Give the gift of a Papal Blessing

Having a difficult time coming up with a wedding or birthday gift? Are you attending a baptism, first communication, or confirmation soon? You can celebrate these special occasions by gifting the recipient a Papal Blessing.

A Papal Blessing, or "Benediction Papalis", is a meaningful way to commemorate a moment in your or your loved one's life. While the blessing itself is invisible to the eye, it is memorialized in a parchment certificate containing the name(s) of the recipients, the papal seal, and the current Pope's photograph. These one of a kind parchment certificates are hand-painted and can be kept for years to come.

Last week, ARCAT received this Papal Blessing from the former Catholic Information Centre located at 830 Bathurst Street.

Papal Blessing for Reverend Father Francis Stone, C.S.P., the priests and laity engaged in the work of the Catholic Information Centre, Toronto, Canada.

January 27, 1964

Artifacts Special Collections
AF 393

The Catholic Information Centre (also known as the Paulist Ministry Centre) was dedicated and opened in 1958 under the direction of Fr. Francis Stone, C.S.P. It was occupied by the Paulist Fathers until they returned back to the United States in June 2015.

This Papal Blessing was granted in 1964 and features a photograph of Pope Paul VI. Note the beautiful hand-painted details:

For more information on how to request a Papal Blessing, click here.