Interfaith Services of the Lowcountry

For The Blessing or Dedication of a Home:
The Reverend Peter Edward Lanzillotta, Ph.D.

Opening words of Dedication and Welcome:
Over the history of human togetherness, the home has come to represent the lasting example of what it means to nurture, share, encourage and support one another.
As a spiritual symbol, one’s home is where their intention and awareness of life’s values and ideals are shown and demonstrated… or as it has been said , one’s home is their consciousness, and the expression and design of their consciousness that needs to be at home with those whom one loves, and with whom one lives with, so that harmony exists.
From the earliest cave dwellings, to the modern house in every shape and size, there was a special importance given to the blessing of a new home or residence.
In ancient days, it was the shaman, the priest , or the elders of the tribe who would assemble, carrying symbolic gifts, and offering special prayers for the blessing of the new home and its inhabitants…
Tonight, you who have gathered here, represent the caring elders, the leaders who in love, respect and support, have gathered to assist in creating a meaningful ritual that blesses the new home for Patrick, Paulita, and Leah… Welcome….

On The Significance of Home:
Your home is a place for daily hope and nightly renewal.
In the processes of sharing and caring for your home, you set an emotional and spiritual tone that helps to create a unique personal or family feeling that others can readily feel and experience when entering your abode. Your emotional and mental signature is written into its decor. The warmth created by your furnishings design the intentions and shape the regard you have for the people who are living there.
In this ceremony of a house blessing, we will offer our prayers and intentions for this family and for their future here. We will use sacred symbols and sacred rites that are in accord with this families religious heritage– offering those words and pointing to those realities that promote virtue and support the embodiment or the indwelling of lasting ideals such as healing, well-being, trust, intimacy and love.
( Introduction of the elements: the holy water, new white candle, the incense of choice, and the salt… Purity & cleansing; vision and enlightenment, clearing out, wisdom & compassion)

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The Blessing of the Doorways and Rooms:
Anointing….
Doorways/Entrance:
“Blessed are you who enter in and blessed are you when you goest out…” is an ancient Biblical phrase that seeks to honor the comings and goings of good and righteous persons in their daily activities…
The doorway has a particular importance as it welcomes all who enter in, and from behind its closed doors, the life and truth of a family is revealed and lived out. Each time one enters or exits they open themselves to a new adventure, a reality, another opportunity to express themselves fully, honestly, lovingly.
Here, then, is the blessing for this entryway, this threshold into this home:
Holy One, who knows all of our comings and goings, we ask that you bless this family as they come and go: As they leave the security and comfort of their home to face the challenges of the day, we ask that your abiding presence fill them with confidence and courage; When they cross the threshold and the end of their labors, we ask that their hearts be filled with warmth and gratitude; We also ask that you extend welcome and hospitality to all those who cross this threshold- may it always be that those gathered here are like entertaining angels unawares…

Den & Living Room: May all who gather in these two rooms, find comfort and conviviality- may it be cordial and warm, insightful and entertaining, sincere and heartfelt…… May relaxation be found here, along with education, entertainment, and opportunities to broaden and deepen one’s understanding of the world, and the people places, beings and things that occupy that world with you….

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Bath: May this be a place of health and care-taking- where one expresses careful concern and healthy consideration for one’s body; May there be an enjoyment found in proper care-taking and care-giving, and may the emollients and potions, remedies and relaxation that can be present in here be successful and savored.
Leah’s Bedroom: May this be a place where transformation takes place nightly… where the growth and change of a girl into a woman becomes a gradual reality– one that express the miracle of her being, and the unfolding of her possibilities and potentials; both in her thoughts by day, and in her dreams….

Patrick and Paulita’s Bedroom: May this room radiate with the love expressed here; may it be a haven and a joy; a place of acknowledgment and wonder in the miracle of relationship. May it remain a sacred place for them; kept as a sanctuary for their hearts, where they learn of unending intimacies, and affirm in their moments together, the bonds of affection and caring they will continue to deepen beyond those that they now share.

Kitchen: May this space contribute to the nurture and sustenance of this family– providing them with food, opportunities for sharing, and communication that connect as well as nourishes… May this kitchen be a place of health and happiness, where the extensions of friendship and family are all encouraged.

Patio/Entry points: May this doorway not separate, but extend this home into a natural surrounding… May it be a place of comfort and quiet; solitude and society- opening onto the world as they choose…

Closing Words: Now with this blessing being over, the life of this family has been recognized, its goodness affirmed, and its sanctity and vitality assured… May we now give thanks for these people and the house that they will share, and may all who come into their world and into their home, feel cherished and blessed by them. AMEN

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