Blessing and Passing the Sacrament

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The sacrament is a very special ordinance. It is a time each week for us to sit and ponder the life and Atonement of the Jesus Christ, and remember the covenants we made with Him at baptism (see Mosiah 18:8-10). The following seven paragraphs are quoted directly from the Family-Guidebook on churchofjesuschrist.org. The wording is carefully chosen and is the official instructions on how to administer the sacrament. This is how we bless and pass the sacrament.

“Teachers and priests may prepare the sacrament; priests may bless it; and deacons, teachers, and priests may pass it. Brethren who hold the Melchizedek Priesthood may prepare, bless, and pass the sacrament but normally will do so only when too few Aaronic Priesthood brethren are available. If a person has committed a serious transgression, he should not prepare, bless, or pass the sacrament until he has repented and resolved the matter with his bishop or branch president.

Those who prepare, bless, or pass the sacrament are administering this ordinance to others on behalf of the Lord. Each one who holds the priesthood should approach this assignment with a solemn, reverent attitude. He should be well groomed, clean, and dressed modestly. Personal appearance should reflect the sacredness of the ordinance.

Brethren who prepare the sacrament should do so before the meeting begins. They place unbroken bread in clean bread trays and place trays of sacrament cups containing fresh water on the sacrament table. They cover the bread and water with a clean, white cloth.

During the sacrament hymn, those at the sacrament table remove the cloth from the bread trays and break the bread into small pieces. After the hymn, the person who blesses the bread kneels and offers the sacrament prayer for the bread. Brethren then pass the bread to those present in a reverent and orderly manner. The presiding authority at the meeting receives the sacrament first. When everyone present has had an opportunity to partake of the bread, those passing it return their trays to the sacrament table. Those blessing the sacrament cover the trays again as soon as the bread has been passed.

Those at the sacrament table remove the cloth from the water trays. The person who blesses the water kneels and offers the sacrament prayer for the water. Brethren then pass the water to those present. The trays are returned to the sacrament table and are covered again. The brethren who bless and pass the sacrament then take their seats with the congregation.

The sacrament is for Church members, including children. The person conducting the meeting should not announce that it will be passed to members only; nothing should be done to prevent nonmembers from partaking of it.

The sacrament prayers are to be spoken clearly, accurately, and with dignity. If the person who blesses the sacrament makes an error in the wording and does not correct it himself, the bishop or branch president asks him to repeat the prayer and offer it correctly.”

You will usually see the person who is offering the sacramental prayer look at the Bishop for approval before standing up to administer the sacrament. If the Bishop thinks it needs to be redone to be said correctly, he will ask them to do it again. If he just nods then it has been done correctly and they can administer the bread or the water that was just blessed.

When the meeting is over the sacrament table should be cleared and cleaned, and the white clothes put back in storage for the next week. Any remaining bread may be used for food.

Blessing and passing the sacrament requires authorization from the presiding authority.

Below is a 3 x 5 card you can print on heavy paper or card stock and cut out to take with you as a reference. The steps listed on the card are word for word from the Church’s website. 

 Blessing on the Bread

Blessing on the Water