New Tool Helps You Request and Read Patriarchal Blessings Online
Contributed By R. Scott Lloyd, Church News staff writer
Church members can now view their own patriarchal blessings online and request the patriarchal blessings of deceased direct-line ancestors using a new tool on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Related Links
Church members can now view their own patriarchal blessings online and request the patriarchal blessings of deceased direct-line ancestors by virtue of one of two new tools on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
The other tool digitizes the recommendation process priesthood leaders use for patriarchal blessings.
Start on the new landing page
The online request tool and the online submission tool are available when you sign in to your LDS Account on ChurchofJesusChrist.org and visit the new landing page, which is the starting point for member requests and ecclesiastical submissions. The page is available in 14 languages and is designed for desktop and mobile devices (iOS and Android).
Personal blessing
Once your request is processed, which can take up to one month, you will be able to view your personal blessing from the same landing page.
“Because of the sacred nature of patriarchal blessings, every request is carefully researched and verified by a staff member at the Church History Library. Personal blessing requests that have been fulfilled since 2011 are already available through ChurchofJesusChrist.org,” an article on history.ChurchofJesusChrist.org explains.
If you have received your blessing within the past two years, please check with the patriarch.
Ancestor blessing
To request a blessing of a deceased parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, child, or spouse, click on the ancestral request icon. You'll need to provide the name, birth date, and parents’ full names and select your relationship to the ancestor from a drop-down menu. The blessings of deceased direct-line ancestors will be sent via postal or electronic mail. Requests can take up to three months.
Even though the Church History Library preserves copies of more than 4.3 million blessings, the blessing you request may not be in the collection.
Online blessing recommends
Priesthood leaders can use the new online submission tool to create patriarchal blessing recommends. Patriarchs can use the tool to see who has requested a blessing, and then after giving a blessing, they can use the tool to submit the official blessing to the Church.
According to the article on history.ChurchofJesusChrist.org, “Blessings are stored in the library’s digital preservation system in multiple formats and storage locations, including the Granite Mountain Records Vault.“
The online submission tool was released in January 2015 to more than 50 percent of stakes in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. In coming months, the tool will be made available to every stake and will be available in 14 languages.
