Cathedral of St. John the Baptist at 1900 Carlton Rd., Parma, OH 44134-3129 US - House Blessing
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The priest will conduct a brief prayer service after which he will bless each person in your family and each room of your house with Holy Water. We read in Revelation 3:20, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him and he with me." This is a beautiful picture of what Christ wants to do when we move into a new home or apartment. He wants us to open the door to let Him come in to bless us. He wants to stay and fellowship with us in a very intimate way as expressed through eating and drinking, together. This is what we do when we invite the priest to bless us and our new home: we open the door to let Jesus come in. If we have a new icon for our home, we shall give it to the priest at church for the formal blessing. He will bring it with him to install it in its proper place in your home and light the votive light before it for the first time. In addition to the blessing received, such a home visit by the priest will afford your children an excellent opportunity to get to know the parish priest as a dear and personal friend in Christ.