www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Blessing of Chalk

Today at Mass, the priest blessed chalk which is then distributed to be taken home and used to inscribe over the door of the house. I remember this custom from when I was a young child and have not seen it done anywhere since then. I post the prayers from the service leaflet here for those who may wish to follow this Epiphany custom.

Blessing of chalk

Our help + is in the name of the Lord.
Who hath made heaven and earth.
Lord hear my prayer.
And let my cry come unto thee.
The Lord be with you.
And with thy spirit.

Let us pray.

Bless+, O Lord God, this chalk that it may be helpful to men and grant by the invocation of thy Most Holy Name that whosoever shall use it or inscribe with it the names of thy Saints Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar upon the doors of their homes, may through their merits and intercession enjoy health of body and protection of soul; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

20+G+M+B+08

The above line should be written on the lintel above the front door into your home. A piece of blessed chalk may be taken home with you for this purpose. Following the writing, this prayer is to be used:

Let us pray.

O Lord, holy Father, Almighty everlasting God, we beseech thee to hear us: and vouchsafe to send thy holy Angel from heaven, to guard and cherish, protect and visit, and evermore defend all that dwell in this house. I call upon Saints Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar, to protect my family and my home from every harm and danger, and I place this mark over my door to remain as a constant reminder to us and all who enter here that my house is truly a house of the Lord. O God, make the door of my house the gateway to thine eternal Kingdom. All this we ask through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord. Amen.

Happy Epiphany!

John K

Thanks for posting this John.

John,

Our Pastor told us today that he had blessed the chalk last night, and distributed little pieces of it as we left the Church after Mass.

I never experienced this custom before (I'm 58). Thanks for giving the prayers.

Best,
Michael

BTW, my brother's Pastor also follows this custom in a different town -- is this an Eastern custom, or just one that has been neglected in the West?

Michael--I believe that this is Western custom. It was well loved in the Polish Roman Catholic Church I grew up in and discontinued when a new pastor came when I was around 7 or 8.

The church where the I received blessed chalk today is an Anglo-Catholic Episcopal parish.

Happy Epiphany!

John

Dear Friends,

I have large silver letters, "KMB" that we always put out for Christmas and also on our outdoor Christmas wreath that has a small metallic image of the Three Kings.

But I take this to also mean "Kristus Mansionem Benedicat" or "Christ blesses this home." (?)

Alex

Alex,

From what I have read, it can mean both/and/either/or.

Caspar, Melchior, Balthasar or

Christus Masionem Benedicat.

John and Alex,

Thanks for the replies. My brother asked his Pastor who said that it is a very traditional German/Polish custom. His pastor is Slovakian, of the Latin Rite, but with a fondness for Eastern "traditions", i.e., "Greekicizations". , which is why I asked.

Happy Epiphany back at you!
Michael

Gaspar is written as Kaspar in Polish. I was always taught that it was the initials of the Magi.

John K

I would have sworn that we had a thread about this a couple of years ago and that Alex and I spoke about it at some length, but I can't lay hands on it now. I did find two very nice Christmas threads though - a bit late for the New Calendar, but timely for the Old.

https://www.byzcath.org/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/60002/fpart/1

https://www.byzcath.org/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/131446/fpart/1

Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

They are indeed the initials of Sainted Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar. The custom is common among both the Germans and East Europeans, as well as among the Irish.


Many years,

Neil, who has a particular devotion to the Holy Magi and is sitting here fondly remembering the annual calculation of East - complete with compass - made by his Dad and Dr Kapinos, both of blessed memory, to determine the placement of the Magi in relation to our creche

I think you are right Neil - I'm scratching my head over it as I have this memory of a thread about it - and I'm convinced that Alex was in on it as well.

BTW while on this sort of thing - I noticed on one of those topics you found again a reference to the 3 Kings cake from Germany.

Lasy year I was in France just after Epiphany and found myself having a slice of the Epiphany Crown [ a ring 'couronne' not a sort of regal crown if-you-see-what-I-mean ] and got the heart !!

Not been able to find out much about this - anyone here know ?

I am not sure and thought that only a priest can bless things, or is that practice of the west?

Dandelion

C

When ever we, my brother or I went on our summer vacation, it was not uncommon for mom to bless us using three fingers and tracing the sign of the cross on our forehead. Is it a blessing? I think so! Also among our people when my aunt married, she was bless by mother and father my baba and dido with a wedding bread before they left for church. S, I say yes, in particular situation, lay people can bless.

З Різдвом Христовим та Новим Роком
Щирі побажання, кріпкого здоров'я.
Багато щастя, чистої води в криниці,
В полі ярої пшениці,
Хліба-солі на столі, і погоди на душі.

Kolya

Dandelion,

Not sure what you're asking here. The tradition of the chalk being blessed is a western one, but is done by the priest (I know the blessing for it used to be in the Rituale, whether it still is, I don't know). The prayer is that Christ bless the house or that it be blessed through the intercession of the Holy Magi.

The point made by Kolya, of blessings asked by parents or others for their loved ones, is common to nearly every tradition - but I'm still lost as to the relevance of the matter to this thread (which might just mean that I need more coffee )

Many years,

Neil

Anhelyna,

Like many such cakes, I know that Epiphany Crowns invariably contain some object which carries a tradition with it. I'm aware of coins and gems - the finder being considered to have a "lucky" year ahead of them.

In Mexico and some other Latin countries, if I remember correctly, the object baked into the cake is a small Christ Child figurine. The one who finds it is expected to be the recipient of blessings in the coming year and is supposed to take it to the nearest church.

A bean or pea is the object in other countries and the finder becomes "prince" or "princess" in activities associated with the feast.

As to a heart. I don't know - haven't run across that one before, but I suspect the symbolism may be similar - "lucky in love in the coming year" or somesuch.

Many years,

Neil

The tradition of celebrating Epiphany in France uses a cake called "galette des rois". It is usually translated into English as "twelfth night cake".

It's generally made of almond paste covered in flaky pastry (not sure how you say this in the US; it is called p�te feuillet�e in French).

See here for a pretty good explanation in English: http://www.askoxford.com/languages/culturevulture/france/galette/ . (If you read French, you'll find a lot about galettes des rois on the web.)

A charm, sometimes a simple broad bean, is put in the galette. Whoever finds the charm, is king for the day.

That's interesting - thanks - the couronne I 'sampled' had I understand 3 charms in it - one was certainly for the king . My heart one is ceramic and I saw from the shop where I think it was bought a selection of hearts from previous years . Mine went on a cord and was worn

Down in the Pyrenees where I was they were more of a solid Brioche type consistency - certainly not marzipan/frangipane but very very nice. Pity I wasn't there this year

The blessing is normally done by a priest, but if one's parish does not do this ritual, I see no reason why a layman can not say the prayer or at least sprinkle the chalk with water. It's a nice tradition to introduce or re-discover.

John K

Dear Friends,

Laity may give blessings, of course, and parents may bless their children (as we know, three fingers are used for such, with the index finger slightly raised).

However, in the East especially, laity must NEVER presume to perform sacramental blessings contained in the Euchologion/Trebnyk that ONLY priests and bishops may do.

Orthodox manuals sometimes contain stern warnings against this practice, saying that it is the sin of presumption on the part of laity to do so.

And the Reader's Services as well remove all the priestly prayers and blessings for laity and unordained monastics to use in participating in the Prayer of the Church.

Alex

According to my copy of Attwater's Catholic Encyclopedic Dictionary this custom originated in Poland. It probably made its way to America v�a Polish immigrants. Apparently it became popular enough that there is a formula for the blessing of chalk in the Rituale Romanum.

Wow. I grew up RC and I never heard of such a custom before.

-- John

Khrestos Razhdajet'sha

Hello

How often have we heard the phrase in English "God Bless You" or "Bless You" or as Tiny Tim said, God Bless us everyone".

In this happy and holy season, I wish you all God's blessings for health happiness and prospertiy.

"................may your fields grow abundent wheat,
may you have clean water in your wells,
and may your bread be abundant as is the butter and kubasa on your table,..... unto 100 years!
Christ is Born/Krestos Razhdajet'sha!

Kolya

"GOD BLESS US EVERYONE"

Amen!

I haven't seen it with chalk, but I've seen at least a couple of RC parishes distribute cards with this written on it at the beginning of the uyear to put above doorways.

hawk

Now I'm curious if anyone knows where this custom came from. I had only heard of it this year and on the East Coast. My family back in Los Angeles was baffled when I mentioned it though they are familiar with "Epiphany water" and have heard of the chalk before.

It's very common among Germans and I understand that it's not unknown among the Polish

Many years,

Neil

It's very well known among the Poles. I was raised a Polish RC and we did it each year till I was about 10 or so when a new pastor came in and discontinued blessing chalk and incense on Epiphany. Most Polish parishes I knew of did it. And the service for blessing chalk and how to inscribe your door lintel was always in the Polish missalette published at Orchard Lake.

John K

It is very common among Roman Catholic Slovaks and is still practiced here in Canada.

Kolya

Well, you people are just "chalk full" of wonderful information!

I'll mark my door in chalk too!

Also, what about the practice of blessed Salt among RC's? What do you do with it?

Alex

Put it on your food at Pascha!

Alex,

Many times it is sprinkled about like Holy Water.

Eric

I was refering to the Three Kings picture. Were you as well? I'm half German and have never heard of this.

Salt goes in the four corners of every room to ward of demons.

Whoops, I only half-read your post. I do know that, as late as the 1970s, Holy Trinity German Catholic parish in Boston distributed holy cards of the Magi and, if I remember correctly, the prayer was on the reverse. Keep in mind that the Sainted Bishops are much venerated in Germany, where they are (I believe) the patrons of the Archdiocese of Cologne and are represented in the coat-of-arms of the city itself.

The Cathedral of Cologne is the depository of their relics (yes, taken from the East) and it is among the largest - if not the largest - reliquary in Christiandom.