Skip to main contentAccessibility feedback

Dear catholic.com visitors: This website from Catholic Answers, with all its many resources, is the world's largest source of explanations for Catholic beliefs and practices. A fully independent, lay-run, 501(c)(3) ministry that receives no funding from the institutional Church, we rely entirely on the generosity of everyday people like you to keep this website going with trustworthy , fresh, and relevant content. If everyone visiting this month gave just $1, catholic.com would be fully funded for an entire year. Do you find catholic.com helpful? Please make a gift today. SPECIAL PROMOTION FOR NEW MONTHLY DONATIONS! Thank you and God bless.

Dear catholic.com visitors: This website from Catholic Answers, with all its many resources, is the world's largest source of explanations for Catholic beliefs and practices. A fully independent, lay-run, 501(c)(3) ministry that receives no funding from the institutional Church, we rely entirely on the generosity of everyday people like you to keep this website going with trustworthy , fresh, and relevant content. If everyone visiting this month gave just $1, catholic.com would be fully funded for an entire year. Do you find catholic.com helpful? Please make a gift today. SPECIAL PROMOTION FOR NEW MONTHLY DONATIONS! Thank you and God bless.

✕
Background Image
Q&A

More Than One Blessed Thing

Fr. Vincent Serpa O.P.

Question:

What does the Catholic Church mean by "blessed"?

Answer:

As a verb, blessed (pronounced as one syllable) is the past tense of “to bless,” which means to make or declare holy.

As an adjective (pronounced as two syllables) it means it means holy as in the blessed Virgin Mary or as in the Canticle of Zachariah: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel . . .”

As a noun, it refers to the souls in heaven; the blessed (two syllables). It is also the last designation for a holy person before being designated a saint.

Did you like this content? Please help keep us ad-free

More from Catholic.com

 

 

 

 

 
‹›
Enjoying this content?  Please support our mission!Donatewww.catholic.com/support-us