Patriarchal Blessings

“Every worthy, baptized member is entitled to receive a patriarchal blessing, which provides inspired direction from Heavenly Father” (General Handbook: Serving in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 18.17). Patriarchal blessings also include a declaration of a person’s lineage in the house of Israel. As a person studies his or her patriarchal blessing and follows the counsel it contains, it will provide guidance, comfort, and protection. (Learn more in the “Patriarchal Blessings” article in Gospel Topics.)

“A person who has received a patriarchal blessing should carefully safeguard the printed copy. However, if this copy is lost or destroyed, the person may request a new one. He or she can make this request at Patriarchal Blessings on ChurchofJesusChrist.org. If this is not possible, the person contacts his or her bishop for assistance” (General Handbook, 18.17.2).

To request copies of patriarchal blessings online at ChurchofJesusChrist.org, click on your account in the top right corner of the screen, and then select Patriarchal Blessing.

The best way for us to verify that we are delivering your blessing to the right person is through your membership record number (MRN). You can find your MRN on your temple recommend and other official Church records; if you need help finding your MRN, ask a ward/stake clerk or other ecclesiastical leader.

If you do not have an MRN, you will be asked to provide documentation verifying your identity; for family member blessing requests, you will also need genealogical information. Acceptable documents include primary sources such as photo IDs, birth certificates, death certificates, marriage certificates, and census records. Secondary sources, such as FamilySearch, cannot be used. All documentation will be used for verification purposes only.

No. All information remains confidential and will be used only to verify your patriarchal blessing request.

“Each patriarchal blessing is sacred, confidential, and personal . … Church members should not compare blessings and should not share them except with close family members. Patriarchal blessings should not be read in Church meetings or other public gatherings” (General Handbook, 18.17.1). They should also not be distributed or shared through electronic means, such as in the Memories section of FamilySearch or on social media, websites, or blogs.

You are the only person that may request a copy of your personal blessing. Deceased family members’ blessings can be requested by any direct-line family member; Church membership is not required.

You may request a copy of your own patriarchal blessing or that of a deceased direct-line ancestor, deceased child, or deceased spouse.

A direct-line family member is an individual within your direct ancestral bloodline, such as a parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent. Deceased spouses and children are also considered direct-line family members. This does not include siblings, aunts or uncles, cousins, foster parents, or in-laws.

Patriarchal blessings provide inspired direction to individuals; they are, by their sacred nature, private. The decision to share a blessing rests with the recipient.

No. Living blessing recipients should request their own blessing. The blessing will be delivered through the requester’s Church account and will be accessible wherever he or she may be serving or stationed.

Because of the sacred nature of patriarchal blessings, each blessing request is carefully researched and verified by a member of the staff at the Church History Library. Depending on the circumstances in which the blessing was given and recorded, significant research may be required. Additionally, we prioritize requests for personal blessings. The request page in your Church account will be updated with notifications within one month of your request. We appreciate your patience as we seek to honor your requests.

Please remember that if you have recently received your patriarchal blessing, you will need to wait until you receive a paper copy of your blessing before you request an electronic copy. Patriarchs need time to transcribe and submit a copy of your patriarchal blessing to the Church History Library before it becomes available electronically.

It may be that your blessing has not yet been submitted to the Church History Library. If you have received your blessing within the last two years, please check with your patriarch.

With respect to ancestral blessings, the Church History Library preserves copies of more than 4.3 million blessings. However, depending on the circumstances in which the blessing was given and recorded, a copy of the requested blessing may not be in our collection. For example, in the early days of the Church in this dispensation, blessings were recorded by a scribe and the copy was given to the recipient, who then determined whether they wanted the patriarch to keep an official record of the blessing. If the recipient decided to share his or her blessing, the scribe would borrow the blessing to record it in a book, which became a part of official Church records. In some cases, Church members would opt out of contributing a copy of their blessing. Eventually, patriarchs were asked to send all patriarchal blessings to Church headquarters, a practice that remains in effect today.

In our process of careful research and verification, we will make every effort to locate a copy of the blessings you request.

After you receive your patriarchal blessing, the audio recording is transcribed, and a copy of the text is sent to the Church History Library to be preserved with other sacred records of the Church. Most patriarchs now submit blessings using an online submission tool. However, the Church History Library still receives some blessings on paper, which are carefully organized and archived.

Whether submitted electronically or on paper, three digital copies are made of each blessing and stored in three different secure locations. This is done to ensure that blessings will not be lost even if something were to happen to one of the copies. One of these digital copies is kept in a different geographical location to secure records against any kind of regional disaster. Additionally, a copy of each blessing is transferred onto microfilm and stored in a secure vault.