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 Abraham to each of his sons prior to his death.

Patriarchal blessings during the life of Joseph Smith, Jr.
The first Latter Day Saint patriarchal blessings were performed Joseph Smith, Sr., the father of founder Joseph Smith, Jr.. Smith, Jr. ordained his father to the role of patriarch on December 18 1833, with a mission to provide "father's blessings" to those without fathers in the Priesthood. As Smith, Jr.'s father, 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 recommend for the blessing from their bishop, which is only given after an interview to determine the recipient's worthiness. The purpose of a patriarchal blessing is (1) to identify the tribe of Israel to which a Latter-day Saint belongs, (2) to bless the member with knowledge and spiritual gifts, (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 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. Usually permission is only granted in cases where the original blessing failed to mention the tribe to which the person belongs.

The blessing is usually performed in the home of the Patriarch or of the person seeking the blessing. In general the only other people present are very close family members such as parents or the person's spouse. The Patriarch places his hands on the seated person's head and speaks the blessing aloud. A recording 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.

Members receive a copy of their blessing, and are advised to consult it throughout their life. Since members of the Church consider the blessings to be direct revelation from God, they are advised to treat their blessing as sacred and not share them 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 that holds the Melchizedek Priesthood can pronounce blessings upon one of his children or his 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 these blessings, but does not admit 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 which of the twelve Israelite tribes they belong to. There are differing opinions about whether the lineage is intended to mean literal ancestry, or whether the lineage is more metaphorical or adoptive, as there are many recorded instances of children having a different lineage from their parents.

Evangelist's blessings in the Community of Christ
In the Community of Christ, the term patriarchal blessing was renamed evangelist's blessing to reflect the change in terminology from patriarch to the gender-neutral evangelist when women were first ordained to offices of the Priesthood in 1985. An evangelist's blessing may include blessings on families, on congregations, and on individuals. In more recent years, the blessing, formerly performed only once in a person's life, can now be received more than once, during times of great change or turmoil in an individual's life. Tribal membership was also revealed in former years, but that practice has largely been abolished.