If you are being wed in the Roman Catholic Church, you are eligible to receive a Papal Blessing of your marriage. A Papal Blessing, or Benediction Papalis is indeed what it sounds like: a special blessing directly from the Pope.

My husband and I received a Papal Blessing and cherish it dearly. It came from the Vatican and is a piece of parchment paper hand-painted with calligraphy, flowers, and different sketches of the Vatican. It also has the reigning Pope’s (John Paul II) photograph, official raised seal, signature and blessing (although we can’t actually see that part :)). The blessing is absolutely beautiful and reads:

The Holy Father John Paul II
Paternally imparts his Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of heavenly favors
To Arthur Stanley Putnam and Caurie Anne Putnam
On the Occasion of their Marriage
July 7, 2001
Saint Joseph’s Church
Greenwich, New York - USA

Although blessings—which are defined as a wish or desire of good fortune, especially of the spiritual and supernatural kind—date back to Biblical times (for example the apostle David said: “Blessed art thou, and it shall be well with thee”)—I do not believe many Catholic couples realize they actually can receive a personalized blessing from the Pope. The Papal Blessing is a rite (not a sacrament) given with the authority of the Church by the Pope by which the marriage is sanctified as dedicated to the divine service.

Obtaining a Papal Blessing takes a little work, but it is not difficult. The first thing you must do is contact the Chancery Office of your diocese. Simply call your diocese and ask to speak with the Chancellor or Chancery office (each diocese has one) and tell them you would like to obtain a Papal Blessing for the occasion of your marriage. The office will then send you some paperwork to fill out that asks questions like “When and where will the wedding be?” “What is the phone number and address of the priest presiding over your wedding?” etc. You will then return the form and fee (ours was about $40 including international FedEx shipping) either to your diocese or directly to an address in Rome.

You can bi-step the Chancery Office, but it is not advised. There are sites on the Internet claiming to sell real Papal Blessings, but the Church prefers you go through your Diocese to ensure you are not scammed out of money. I believe you should definitely go through your diocese to ensure you get a true Papal Blessing.

It took us about two months to receive our Papal Blessing—although our diocese advised us to order it about six months in advance. We had the blessing matted and framed to display at our reception. You can also have the Papal Blessing read at your wedding ceremony by your priest—this is something John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier did at their wedding in 1953.

Also, Papal Blessings can make wonderful thank-you gifts to your parents if they too are Catholic. Papal Blessings come in many different languages and can be granted for many different occasions—including a wedding anniversary. For my parent’s gift—which we presented at the rehearsal dinner—we ordered them a Papal Blessing commemorating their most recent wedding anniversary. We wanted to get them a Papal Blessing commemorating their actual wedding date, but the request was denied because there was a different Pope at the time they were married.

As I know from experience, weddings are very expensive and spending another $40 approx. on a piece of parchment paper may seem unnecessary. But trust me, when you receive your Papal Blessing you will be very glad you got it. It is something that you can hang on your wall forever to remind you not only of your special day, but that marriage is indeed a vocation highly regarded by your Church.