The Blessing Cup

Ritual is a powerful binding force. From the bedtime routines that toddlers insist upon to the comic routines that leave outsiders puzzled, all groups, including families, shape their identities by the rites they observe. And, in the process, they discover that something holy lies at the heart of their relationships. Franciscan Father Rock Travnikar wants families and groups to discover that holiness and to claim a deeper identity as God’s people. To aid in this discovery, he created prayer-rituals that are centered on a common cup and based on the use of Scripture and petition to help family or group members express their deepest feelings.

Rock Travnikar, O.F.M., is a Franciscan priest of the province of St. John the Baptist in Cincinnati. He serves as coordinator of pastoral services for Rocky Creek Village in Tampa, Florida.