When I Was Your Age: Patriarchal Blessings Then and Now

LeGrand Richards, a now-deceased member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (a member of the church’s governing body), once described the purpose of Patriarchal Blessings as the following: “to be able to interpret and reveal to us, through the inspiration of the Almighty, why we are here and what is expected of us that we might fill the measure of our creation here upon the earth.”* Latter-Day Saints believe that Patriarchs are able to give special blessings to church members who are worthy and who seek out inspiration from the Lord on their life purpose. These blessings may contain warnings, guidance in spiritual or occasionally temporal matters, and inspirational insight for the individual throughout their lives.

The nature of Patriarchal blessings, while always a revelation from the Lord to an individual member of the church, has changed in three elements since the church was organized in 1830: privacy, the giver of the blessing, and lineage declaration. To illustrate this concept, I will compare D&C 25, which is a Patriarchal Blessing given to Emma Smith, with the modern-day Patriarchal Blessing.

1. Privacy: modern-day Patriarchal Blessings are meant to be personal revelation for the person who receives it, and Patriarchal Blessings are rarely shared with anyone outside the holder’s spouse or immediate family members. Emma's blessing, however, was both addressed to Emma and “unto all” (D&C 25:16). Since the church was brand new when this revelation was given, and because several parts of this revelation are applicable to everyone (she receives counsel on being a supportive spouse and become more spiritually in-tune), the inclusion of this blessing in the D&C is appropriate.

2. Patriarch: Emma Smith was given this Patriarchal Blessing five years before the first Patriarch, Joseph Smith Sr., was even called to his position within the church. Again, the growth of the church necessitated that much religious work be put under the charge of fewer men than today, in a global church.

3. Lineage: We do not find evidence of a declared lineage in Emma Smith’s D&C Patriarchal Blessing, although she was probably also given another Patriarchal Blessing (today, members receive one blessing for their entire lifetime) which may have included this element. Modern-day Patriarchal Blessings declare the holder’s lineage, or tribe in the House of Israel. Every faithful member of the church who is not a literal descendant of this House is adopted into it. Their designation is important, because members of the church with different lineages have different overall responsibilities within the church.

Although these elements of the Patriarchal Blessing have changed from the Doctrine and Covenants to today, the central focus and meaning of the Patriarchal Blessing remains the same: it is a highly valued, personal piece of revelation for Latter-Day Saints.

*Please click on the following link to read LeGrand Richards’ 1977 address entitled, “The Message: Patriarchal Blessings."