Today, of course, is Easter for many Christians, and surprisingly there are some who still think that drinking beer is antithetical to following their religion. In 1962, the Roman Catholics published the Rituale Romanum or Roman Ritual, in Latin. Under Chapter VIII, subtitled “Blessings of Things Designated for Ordinary Use,” there is also a blessing specifically for beer, entitled “Blessing of Beer.”
5. BLESSING OF BEER
Priest: Our help is in the name of the Lord.
All: Who made heaven and earth.
Priest: The Lord be with you.
All: May He also be with you.
Let us pray.
Lord, bless this creature, beer, which by your kindness and power has been produced from kernels of grain, and let it be a healthful drink for mankind. Grant that whoever drinks it with thanksgiving to your holy name may find it a help in body and in soul; through Christ our Lord. All: Amen.
And here’s another translation, along with the original Latin.
| English | Latin |
|---|---|
| V. Our help is in the name of the Lord. R. Who made heaven and earth. V. The Lord be with you. R. And with your spirit. | V. Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini. R. Qui fecit cælum et terram. V. Dominus vobiscum. R. Et cum spiritu tuo. |
| Let us pray. Bless, + O Lord, this creature beer, which thou hast deigned to produce from the fat of grain: that it may be a salutary remedy to the human race, and grant through the invocation of thy holy name; that, whoever shall drink it, may gain health in body and peace in soul. Through Christ our Lord. |
Oremus. Benedic, + Domine, creaturam istam cerevisiæ, quam ex adipe frumenti producere dignatus es: ut sit remedium salutare humano generi, et præsta per invocationem nominis tui sancti; ut, quicumque ex ea biberint, sanitatem corpus et animæ tutelam percipiant. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. |
| R. Amen. | R. Amen. |
