Q. 1. On Sunday, January 7th, the Epiphany was being celebrated at my local Church. During the service, the priest promoted the Epiphany Holy Chalk practice. The priest claimed that this was a centuries old tradition. Having gone to Church for 60 years of my life, this is the first time that I hear of such an "old tradition." What is this practice and is it Catholic?

A. 1. Having researched this practice, I came across the following information:

"It is traditional for parish priests to bless water on the eve of Epiphany, which is used for the blessing of homes the next day. Chalk for each family is also blessed, so that they may mark the names of the three Magi over their doors, as a witness of their faith and protection against evil. The blessing is from the older version of the Roman Ritual."

"The feast of manifestation, or Epiphany, is traditionally celebrated the 12th day after Christmas, on January 6th. In the dioceses of the United States, this feast has been moved to the Sunday between January 2 and January 8."

Blessed Chalk Writing with Epiphany Holy Water blessing.

"Various customs have developed around Epiphany. In the East, there is a solemn blessing of water. In the West, in the Middle Ages, houses were blessed on Epiphany. Holy water was sprinkled in each room. The whole family was involved. The father led the procession with a shovel of charcoal on which he burned incense and the oldest son had the bowl of holy water. The rest of the family followed along saying the rosary and/or singing hymns. While the father and oldest son were incensing and blessing the house, the youngest child carried a plate of chalk. The chalk had been blessed with a special blessing after morning Mass. The father took the blessed chalk and wrote over every room that led outside: 20 + C + M + B + 17 which stands for "Anno Domini 2017 -- Caspar, Melchior, Balthasar" and means "The three Holy Kings, Caspar, Melchior, Balthasar, in the year of Our Lord, 2017" or whatever the year may be. The letters C, M, and B are also thought to stand for Christus mansionem benedicat, meaning "Christ bless this home." This tradition of blessing the doorways symbolizes the family's commitment to welcome Christ into their homes on a daily basis through the year."

Biblical roots of the blessing.

The blessing has biblical roots, deeply tied to the Passover in the Book of Exodus.

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt... “take some of the blood [of the lamb], and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat them. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it... The blood shall be a sign for you, upon the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall fall upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 12:1-13)

Elsewhere, I read:

Epiphany Inscription Over the Doorway of the Home.

20 + C + M + B + 17

The letters have two meanings. They are the initials of the traditional names of the Three Magi: Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. They also abbreviate the Latin words Christus mansionem benedicat. May Christ bless the house.” The letters recall the day on which the inscription is made, as well as the purpose of blessing.

The crosses represent the protection of the Precious Blood of Christ, Whose Sacred Name we invoke, and also the holiness of the Three Magi sanctified by their adoration of the Infant Christ.

The inscription is made above the front door, so that all who enter and depart this year may enjoy God's blessing. The month of January still bears the name of the Roman god Janus, the doorkeeper of heaven and protector of the beginning and end of things. This blessing "christens" the ancient Roman observance of the first month. The inscription is made of chalk, a product of clay, which recalls the human nature taken by the Adorable and Eternal Word of God in the womb of the Virgin Mary, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

To bless your home this Epiphany, first read the Prologue of Saint John's Gospel, followed by the Our Father, and the Collect of the Epiphany; then write the inscription for this year above your front door with blessed chalk.

Blessing of Chalk.

V. Our help is the name of the Lord.
R. Who made heaven and earth.

V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.

Let us pray.

Bless, O Lord God, this creature chalk
to render it helpful to Thy people.
Grant that they who use it in faith
and with it inscribe upon the doors of their homes
the names of Thy saints, Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar,
may through their merits and intercession
enjoy health of body and protection of soul.
Through Christ our Lord.

And the chalk is sprinkled with Holy Water.

The chalk is then distributed after Mass. If your local parish does not administer such a blessing, inquire around and see if any neighboring parishes do. Parishioners then take the chalk home and use it while invoking God’s blessing upon their home.

It is a beautiful blessing, one that brings many graces upon those who practice it in faith and is an added protection against any spiritual enemies that may be lurking around.

Once you acquire the blessed chalk, either a priest or another member of the household can bless the home in the following manner (adapted from the Roman Ritual):

Upon entering the house [or at the front door]:

Priest/Head of Household:
Peace be to this house. All: And to all who dwell herein.

Priest:
From the east came the Magi to Bethlehem to adore the Lord; and opening their treasures they offered precious gifts: gold for the great King, incense for the true God, and myrrh in symbol of His burial.

During the Magnificat, the room is sprinkled with holy water and incensed.

All:
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.

After this is completed:

All:
From the east came the Magi to Bethlehem to adore the Lord;
and opening their treasures they offered precious gifts:
gold for the great King,
incense for the true God,
and myrrh in symbol of His burial.

Priest:
Our Father Who art in Heaven,
hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead and lead us not into temptation,

All: But deliver us from evil.
Priest: All they from Saba shall come
All: Bringing gold and frankincense.
Priest: O Lord, hear my prayer.
All: And let my cry come unto Thee.

Priest:
Let us pray.

O God, who by the guidance of a star didst on this day
manifest Thine only-begotten Son to the Gentiles,
mercifully grant that we who know Thee by faith
may also attain the vision of Thy glorious majesty.
Through Christ our Lord.

All:
Amen.

Priest:
Be enlightened, be enlightened, O Jerusalem,
for thy light is come,
and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.
Jesus Christ born of the Virgin Mary.

All:
And the Gentiles shall walk in thy light
and kings in the splendor of thy rising,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon thee.

Priest:
Let us pray.

Bless, O Lord God almighty, this home,
that in it there may be health, purity, the strength of victory,
humility, goodness and mercy,
the fulfillment of Thy law,
the thanksgiving to God the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
And may this blessing remain upon this home
and upon all who dwell herein.
Through Christ our Lord.

All:
Amen.

After the prayers of the blessing are recited, walk through the house and bless each room by sprinkling with Epiphany/holy water and incensing it.

Take the blessed chalk and first write the initials of the three Wise Men, connected with Crosses, over the inside of your front door (on the lintel, if possible). Then write the year, breaking up the numbers and the year so that they fall on both sides of the initials. It should look like this, for example

20 C+M+B 18

with the “20 “being the millennium and century,
the “C” standing for the first Wise Man, Caspar,
the “M” standing for Melchior,
the “B” standing for Balthasar,
and the “18” standing for the decade and year.
It is also popularly believed that the Kings’ initials
stand for “Christus mansionem benedicat” (“Christ bless this house”).

The above summarizes the Epiphany practice of blessing homes with Holy Chalk.

Q. 2. Is the Epiphany Holy Chalk a Catholic practice?

A. 2. After 12 years of seeking proof that the "Epiphany Holy Chalk Ceremony" is a Catholic practice, a visitor to the Catholic Doors Ministry website, Mary, has provided the following information...

According to the Vatican website located here, in December 2001, the "Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments" released the "Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy - Principles and Guidelines." In it, under the "Solemnity of the Lord's Epiphany," paragraph 118, it states:

"• the blessing of homes, on whose lentils are inscribed the Cross of salvation, together with the indication of the year and the initials of the three wise men (C+M+B), which can also be interpreted to mean Christus mansionem benedicat, written in blessed chalk; this custom, often accompanied by processions of children accompanied by their parents, expresses the blessing of Christ through the intercession of the three wise men and is an occasion for gathering offerings for charitable and missionary purposes;"

Based on the aforementioned, the Epiphany Holy Chalk Ceremony is recognized by the Catholic Church as a tradition that goes on in certain parts of the world. The only information provided by the Church regarding the symbolic purpose of this devotion is what is mentioned above.

Thank you Mary for the link to this information.

Updated January 10, 2020.