Epiphany
House Blessings

Click here to open a short order of service to bless your home during Epiphany.

The Feast of Epiphany on January 6th celebrates the moment when the Magi visited the child Jesus to worship Him and offer their royal gifts. Reflecting on that holy place of Jesus’ birth, there is a tradition stretching at least as far back as the 4th century that Christians during the season of Epiphany seek God’s blessing on their own dwelling places.

Priests or heads of households, after saying a prayer of blessing over the house, take pieces of chalk, blessed at the Mass on 6th of January, and write on the doorposts the Epiphany blessing (see picture below). “Chalking the door,” as it is commonly called, is seen as invoking God's blessing not only on the house itself, but on the people who live in it, and all those who visit.

The first two digits of the inscription are the first two digits of the year followed by C+M+B, then followed by the last two digits of the year. E.g. 20+C+M+B+26.

The letters C,M,B correspond to Latin prayer "Christus Mansionem Benedicat,” which means “May Christ bless this house.” Some people, however, like to apply the letters to the traditional names given to the Magi (Wisemen), Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar.

The inscription above the door also harkens back to the Passover when God instructed Moses and Aaron to have the Israelites, enslaved in Egypt, rub the blood of a lamb on the two doorposts and lintel of their houses. God, when executing judgement on the land of Egypt, would “pass over” His own people, those who had the blood of the lamb on their doors (Exodus 12:1-13).

There will be blessed chalk available after the Mass on Jan. 6 and on Sunday Jan. 11 for you to take home… or you can use your own.