Bless, O Lord God almighty, this room (this house)” and the versicle “May the divine assistance remain always with us. Amen.” (translated from the German).

One distinction remains important: the liturgical blessing of the Rituale is given by the priest, for the lawful minister of the sacramentals is a cleric (CIC 1917, can. 1146). The father of the family blesses as the father of his household by praying for them and using the blessed water.

What is the consecration of the home to the Sacred Heart?

The consecration to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is a prayer by which a family acknowledges Christ as the King of its home. It is said before a picture of the Sacred Heart and renewed every year. Pius X and Benedict XV enriched it with indulgences.

The formula of consecration is found in the Preces et pia opera of 1952 under no. 705. It begins by recalling that Christ revealed to St Margaret Mary his wish to reign over Christian families. On the day of the first consecration, the members of the family who say the prayer before the picture receive an indulgence of seven years and, if they fulfil the usual conditions, a plenary one; at the yearly renewal, three years and likewise a plenary indulgence.

According to the same collection, the usual conditions are confession, Communion, a visit to a church or public oratory and a prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father. In 1917 Pope Benedict XV recalled that on 27 April 1915 he had extended the indulgences granted for this consecration by his predecessor Pius X to all who consecrate their home to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Dignare, Cor divinum, nobis praeesse in unum convenientibus, benedicere negotiis spiritualibus et temporalibus, arcere molestias, sanctificare gaudia, poenas levare.

Deign, divine Heart, to preside over us when we are gathered together, to bless our spiritual and temporal undertakings, to ward off our troubles, to sanctify our joys and to relieve our sufferings.

From the consecration of the family to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Preces et pia opera, 1952, no. 705; our translation from the Latin

“At that time the hope filled Us, lively and serene, that the divine Redeemer, called to reign visibly at the domestic hearths, would pour out there the infinite treasures of meekness and humility of his most loving Heart …”

Benedict XV, letter to Cardinal Gasparri of 5 May 1917, Acta Apostolicae Sedis 9 (1917), p. 265 (Italian original; translated from the German rendering)

Does a house blessing protect the house?

A house blessing has no protective power of its own. It is a plea to God, not an amulet. Under the 1917 Code of Canon Law, the Church obtains chiefly spiritual effects through sacramentals by virtue of her intercession (can. 1144). One trusts in God, not in chalk, water or picture.

The prayers of the Rituale speak in the same way: they do not claim that the house is now safe, but ask God to send his angel. St Thomas Aquinas drew the line against superstition, precisely for written sacred words carried on one's person. Using them is lawful if one looks solely to reverence for God, from whom the effect is expected. It becomes superstitious when one places one's hope in the manner of writing or tying them on, or adds strange signs; the sign of the cross he expressly excepts (Summa theologiae II-II, q. 96, a. 4).

For C+M+B on the door this means, in substance: what counts is not the form of the signs, but the prayer with which they are written and the Christian life within the house. Blessed objects are to be treated with reverence and not put to profane use, even when they are private property (can. 1150).

What can you give as a house blessing gift for a new home?

A cross or a Sacred Heart picture for the wall makes a fitting housewarming gift, together with a request to the parish priest to bless the house. If you wish, you can give holy water from the parish church and invite the family to consecrate itself to the Sacred Heart.

A crucifix above the door or in the living room is the simplest house blessing. In favour of the Sacred Heart picture is the fact that the consecration of the family is expressly prayed before such a picture. The rest is the priest's task: with the Benedictio loci vel domus he blesses the house, and on the Epiphany he blesses the chalk with which the family writes C+M+B. If you do not know whom to ask, speak to the priest after Holy Mass. We do not stock a written house blessing; a blessed cross or Sacred Heart picture expresses the same plea. You will find a selection among our crosses and in our pictures of Our Lord.

Mentioned in this article Sacred Heart of Jesus, Christ with Crown of Thorns Wall picture with the inscription Sic Deus dilexit mundum, matt print in A5 or A4. View the picture

Frequently asked questions about the house blessing