Happy New Year’s Eve! New Year’s Day, aka the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God is coming up tomorrow, and is a holyday of obligation in many countries, including the US and Canada, so get thee to Mass!

The next major feast day after that is Epiphany, one of our favorites! We have LOTS of family Epiphany traditions. I’ve got a post about many of them here (but you’ll have to scroll past last year’s Christmas card😁).

TODAY, I want to focus on just one, the Epiphany House Blessing, which is the subject of the next installment of the Catholic All Year Liturgical Living Video Series!

The Epiphany House Blessing prayers that we use in the video are available online here, or as a printable pdf booklet here. Also available en Español! Booklet purchases from the Catholic All Year Shop sponsor the creation of these videos by my very talented friend Elissa, so thank you!

Also available is the Catholic All January Printable Booklet, including the Epiphany House Blessing, and all the other prayers, songs, Bible readings, and blessings our family uses throughout the month of January.

It’s now also on Amazon as a paperback booklet! If you have purchased it, please see here.

We like Epiphany so much, we ended up making TWO videos for it! Stay tuned for a video on how to make an easy cheater King Cake and crown a family King or Queen of Epiphany! That should post on Wednesday, January 2nd.

And for today, December 31st . . .

The Te Deum, historically attributed to St. Ambrose, is recited in thanksgiving at the end of things. On the last day of the year, there is a plenary indulgence available for its public recitation!

Te Deum
You are God, we praise you:
You are the Lord: we acclaim you;
You are the eternal Father:
All creation worships you.
To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,
Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of power and might,
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
The glorious company of apostles praise you.
The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.
Throughout the world, the holy Church acclaims you:
Father of majesty unbounded,
Your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,
And the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.
You, Christ, are the King of Glory
The eternal Son of the Father.
When you became man to set us free,
You did not spurn the Virgin’s womb.
You overcame the sting of death,
And opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.
We believe that you will come and be our judge.
Come then, Lord, and help your people,
Bought with the price of your own blood,
And bring us with your saints to glory everlasting.
<kneel>
V: Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance.
R: Govern and uphold them now and always
V: Day by day we bless you.
R: We praise your name forever.
V: Keep us today, Lord, from all sin.
R: Have mercy on us, Lord have Mercy
V: Lord, show us your Love and Mercy
R: for we put our trust in you.
V: In you, Lord, is our hope:
R: and we shall never hope in vain.
Amen.

Public recitation means in a church, family, religious community, or group of friends.

The usual conditions for a plenary indulgence include having been to Mass and received communion within three days before or after the action of the indulgence, sacramental confession within three weeks before or after, being in a state of Grace (Catholic, not excommunicated or in schism), not attached to sin (this doesn’t mean you don’t commit the same sins often, just that you don’t LIKE the sin), and praying for the intentions of the pope. If all of these conditions are not met, the indulgence becomes partial, which is still pretty great.

Indulgences can be applied to oneself or to the soul of a deceased person, but not to another living person.

For more on indulgences, see here, and have a very Happy New Year’s Eve!