Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart publishes a collection of materials for blessing ceremonies for couples – regardless of their lifestyle or marital status.
Blessing
"We love one another – what a blessing!"
The Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart publishes a collection of materials for blessing ceremonies for couples – regardless of their lifestyle or marital status.
With the publication of a collection of materials entitled "We love one another – what a blessing!", the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart is opening up new avenues of pastoral guidance for couples seeking a blessing for their relationship – regardless of their lifestyle or marital status.
The love between two people
This collection is aimed at pastoral workers who accompany non-church-married or divorced and remarried couples, as well as couples of all sexual orientations and gender identities, on their shared journey and provide them with spiritual support during significant moments. "The title sums up what the collection of materials is about," says Ordinariate Councilor Karin Schieszl-Rathgeb, Head of the Department of Church and Society in the Episcopal Ordinariate of the diocese: "...about the love between two people and the deep longing for God's companionship." This collection is based on the resolutions of the Synodal Path and the handout "Blessing Gives Strength to Love," published in April 2025 by the German Bishops' Conference and the Central Committee of German Catholics.
It addresses the realities of couples' lives today.
An important impetus came from Rome: With the letter Fiducia supplicans, published in December 2023, Pope Francis paved the way for further exploring the possibility of blessings. In it, he emphasizes the pastoral significance of blessings as an expression of God's saving presence in concrete human life stories – even outside of sacramental orders. At its core is the conviction: Where people encounter one another in love and responsibility, God is present – and this togetherness is worthy of blessing. The blessing prayers offered take the diversity of today's couple constellations seriously and express that the Church not only recognizes this love but also accompanies it. Ordinariate Councilor Karin Schieszl-Rathgeb emphasizes in the foreword to the publication: "This collection of materials is an essential component of sensitive pastoral care that considers and values the life realities of couples today. It is my hope that the blessing prayers will reach many people, strengthen them in their relationships, and thus allow them to experience that God's love accompanies them in their everyday lives."
God's unconditional love
Martina Fuchs, consultant in the Marriage and Family Department of the "Church and Society" Department and author of the collection of materials, also emphasizes the theological significance of this practice: "To witness, convey, and celebrate God's unconditional love is a central task of the Church. It can be experienced in blessing." Martina Fuchs further emphasizes: "Whoever asks for a blessing makes a declaration of faith." Heiko Hauger, consultant for the Queer-Sensitive Pastoral Care project in the "Church and Society" department, adds: "The blessing prayers are an important milestone on the path to a queer-sensitive pastoral care that takes people seriously in all their diversity, values them, and treats them and their relationships with kindness."
Starting in Autumn 2025, additional training courses will be offered for full-time pastoral workers to further support the implementation of the blessing ceremonies.
Image of St Martin on Diocesan website
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