Catholic Practices, Postures and Gestures
Bow
of the head
How: Simply lower your chin toward your throat and
hold a moment
When:
- When you pass by
a Church, bow your head and make the Sign
of the Cross to honor the Real Presence of Christ in the
tabernacle.
- Any time you hear the
Name "Jesus" (note that "Christ" is His title, meaning
"Annointed One"; there is no need to bow the head at just the
mention of the word "Christ"). Men should remove their hats and
bow their heads when passing a church or when His Name is spoken; this
practice is for both inside and outside of
- Cross yourself
and bow the head when the priest and the Crucifer walk down the aisle
before and after
Not
commonly known and practiced: any time you hear "Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit mentioned together; any time you hear the name of Mary; and, during
Mass, when the name of the Saint in whose honor the Mass is being celebrated
Striking
of the Breast
How: With either a fist or
with the tips of the fingers, held close together, strike your chest over the
heart to express regret and sorrow 2
When:
·
at
the Mass, formally: at each "mea culpa" during the Confiteor; at the
Nobis Quoque Peccatoribus (priest); three times during the Agnus Dei; and three
times during the Domine, Non Sum Dignus
·
informally:
at the "forgive us our trespasses" ("dimitte nobis debita
nostra") in the "Our Father"; any time to express penitence or
remorse inside or outside of the Liturgy
Bow
at the waist (or "profound bow")
How: Bow at the waist in
the manner of the Japanese (about 30o forward)
When:
- at the Aspérges
at Mass when the priest sprinkles the congregation with holy
water
- when the Altar
boy incenses the congregation during the
Mass
- Cross
yourself and make a profound bow when the priest and Crucifer
walk down the aisle before and after
·
when
greeting a hierarch who doesn't have jurisdiction over you (e.g., the Bishop of
a diocese other than one in which you live). As you bow, kiss the hierarch's
ring. This bow and ring-kissing are only done if the Pope is not present.
Genuflection
on Left Knee
How: Kneel on your left
knee for a moment, bringing the left knee all the way to the floor and keeping
the back straight. Hold for a moment, then stand. (The word is pronounced
"jen-you-flek'-shun")
When: When greeting or
leaving the Pope or other hierarchs with the rank of Bishop or above and who
have jurisdiction over you (only when the Pope is not present) -- e.g., to the
Bishop or Archbishop of your diocese, not of a neighboring diocese. During the
left-knee genuflection, a kiss is given to the hierarch's ring. Then stand.
Genuflection
on Right Knee
How: Looking at what you
are genuflecting toward, kneel on your right knee for a moment in the manner of
a man proposing to a woman, bringing the right knee all the way to the floor,
close to the heel of the left foot, keeping the back and neck erect. Hold for a
moment, then stand.
When:
- Genuflect toward
the Tabernacle where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved, and each time you
pass in front of it (except when you're in procession, such as standing in
line for Communion, or returning to your seat afterward). While this
should, on one level, be a matter of habit, it shouldn't be done
thoughtlessly. Remind yourself when genuflecting toward the Tabernacle
that you are kneeling before God. Praying mentally, "My Lord and My
God" is a good habit to get into while genuflecting on the right
knee. If the Tabernacle is not on the Altar, genuflect toward the Altar
and the Altar Crucifix.
- Before a relic of
the True Cross when it is exposed for public adoration.
·
On
Good Friday to Holy Saturday, after the ceremony of the Adoration of the Cross,
genuflect when passing in front of the exposed Crucifix
on the Altar.
Kneeling
(Double Genuflection)
How:
Kneel
on both knees
When:
- any time the
Blessed Sacrament is exposed, to show adoration and humility
- many times during
the Mass: during the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar, after the Sanctus,
after the Agnus Dei, at the altar rail, and at the Last Blessing
- during Confession,
inside or, in emergencies, outside of the Confessional
- when receiving a
priestly blessing, inside or outside of the Liturgy. If you are unable for
some reason to kneel, then bow your head.
Prostration
How:
Keeping
your legs together, drop to your knees and then lie down flat on the floor on
your face, crossing your hands underneath your forehead forming a
"pillow" on which to rest your forehead
When:
Prostrations,
which signify total humility and penance, are made during the Rite
of Ordination, during rites of religious profession (i.e., entry
into religious orders), as penance in religious orders, and by anyone during
private prayer before a Crucifix or the Blessed Sacrament. It is also
occasionally made by adults, at the priest's invitation, before the Profession
of Faith in the solemn Rite of Baptism.
Kisses
How:
To
paraphrase Lauren Bacall in "To Have and Have Not," you know how to
kiss, don't you? You just put your lips together... but don't blow.
When:
- Kissing Crucifixes
and Icons (2-D or 3-D): In icons that
depict more than one person, kiss first Our Lord (His Feet, Hem of His
garment, or hands), then Our Lady (her hands or veil), then the the angels
and Saints. To reverence a Crucifix or icon that you can't reach too well
with your lips, kiss your fingers and then touch where you would kiss.
- Kissing rings of
hierarchs: see above under "Genuflection on Left Knee"
Orans
How:
Raise
arms either at your sides and with hands up to shoulder height, or raise arms
up over your head as a child would when wanting his father to pick him up
When:
- Priests perform this
gesture (the first method mentioned) during the
·
Laymen sometimes adopt this position during private
prayer. It should not be used by laymen at the Mass.
Veiling
How: There are various
options here for women:
- the classic
Catholic lace mantillas
- lace chapel caps (this is for young
girls)
- oblong gauzy or cotton scarves worn over
the head and over one or both shoulders, or tied in various ways.
- standard-sized square chiffon or cotton
scarves folded into a triangle and worn tied under the chin in the
Jackie-O style or tied behind the head in the peasant style, etc.
- shawls worn over the head
- elegant but simple hats (cloches, toques,
berets, "Lady Diana" hats, etc.)
Traditionally, single
women wear white or ivory headcoverings, and married or widowed women wear
black, but this isn't a hard and fast rule, and is often ignored.
When:
Laymen
never wear hats in churches (except for rare ceremonial reasons on the
part of some confraternities and lay associations).
On the other hand, women do cover their heads and have from the very first day of the Church. Some parishes and chapels will have veils available for women who don't have one.
On the other hand, women do cover their heads and have from the very first day of the Church. Some parishes and chapels will have veils available for women who don't have one.
This
one superficially small act is:
- so rich with
symbolism: of submission to authority; of surrender to God; of the
imitation of Our Lady as a woman who uttered her "fiat!"; of
covering our glory for His glory; of modesty; of chastity, of our being
vessels of life like the Chalice, the Ciborium and, most especially, Our
Lady;
- an Apostolic
ordinance -- with roots deep in the Old Testament -- and, therefore, a
matter of intrinsic Tradition;
- the way Catholic
women have worshipped for two millennia (i.e., even if it weren't a matter
of Sacred Tradition in the intrinsic sense, it is, at the least, a matter
of ecclesiastical tradition, which also must be upheld). It is our
heritage, a part of Catholic culture;
- pragmatic: it
leaves one free to worry less about "bad hair days";
·
and for the rebels out there, it is
counter-cultural nowadays, you must admit!
