May 9, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The U.S. Catholic Bishops’ Conference has published the full text of a new rite of blessing for children in the womb.
The new prayers, first proposed in 2008, are aimed at helping parents of unborn children “by imparting grace and comfort in time of concern and need,” encouraging parishes to unite in prayer for the child, and fostering “respect for human life within society.”
The prayers, approved by the Vatican earlier this year, may be said either within a Mass or on their own, and have been published as a booklet in both English and Spanish.
“God, author of all life, bless, we pray, this unborn child; give constant protection and grant a healthy birth that is the sign of our rebirth one day into the eternal rejoicing of heaven,” the prayer begins.
Click ‘like’ if you are PRO-LIFE!
The prayer also offers praise for “the wondrous joy of motherhood” and “the grace and pride of fatherhood,” and asks for “faithfulness to the teachings of the Gospel and new resolve to share in the spiritual formation of this child” on the part of the parish community.
“We hope the use of this blessing will provide not only support and God’s blessing for expectant parents and their child in the womb, but also another effective witness to the sanctity of human life from the first moment of conception,” said Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond, chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Divine Worship, in a press release Tuesday.
The USCCB has already promulgated other rites of blessing promoting respect for life, including a blessing for a monument to the unborn, a blessing of parents before childbirth, and a blessing for pro-life pilgrims.
News of the prayers surfaced at the USCCB’s 2008 Fall General Assembly, days after abortion supporter Barack Obama won the U.S. presidential election.