Blessing Rosaries, etc

[AClaire11]

Why do we get our Rosaries and medals blessed by priests?

So far I have gotten all of mine blessed, but my father told me that when he was growing up, he never got any of his religious items (Rosaries, Miraculous Medals) blessed by a priest.

 

[puzzleannie]

I have also been told that simply putting a sacramental to its intended use blesses it for that use. there are some sacramentals that have a special indulgence attached to the blessing for that particular one, such as the blessing for the Medal of St. Benedict or enrollment in the Brown Scapular, but you are certainly free to use any sacramental until you have a chance to get it blessed, or without a formal blessing.

 

[tee_eff_em]

From the Catechism:

1668 Sacramentals are instituted for the sanctification of certain ministries of the Church, certain states of life, a great variety of circumstances in Christian life, and the use of many things helpful to man. In accordance with bishops’ pastoral decisions, they can also respond to the needs, culture, and special history of the Christian people of a particular region or time. They always include a prayer, often accompanied by a specific sign, such as the laying on of hands, the sign of the cross, or the sprinkling of holy water (which recalls Baptism).
…]
1671 Among sacramentals blessings (of persons, meals, objects, and places) come first. Every blessing praises God and prays for his gifts. In Christ, Christians are blessed by God the Father “with every spiritual blessing.” This is why the Church imparts blessings by invoking the name of Jesus, usually while making the holy sign of the cross of Christ.

tee