Patriarchal blessing

In the Latter-day Saint movement, a patriarchal blessing (also called an evangelist's blessing) is a blessing or ordinance given by a patriarch (evangelist) to a church member. Patriarchal blessings are modeled after the blessing given by Jacob to each of his sons prior to his death. They are gifts of knowledge and strength of one's coming challenges and blessings.

Patriarchal blessings during the life of Joseph Smith, Jr.
The first Latter Day Saint patriarchal blessings were performed by Joseph Smith, Sr., the father of Joseph Smith, Jr., who ordained his father to the role of patriarch on December 18, 1833, with a mission to provide "father's blessings" to those in the Priesthood without fathers. Smith, Sr. gave his son a blessing on December 9, 1834, prophesying that the younger Smith would establish Zion, subdue his enemies, enjoy his posterity to the latest generation, and "stand on the earth" to witness the Second Coming.

Before Joseph, Sr. died on September 14, 1840, he ordained his eldest living son Hyrum Smith to succeed him as Patriarch to the Church. From that time forward, Hyrum gave patriarchal blessings until his own death on June 27, 1844.

Patriarchal blessings in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a patriarchal blessing is given when an authorized patriarch (a man ordained to the priesthood office of patriarch) places his hands on the head of the recipient and pronounces said blessing. The recipient must have previously received a recommendation for the blessing from his or her bishop. This is dependent on an interview by which the bishop determines the applicant's worthiness. The purpose of a patriarchal blessing is (1) to identify the tribe of Israel to which all people on earth belong; (2) to bless the member with knowledge and the spiritual gifts that may obtained by obedience to L.D.S. Gospel principles; (3) to give advice or help to the individual (often this includes foretelling of possible future events, opportunities, and temptations). Within the Church, a patriarchal blessing is considered to be a revelation for the recipient, with the promises made in the blessing considered conditional upon the recipient's obedience to L.D.S. Gospel principles.

A person is informed of the tribe of Israel to which they belong. This is done to acknowledge the fulfillment of the Church doctrine that through baptism members become part of the house of Israel. Additionally, it is believed that each tribe differs slightly and a person may come to understand the unique circumstances of his or her life better by knowing to which tribe they belong. The differences between the tribes are generally acknowledged to arise from the differences in the blessings Jacob pronounced upon his sons and Joseph's sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.

A patriarchal blessing is usually pronounced upon a member only once. In certain rare circumstances, a person may receive permission to receive an additional patriarchal blessing. The blessing is usually performed in the home of the Patriarch or of the seeker. In general, only close family members, such as parents or the person's spouse, are allowed to be present. The Patriarch places his hands on the seated person's head and speaks the blessing aloud. A record of the blessing is made at the same time. Transcribed copies of all blessings are stored in Church records and are considered by the church to be revelation. Access to the transcriptions is generally restricted to the member who has received the blessing. The official website of the L.D.S. Church has this to say about the blessing:

"While a patriarchal blessing contains inspired counsel and promises, it should not be expected to answer all of the recipient's questions or to detail all that will happen in his or her life. If the blessing does not mention an important event, such as a full-time mission or marriage, the person should not assume that he or she will not receive that opportunity. Similarly, the recipient of the blessing should not assume that everything mentioned in it will be fulfilled in this life. A patriarchal blessing is eternal, and its promises may extend into the eternities. If one is worthy, all promises will be fulfilled in the Lord's due time. Those promises and blessings that are not realized in this life will be fulfilled in the next. Patriarchal blessings are sacred and personal. They may be shared with immediate family members, but should not be read aloud in public or read or interpreted by others. Not even the patriarch or bishop or branch president should interpret it." http://www.lds.org/topics/patriarchal-blessings?lang=eng

Members receive a copy of the blessing, and are advised to consult it throughout their lives. Since the blessings are considered direct revelation from God, the church advises members to treat them as sacred, not to be shared casually with others.

Any member found worthy and spiritually mature by their priesthood leader may receive a patriarchal blessing. Individuals who have been members from childhood generally ask to receive their patriarchal blessing as adolescents.

According to former Church President Ezra Taft Benson, "A patriarchal blessing is the inspired and prophetic statement of your life’s mission together with blessings, cautions, and admonitions as the patriarch may be prompted to give." (Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, May 1986, pgs. 43-44).

Although they may not be ordained patriarchs, every Latter-day Saint father who holds the Melchizedek Priesthood can pronounce blessings upon his child or spouse, as necessary. Such blessings do not reveal the Tribe of Israel to which a person belongs. The Church encourages families to create their own records of such blessings, but does not accept them into the official Church archives in Salt Lake City as they would a blessing from an ordained Patriarch.

Lineage
As with the pre-1844 church led by Joseph Smith, an important part of patriarchal blessing in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the declaration of lineage. Members receiving the blessing are told to which of the twelve Israelite tribes they belong. Opinions differ as to whether the lineage is intended to mean literal ancestry, or whether the lineage is metaphorical or adoptive, as there are many recorded instances of children having a different lineage from their parents. Daniel H. Ludlow has said "in a patriarchal blessing, lineage is being declared ... when terms indicating direct descent are used, such as “son of,” “daughter of,” “seed of,” “blood of,” “descendant of,” or “from the loins of.”" The church also says that "Because each of us has many bloodlines running in us, two members of the same family may be declared as being of different tribes in Israel".

Evangelist's blessings in the Community of Christ
In the Community of Christ, part of the Latter Day Saints movement, the term patriarchal blessing was renamed "evangelist's blessing" in 1985, to reflect the change in terminology from patriarch to the gender-neutral "Evangelist" when women were first ordained to offices of the Priesthood. An evangelist's blessing may be said for families, congregations, and individuals. In recent years, practices have changed so that the blessing, formerly performed only once in a person's life, can be given more than once, especially during times of great change or turmoil in an individual's life. Although tribal lineage was revealed in earlier years, that practice has decreased.