St. Benedict Medal Blessing

  • Thread starter Thread starter ahunt01
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
A

ahunt01

Guest
Hi all,
I’m new to the faith, and have a question about the St. Benedict medal. I have one and I want it blessed. I did manage to catch up with my local priest after Mass and he did a general blessing on it, which I am grateful for as it was beautiful said, and I didn’t want to correct him, so I didn’t mention anything about the specific exorcism and blessing that I read should be done for it.

I later spoke with my Deacon on another occasion, and he wasn’t aware of any specific exorcism or blessing for it either. Can someone point me in a direction that I could maybe point my local parish priest in so I can get it blessed and exorcized? Maybe something official? Only thing I can find officially is the OSB website.

Thanks!
 
ahunt01 said:
Hi all,
I’m new to the faith, and have a question about the St. Benedict medal. I have one and I want it blessed. I did manage to catch up with my local priest after Mass and he did a general blessing on it, which I am grateful for as it was beautiful said, and I didn’t want to correct him, so I didn’t mention anything about the specific exorcism and blessing that I read should be done for it.

I later spoke with my Deacon on another occasion, and he wasn’t aware of any specific exorcism or blessing for it either. Can someone point me in a direction that I could maybe point my local parish priest in so I can get it blessed and exorcized? Maybe something official? Only thing I can find officially is the OSB website.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
If the priest has blessed the medal, the medal is blessed regardless of the formula he chose to use.

There are various formulae to choose from regarding the medal, which is a topic as you note that is indicated on the OSB website. They use the two formulae that they do because it is part of the ceremonial to be used in the context of those actually becoming Benedictine Oblates, in which case the formula of blessing and presenting the medal is integrated into the ceremony of becoming an Oblate Novice…and, I might add, that the formulary cited is for those abbeys/houses which substitute the medal for the scapular. Those abbeys/houses which invest the Oblate Novices with the scapular have a different ceremonial.

If a lay person asks me to use a specific blessing, such as the older rite, I typically will – but otherwise I use one of the current formulae from De Benedictionibus. So, no it is not a matter of “correcting” the priest, as he was doing nothing wrong.

When the Popes bless religious articles, it is typically the simplest of the options that they employ to do so.
 
Ah, so what you’re saying is that the medal does not require the specific blessing? It’s not like I’m off doing anything dark, but I am around a lot of evil in work and I like the idea of wearing something that is supposed to help ward off evil, so I just wanted to make sure it was blessed accordingly. A general blessing is sufficient is what you’re saying? If I did want something more specific, simply asking the priest to do so wouldn’t be offensive now that he already did a general blessing? This is all new to me, so sorry for the silly questions 🙂
 
osb.org/gen/medal.html

Read the whole…the blessing is at the end for your Priest. This blessing is not required -but is a nice addition - and can be prayed over the medal by any Priest or Deacon. You may take it to another Priest if you wish to avoid any misunderstandings.

Let us keep in mind too that it is faith of the person, the intercession of the Church in blessing, the intercession of St. Benedict, the prayerful use of the medal etc that is where the good of using the medal comes from.
 
+The Montecassino Jubilee :signofcross: Medal of St. Benedict is one of the most revered sacramentals of the Catholic Church . . . and reading the original post . . . it occurs to me that there might be a misunderstanding in regard to the medal itself as a sacramental . . . re the realization that the now blest medal is . . . in itself. . . a blessed continual/constant . . . on-going pray:gopray2:er of exorcism . . . wherever it is located . . . below is some helpful information from St. John’s Abbey regarding a fuller understanding of the blessings in the use this wonderful sacramental . . .

"Use of the Medal of St. Benedict

There is no special way prescribed for carrying or wearing the Medal of St. Benedict. It can be worn on a chain around the neck, attached to one’s rosary, kept in one’s pocket or purse, or placed in one’s car or home. The medal is often put into the foundations of houses and buildings, on the walls of barns and sheds, or in one’s place of business.

The purpose of using the medal in any of the above ways is to call down God’s blessing and protection upon us, wherever we are, and upon our homes and possessions, especially through the intercession of St. Benedict. By the conscious and devout use of the medal, it becomes, as it were, a constant silent pray:gopray2:er and reminder to us of our dignity as followers of Christ.

**The Medal Is :gopray2: **
  • a prayer of exorcism against Satan,
  • a prayer for strength in time of temptation,
  • a prayer for peace among ourselves and among the nations of the world,
  • a prayer that the **Cross of Christ **be our light and guide,
  • a prayer of firm rejection of all that is evil,
  • a prayer of petition that we may with Christian courage "walk in God’s ways, with the Gospel as our guide," as St. Benedict urges us.
A profitable spiritual experience can be ours if we but take the time to study the array of inscriptions and representations found on the two sides of the medal. The lessons found there can be pondered over and over to bring true peace of mind and heart into our lives as we struggle to overcome the weaknesses of our human nature and realize that our human condition is not perfect, but that with the help of God and the intercession of the saints our condition can become better.

The Medal of St. Benedict can serve as a constant reminder of the need for us to take up our cross daily and "follow the true King, Christ our Lord**’.** and thus learn "to share in his heavenly kingdom," as St. Benedict urges us in the Prolog of his Rule."

S​
​
t. John Abbey​

Mother Angelica . . . of EWTN . . . often shared she had these medals placed ALL OVER the properties . . . and throughout the buildings . . . our** Dear LORD **has entrusted to her in her work . . . both at and around EWTN facilities and the extraordinary Our Lady of the Angels Shrine and Monastery in Hanceville, Alabama . . .

. . . all for Jesus+
. . . thank you Blessed Holy St. Benedict+
. . . thank you Blessed Holy Mother Church+​
 
+FYI . . . for those who might be reading this thread and may not have a clear understanding of what the blessed sacramental, the Montecassino Jubilee :signofcross: Medal of St. Benedict, is . . . below is a link to our Benedictine Spirituality Forum’s explanation from St. John’s Abbey of same . . .

:compcoff: Link: forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?p=5473612&highlight=Medal+of+St.+Benedict#post5473612

God bless . . . and a . . . Blessed Happy Thanksgiving. . . to all . . .

. . . all for Jesus+
. . . thank You Our Wonderful Gracious God+
. . . thank you Blessed Holy St. Benedict+
. . . thank you Blessed Holy Mother Church+
. . . praise God from Whom ALL blessings flow+
:harp:​
​
 
ahunt01 said:
Hi all,
I’m new to the faith, and have a question about the St. Benedict medal. I have one and I want it blessed. I did manage to catch up with my local priest after Mass and he did a general blessing on it, which I am grateful for as it was beautiful said, and I didn’t want to correct him, so I didn’t mention anything about the specific exorcism and blessing that I read should be done for it.

I later spoke with my Deacon on another occasion, and he wasn’t aware of any specific exorcism or blessing for it either. Can someone point me in a direction that I could maybe point my local parish priest in so I can get it blessed and exorcized? Maybe something official? Only thing I can find officially is the OSB website.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
The OSB rite is the correct one.

It’s simpler than the traditional form, but it explicitly includes the exorcism and blessing.

By all means take the medals along with a printout of the rite. Just tell the priest you’d like to have these medals exorcised and blessed; you do not have to tell him that you are coming back to have them re-blessed (implying that he has to “correct” himself). Heck, get some additional medals/medal+crucifixes and have them included too. Then you can easily and truthfully say, “I have more medals for exorcism and blessing.”

If you have an FSSP priest in the area, he will have no problem at all using the older form (permitted for use by all priests), but I cannot assume you have one. If you do though, consider approaching him.

Get the full treatment, exorcism and blessing for your medals.

And by the way, while a deacon CAN bless religious objects, I have my doubts that he can actually exorcize them. So I would approach a priest, specifically, for this.
 
This is a great idea! I have family members that want me to get some Benedict coins to keep in cars/house, and I would be getting them blessed and exercised too and give them away. I’ll just add my medal to those. Thanks!!!👍
 
porthos11 said:
And by the way, while a deacon CAN bless religious objects, I have my doubts that he can actually exorcize them. So I would approach a priest, specifically, for this.
Click to expand...
Of course a deacon can. The rites make that quite clear.
 
porthos11 said:
The OSB rite is the correct one.

It’s simpler than the traditional form, but it explicitly includes the exorcism and blessing.

And by the way, while a deacon CAN bless religious objects, I have my doubts that he can actually exorcize them. So I would approach a priest, specifically, for this.
Click to expand...
See the rite:

Approved Blessing
of the Medal of St. Benedict

Medals of Saint Benedict are sacramentals that may be blessed legitimately by any priest or deacon – not necessarily a Benedictine (Instr., 26 Sept. 1964; Can. 1168). The following English form may be used.
 
Bookcat said:
See the rite:

Approved Blessing
of the Medal of St. Benedict

Medals of Saint Benedict are sacramentals that may be blessed legitimately by any priest or deacon – not necessarily a Benedictine (Instr., 26 Sept. 1964; Can. 1168). The following English form may be used.
Click to expand...
Yep, I read that.

OP, approach a priest anyway.
 
The Church has made more than clear that Deacons may exorcise and they may bless, according to the norms and prescriptions established. Everyone must accept that and unconditionally.

The Original Poster has complete freedom to approach either his priest or the deacon since both are ordained and both may do this.

This is also an opportune moment to reiterate that one formula of blessing is not superior to another…and that a sacramental must never be looked upon as a thing which has some sort of power of its own. In this case, the medal is an object for the pious use of the faithful.
 
The easiest way to get a St. Benedict metal blessed according to the traditional formula (if you are in the US) is to purchase it from Clear Creek Abbey (they have a website) they will bless it for you before mailing it out.

If it were me I wouldn’t bother the priest with reblessing, it is blessed, and he may think you rigorous and get annoyed.

That said I disagree with Don R (who sounds to be a cleric). Yes if something is blessed it is blessed. However blessings are prayers and you get what you ask for. I prefer my St Benedict metals be blessed with the traditional formula so that “May all power of the adversary, all assaults and pretensions of Satan, be repulsed and driven afar from these medals,” .

Related to other questions here these links might be of help.
fatherjerabek.com/2015/09/03/can-deacons-bless-a-st-benedict-medal/
And
benjaminiperegrinus.wordpress.com/2016/07/12/you-get-what-you-ask-for/
 
I thought I read somewhere that you shouldn’t purchase items that were blessed.
 
You can’t, they aren’t selling blessed items, they bless them after they are purchased. If you order them (not in person) they bless them before putting them in the mail.

It is the sin of simony to ask for payment for spiritual goods, it is wrong to sell holy things, but it is not unusual for religious houses to have gift shops and for them to be asked for blessings of things they sell by buyers. For example, people go to a monastery gift shop purchase something and after paying ask the monk running the register if it can be blessed. He happens to be a priest-monk and blesses it on the spot. This is different from an eBay shop selling holy water by the ounce. The blessing isn’t what’s for sale.

see description- clearcreekmonks.org/gift-shop/saint-benedict-medal-brass/
 
BenP said:
However blessings are prayers and you get what you ask for. I prefer my St Benedict metals be blessed with the traditional formula so that “May all power of the adversary, all assaults and pretensions of Satan, be repulsed and driven afar from these medals,” .
Click to expand...
Yes I would agree that a blessing is a blessing (and no worries demons will not like them…and they too know how to read the pray on the medal!) and I also agree that it can be good to have the other blessing done - for yes the Church gave such a blessing for a reason and it is good to use that blessing. With this Sacramental the effects come via the faith of the person, the intercession of the Church, the intercession of the Saint etc. And while it is not necessary to use the blessing -it is very good.
 
Pax et Bonum! Obviously your heart is not at rest with the way your medal was blessed. To put your heart at rest, I agree you could include more medals and have them blessed using the prayer you desire to use. Afterall, they are your medals. You could also look for more traditional priests who are aware of this prayer, and go to them. At the same time, best not to criticize what has already been done, but improve (or complete) upon it quietly. I have a friend that asks beforehand, if the priest has heard of a specific formula, and if not give him the paper to read or go elsewhere. angeltime:signofcross:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top