Roman Ritual Blessings from 1930's - 1940's

[ThuribleGuy45]

Our sacristy has a copy of Fr. Weller’s book of blessings from the Roman Ritual, circa 1930 or a little later. Looking through it, there are lots of interesting blessings for various activities, objects, and many agricultural circumstances. They seem to compare favorably to those in the current “Book of Blessings” – more clearly are things blessed, they’re more prayerful, and certainly more focused & direct, as opposed to the tendency of the current “Book of Blessings” to be lengthy and, IMHO, vague.

Question: Can these older blessings from the Roman Ritual of the 1930’s - 1940’s licitly be used by the ordained? Or have they been abrogated despite the permission to use the Extraordinary Form of the Mass?

 

[Andreas_Hofer]

The text of the Rituale in force in 1962 (I’m not sure precisely which edition that would be, probably somewhere around 1960/61) can be used by any priest. So provided the blessing you like remains in that '62 book and in the same form, it would be perfectly alright (and, I agree, preferable) to use the older blessing.

 

[FrRJBoyd]

As stated above, the 1962 edition is normative in the extraordinary form. However, this being said, with the exception of certain reserved blessings (i.e., reserved to bishops or certain religious orders), a priest may bless freely. Blessings are not like sacraments, where we are bound to the form as received from the Church without adding, subtracting or changing anything. In general, there is no reason why a priest cannot use a blessing from an earlier version of the Rituale Romanum, or even in a vernacular translation.

God bless,

Fr. Boyd

 

[Andreas_Hofer]

As stated above, the 1962 edition is normative in the extraordinary form. However, this being said, with the exception of certain reserved blessings (i.e., reserved to bishops or certain religious orders), a priest may bless freely. Blessings are not like sacraments, where we are bound to the form as received from the Church without adding, subtracting or changing anything. In general, there is no reason why a priest cannot use a blessing from an earlier version of the Rituale Romanum, or even in a vernacular translation.

God bless,

Fr. Boyd

I don’t see any problem with this insofar as it’s true that a priest is free to pray over things as he wishes, but I do question whether this adequately takes into account the Church’s ability and exclusive right to create and abrogate sacramentals. That is, using a properly approved blessing engages the power of the Church in conferring the blessing (albeit only ex opere operantis); a non-approved blessing would seem, on the other hand, to be merely the personal impetration of the minister.

 

[FrRJBoyd]

I don’t see any problem with this insofar as it’s true that a priest is free to pray over things as he wishes, but I do question whether this adequately takes into account the Church’s ability and exclusive right to create and abrogate sacramentals. That is, using a properly approved blessing engages the power of the Church in conferring the blessing (albeit only ex opere operantis); a non-approved blessing would seem, on the other hand, to be merely the personal impetration of the minister.

To gain the indulgences or privileges (e.g., enrollments) which the Church gives to certain sacramentals would require that the priest use the correct blessing in the Rituale Romanum. If the Chuch abrogates the indulgence or privilege, it ceases to exist whether the sacramental is blessed or not.

 

[GodIsSalvation]

FrRJBoyd,

I think you may have answered this question in the above post, but just to clarify, if someone has something like a St. Michael Scapular they can no longer be enrolled in it because the enrollment isn’t in the current version of the Roman Ritual? Would a priest just give a regular sacramental blessing to something like that, like he would to a religious medal? Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[FrRJBoyd]

FrRJBoyd,

I think you may have answered this question in the above post, but just to clarify, if someone has something like a St. Michael Scapular they can no longer be enrolled in it because the enrollment isn’t in the current version of the Roman Ritual? Would a priest just give a regular sacramental blessing to something like that, like he would to a religious medal? Thanks in advance for your help.

Remember that both the 1962 (EF) and the ordinary form of the Rituale Romanum are in current use by the Church. The Roman Ritual, either in the OF or the EF, was never meant to be exhaustive for all blessings which can be given. However, enrollments are a distinct subset. When one is enrolled in a confraternity, as one was for the St. Michael Scapular, then if the confraternity ceased to exist, so would the enrollment. I really don’t know if the Arch-confraternity of the Scapular of St. Michael still exists; I believe it was based out of a church in Italy. If it exists, then you can be enrolled using the EF of the Rituale (I am presuming that it was included there, but I’m not certain). If not, then the scapular could still be blessed and worn devotionally, but the privileges of belonging to the arch-confraternity would no longer apply. I hope this helps.

God bless,

Fr. Boyd