Text Of Blessing Of A Child In The Womb Now Available In English And Spanish For Use In United States

WASHINGTON—FollowingVatican approval, the “Rite for the Blessing of a Child in the Womb” is now availablefor use by dioceses in the United States. The text of the blessing is postedonline and is being published as a booklet addendum to the Book of Blessings/Bendicional. The blessing will be included infuture editions of those liturgical volumes.

“We hope the use of this blessingwill provide not only support and God’s blessing for expectant parents andtheir child in the womb, but also another effective witness to the sanctity ofhuman life from the first moment of conception,” said Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond,chairman of the Committee on Divine Worship of the U.S. Conference of CatholicBishops (USCCB).

Theblessing can be offered within the context of the Mass as well as outside ofMass.

Parishesplanning to use the blessing this Mother’s Day can download the text at www.usccb.org/about/pro-life-activities/prayers/pro-life-blessings.cfm. Theblessing may be ordered through USCCB Publishing as a 43-page bi-lingualbookletat www.usccbpublishing.org/productdetails.cfm?sku=7-316.

Theblessing originated at the request of then-Bishop Joseph Kurtz of Knoxville,Tennessee (now archbishop of Louisville, Kentucky) to the USCCB Committee onPro-Life Activities. The committee prepared and submitted a text to the USCCB'sDivine Worship committee in March of 2008. It was approved by the U.S. bishopsin November 2008, and then sent to Rome for editing and final approval.

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