A chalk home blessing from the feast of the Epiphany. | Credit: A.Davey via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Jan 4, 2026 / 04:00 am (CNA).
Have you ever walked past a door and seen what appears to be random letters and numbers written at the top? These letters and numbers actually have a great significance.
Traditionally on the feast of Epiphany, Catholics bless their homes by writing the letters C, M, and B and the numbers of the year on either side — so this year it would look like “20+C+M+B+26.”
The letters stand for the traditional names of the three Magi: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. They also represent the Latin blessing “Christus mansionem benedicat,” which means “May Christ bless this house.”
Many Catholic parishes will give their parishioners a piece of chalk, a small bottle of holy water, and the words for the house blessing so that each family can bless its home.
Epiphany, which is also known as “Little Christmas,” is the feast that celebrates the arrival of the three Magi who came to worship the child Jesus shortly after his birth. It is traditionally celebrated on Jan. 6. However, the Church in the United States celebrates it on the Sunday between Jan. 2 and Jan. 8. Many around the world celebrate this feast with as much pomp and circumstance as Christmas, including the exchanging of gifts.
The blessing, which is popular in Poland and other Slavic countries, has spread around the world and become increasingly popular in the United States.
How do you bless your home?
Begin by having all family members gather outside the front door. All make the sign of the cross. One person will then read this prayer:
Leader: Peace be to this house.
All: And to all who dwell herein.
Leader: 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.
(Enter your home and read the Magnificat, the hymn of praise sung by the Blessed Virgin Mary in Luke’s Gospel after being greeted by Elizabeth. During this, sprinkle the area you are in with holy water. After that is complete, pray:)
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.
Leader: 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 us not into temptation,
All: But deliver us from evil.
Leader: All they from Saba shall come
All: Bringing gold and frankincense.
Leader: O Lord, hear my prayer.
All: And let my cry come unto thee.
Leader: 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.
Leader: 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.
Leader: 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 are recited, walk throughout your home sprinkling each room with holy water. Then write the initials of the Magi connected with crosses at the top of your front door. Then the numbers of the year. The numbers will be split so that they are on each side of the initials. You will write:
20 + C + M + B + 26
This is a special tradition at the beginning of each year, a way to invite God into your home and place your family under his protection.
This story was first published Jan. 6, 2022, and was updated Jan. 2, 2026.
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![Bishop of Columbus grants Mass dispensation to immigrants who fear deportation #Catholic
Bishop Earl Fernandes of Columbus, Ohio, carries the Blessed Sacrament during a procession at Pickaway Correctional Institution on June 28, 2024, at one of the stops on the Seton Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage. Credit: Catholic Times/Ken Snow
Dec 29, 2025 / 14:18 pm (CNA).
The bishop of the Diocese of Columbus, Ohio, has granted a dispensation from Mass for parishioners who fear deportation by immigration enforcement officers, who have increased activity in the area since mid-December.Bishop Earl Fernandes announced in a letter and video last week that those who fear immigration enforcement action are free from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass until Jan. 11, 2026. The bishop said the dispensation was precipitated by increased immigration enforcement activity in Ohio stemming from Operation Buckeye, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) initiative launched Dec. 16 that is allegedly targeting “the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens in Columbus and throughout Ohio.”Fernandes told EWTN News on Monday that after he began receiving messages from pastors throughout his diocese informing him that Hispanic parishioners were afraid to attend Mass due to the increased enforcement by ICE officers, he asked diocesan personnel in the Office of Catholic Social Doctrine and the Hispanic ministry office to help him get a clearer picture of “what is happening on the ground.”“They told me there were ICE trucks in front of parishes; even in front of schools,” Fernandes said. “All of a sudden, there were half or fewer attendees at the Posadas [traditional pre-Christmas] celebrations.”He said he decided to issue the dispensation “even though I did not want to” because “people need Mass and the sacraments more than ever” and he wanted families to be together without fear for Christmas.During a Mass he celebrated on Saturday, Dec. 20, Fernandes told EWTN News the pastor of the church remained at the front door and saw an ICE truck nearby. Because of this, the Posada [traditional pre-Christmas] procession was moved from outdoors to a hallway inside the building because “the people were too afraid to go outside.”The procession took place inside the building. “We had a meal, there was a piñata and some celebrations,” Fernandes said. “But it was clear there were a lot of people who weren’t there.”The bishop said he began receiving calls from pastors more than two hours from Columbus who were reporting ICE’s presence.Sharp drops in Mass attendance“The atmosphere of fear was keeping people away,” he said. One pastor reported that only one-third of his congregation attended weekend Mass. Another said only one-quarter were present, Fernandes said.Of the increased enforcement against immigrants, Fernandes reflected: “It’s easy to say immigrants should have come to our country legally. But what if your parents came here illegally and you are a U.S. citizen? … What if one spouse is documented and the other is not. What’s in the best interest of their children and society at large?”Of the Mexican population in Columbus, Fernandes said that “many are the grandchildren of the Cristeros,” resistors to the Mexican government’s attempts in the 1920s to suppress Catholicism in the country.He said a large group of Hispanics came to the midnight Mass on Christmas at the cathedral because they did not think ICE would be there. “I think they felt safe at the cathedral.”Fernandes said the Diocese of Columbus also has large numbers of Catholic African migrants who have “tons of children” and make up “young communities full of life and full of faith.”Fernandes said he talked to the pastor of a multiethnic parish made up of Nigerians, Filipinos, and others, and “they’re afraid too.”He is concerned for the Haitian community as well, whose temporary protected status (TPS) is set to expire on Feb. 3, 2026.He said the Mass dispensation expires on Jan. 11, the end of the Christmas season, at which time he will reevaluate the situation.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/bishop-of-columbus-grants-mass-dispensation-to-immigrants-who-fear-deportation-catholic-bishop-earl-fernandes-of-columbus-ohio-carries-the-blessed-sacrament-during-a-procession-at-pickaway-corr-scaled.jpg)
![Religious sisters offer abortion clinic workers Christmas cards with resources and prayers #Catholic
null / Credit: Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 24, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).
Abortion clinic workers across the country are once again receiving Christmas cards from religious sisters offering prayers, compassion, and an invitation to seek a career outside the abortion industry.And Then There Were None (ATTWN), a pro-life organization dedicated to assisting abortion clinic workers leave their jobs and find life-affirming careers, carries out this ministry each Christmas season with help from convents around the country. The Christmas card project is a part of a larger mission of handwritten cards sent throughout the year.This year, Dominican, Maronite, Benedictine, Carmelite, Capuchin, and Franciscan sisters, as well as Apostolic Sisters of St. John and Trinitarians of Mary, sent at least 1,030 handwritten Christmas cards to abortion clinic workers with loving messages and an image of the Holy Family. Reaching ‘quitters’ATTWN has sent nearly 23,000 handwritten cards to abortion facilities in the last decade, encouraging workers to leave their jobs with ATTWN’s support.“The clinics are hearing from us about once every four to five business days in some way, whether it’s through some gift, a little trinket, a handwritten card, a postcard, or something we send in,” Abby Johnson, ATTWN CEO and founder, told CNA.Johnson herself once worked in the industry, serving as a clinic director of an abortion facility in Bryan, Texas, for eight years before leaving and starting ATTWN to help other “quitters” leave, find new employment, and heal from their experiences.“Our handwritten card ministry is one of the most effective ministries we have in reaching abortion clinic workers and having them leave,” she said. “There’s just something very personal about a handwritten note. Somebody took the time to sit down and write to you.” ATTWN has “dozens and dozens” of volunteers who send the messages regularly, Johnson said. “We have a really accurate database of abortion clinics and abortion referral facilities. I think there’s about 850 facilities on there, and this group of women are constantly writing notes.” When workers receive the notes, “they leave,” Johnson said. “Workers will say, ‘I got this letter. I folded it up, I kept it in my purse, I put it in my scrub pocket, and I went home and I called you guys.’ So it is very powerful. We see that it does truly make a difference.”“I received a handwritten note from one of my sidewalk counselors when I worked at the clinic, and I still have it in my wallet,” Johnson said. “It’s just a Bible verse on it, but it says, ‘The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.’ And I still have that little card in my wallet from 18 years ago.”The note “meant enough at that time to keep it,” Johnson said. “I pull it out and remind myself why I’m doing [pro-life work] and how God has blessed me so much. It’s just a powerful reminder that someone out there took the time to think about you, specifically.”Christmas card ministry The letters create “by far the most overwhelming response … and we have the highest response from them at Christmastime, which is when they are receiving the notes from the sisters,” Johnson said. Five years ago, Johnson decided to incorporate the Christmas season into the ministry, specifically with the help of religious sisters. “The idea came to me because I was very moved by a Franciscan sister who used to pray in front of the facility where I used to work in Bryan, Texas. It was the first time that I had ever seen a nun in public in my life.”“I was so struck by her being out there and her presence,” she said. “It was so hot outside, and she was in her full habit, and her little face was so red. It was over 100 degrees. I remember I just watched her all day outside my window.”“I remember the first patient that left that day after having an abortion, she fell to her knees and was just weeping. I thought: ‘Wow, this has really impacted her in a way that I just can’t understand. 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They write notes, they send letters, they pray. That’s what they do all day long. So it’s a perfect ministry for them. It’s a perfect partnership.”ATTWN will send the sister some ideas of what they can write so they know the proper resources to share with the workers, but then they can add any additional messages.“They fill in other things that they would like to say, different spiritual things that they feel led to say,” Johnson said. Their messages are “from their hearts and are just so prayerful and beautiful.”After the sisters write the Christmas cards, they are “put on the altar, they’re blessed, they’re prayed over, and they’re sent in.”“We always make sure that we send them a card that has the image of the Holy Family on it. We just want to remind them that that’s what God wants for them, and this is what Christmas is about — it’s about the Lord.”The image is a reminder that “this is what we’re designed for,” Johnson said. “We’re designed for families, and God wants families for them as well. He wants families for the women who are walking into those clinics.” “He created us for good, for family, for love, and for creation, not for destruction. We make sure that the cards that we send in have an image that really defines that.”Johnson plans for ATTWN to continue to send the annual cards from the sisters. “For so many of these convents, being pro-life is a part of who they are. It’s part of their charism,” she said. “So we would love to have as many as we can participate.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/religious-sisters-offer-abortion-clinic-workers-christmas-cards-with-resources-and-prayers-catholic-null-credit-rawpixel-com-shutterstockwashington-d-c-newsroom-dec-24-2025-0800-am-c.webp){kind=tracking}
