Blessing (Icons, prayer ropes, etc.)

[JM]

How are prayer items blessed in the Orthodox Church?

 

[Wiffey]

Icons are usually blessed by having the priest place the icon on the altar, where it remains for forty days. This is also done with wedding rings and sometimes with crosses. My daughter's cross was on the altar for 40 days, including Holy Week and Pascha. She is particularly attached to it because now whenever she wears it she is reminded of the Resurrection!

The priest can also bless smaller items in an abbreviated manner if you do not have 40 days. The cross I received for my Chrismation was blessed on the same day I received it ( my Chrismation day ) by my former priest. My prayer rope was blessed in a similar fashion.

 

[Eusebios]

In our parish, the items are typically not left in the Altar for 40 days, rather just for the course of a single Divine Liturgy. Just my own experience
His unworthy servant,
Eusebios.

 

[walking.away.123]

In our parish, the items are typically not left in the Altar for 40 days, rather just for the course of a single Divine Liturgy. Just my own experience
His unworthy servant,
Eusebios.

I got a couple of icons for a friend and they were blessed during my baptismal liturgy on Christmas Eve.

S.

 

[katherine2001]

We usually get ours back the same day. My priest also blesses prayer books as well. I think the Book of Needs (the priests service books) have prayers for just about anything.

 

[Michael G]

In our parish, the items are typically not left in the Altar for 40 days, rather just for the course of a single Divine Liturgy. Just my own experience
His unworthy servant,
Eusebios.

I only have very, very special icons blessed for 40 days at a time. With the sheer volume of work that I write there are times when the altar would become very crowded just having my icons on it and it would be hard to remember which icon was placed on the altar on which date. For example, I wrote an Icon of the Inexhuastible Cup as a "spiritual labor" given to me by my then Spiritual Father and it was blessed for 40 days. Most of the time, however, I just leave the icon on the altar during Divine Liturgy and some times I have the priest chrismate it.