Blessing a religious statue: what the Church provides and how to ask

A blessing does not turn a statue into something magic, and an unblessed statue is not useless. What a blessing does is set the object apart for prayer: the Church prays over it, asks God that those who look on it may grow in faith and love, and dedicates it to a holy use. From then on it is treated with the reverence due to a sacred object.

Catholics do not worship statues. The image points beyond itself — to Christ, to Our Lady, to the saint it shows — in the way a photograph of a parent on the mantelpiece points to the person. The Church has always taught that the honour given to an image passes to the one it represents.

The Church’s official book of blessings, issued in Latin in 1984 as De Benedictionibus and in English as the Book of Blessings, contains orders for blessing all kinds of things, from homes and families to fields, tools and vehicles. Two parts concern statues.

For a statue that will stand in a church, chapel or oratory for public veneration, there is an order for blessing images for public veneration by the faithful. It is usually celebrated with the community present, sometimes within Mass, with readings from Scripture, a prayer of blessing and, where it is the custom, incense.

For a statue for the home, or any small object of devotion — a rosary, a medal, a crucifix, a holy picture — there is an order for blessing religious articles, which can be very short: a greeting, a brief reading or verse, the prayer of blessing, and the sprinkling of holy water. In practice many priests use this shorter form for a home statue, often right after Mass or at the door of the sacristy.

When a new statue is installed in a church, school or convent, the blessing is often a small occasion of its own: a feast day, the parish’s patronal feast, or the start of the May devotions. The parish priest, the school chaplain or the community’s chaplain will advise on the rite, and whether it is best done within Mass.

If you are organising it, it helps to have the statue in place and stable before the day, a small table for holy water and candles, and someone to read. For a memorial statue, the family may want a short reading and the names of those remembered. See church statues, statues for schools and memorial statues.

Any established prayer is fitting. Before a statue of Our Lady, many Irish families say the Memorare, or simply the Hail Mary. Before the Sacred Heart: “Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee.” Before a saint, their own prayer, or simply: “Saint N., pray for us.”