Bowing and greeting to the bishop

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hilde_the_dog

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On Sunday I’ll be reading at the 11am mass and the Bishop will be there. An old reader told me last night that when going up to read he thought I should bow to the Bishop not the alter and also when I was done reading? And is it okay to address him as Bishop Paul or Bishop Loverde or your excellency? Any thoughts.
 
You should bow both to the altar as customary. I am not sure about bowing to the bishop but since the bishop shares in the fullness of the priesthood by virtue of his office it seems appropriate to bow to the bishop. If he is your local bishop then bowing to him is most appropriate.

It is better to call him “your excellency” as opposed to just bishop because that is a more formal way of addressing him.
 
Well, I don’t know what the “official” answer is, but I would say bow to the altar. Even if one were to “bow to the bishop” it would really be a bow to the office of the bishop, not the person.
That distinction made, this is what the CCC says about the altar.

1383 The altar, around which the Church is gathered in the celebration of the Eucharist, represents the two aspects of the same mystery: the altar of the sacrifice and the table of the Lord. This is all the more so since the Christian altar is the symbol of Christ himself, present in the midst of the assembly of his faithful, both as the victim offered for our reconciliation and as food from heaven who is giving himself to us. "For what is the altar of Christ if not the image of the Body of Christ?"214 asks St. Ambrose. He says elsewhere, “The altar represents the body [of Christ] and the Body of Christ is on the altar.”

So, the bishop being a successor of the apostles does not, in my book anyway, supercede the importance of what the altar represents.

As far as reference, “His Excellancy” when referencing indirectly or “Your Excellency” when addressing directly. Should he tell you personally to address him otherwise than you should do so, but only in private.

Again, these are just my opinions.
 
My amateur opinion is that if you pass in front of the altar, bow to it; if you somehow pass between the altar and the bishop, bow to the bishop.
 
Do two bows. One to the bishop, another to the altar.

Ceremonial of Bishops:
“72 A deep bow is made to the altar by all who enter the sanctuary (chancel), leave it, or pass before the altar.”

“76 The bishop is greeted with a deep bow by the ministers or others when they approach to assist him, when they leave after assisting him, or when they pass in front of him.”

(Ceremonial of Bishops, Liturgical Press, 1989, ISBN 0-8146-1818-9).
 
So John before I ascend the steps to go up to the ambo after Mass has begun I should bow to the alter and then the Bishop, and when I descend the ambo bow to both again alter first then the Bishop. When I meet in the narthex before Mass when we pray bow at that point to him also or just say Hello your excellency?
 
hilde_the_dog said:
So John before I ascend the steps to go up to the ambo after Mass has begun I should bow to the alter and then the Bishop, and when I descend the ambo bow to both again alter first then the Bishop. When I meet in the narthex before Mass when we pray bow at that point to him also or just say Hello your excellency?
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In the narthex I suggest simply greeting him, rather than bowing, since the official ceremony has not started at this point.
Before the reading, say for the Gloria, will you be sitting in the sanctuary or in a pew in the body of the church? If you are in a pew, then you should bow to the altar since you are entering in the sanctuary. But if you are sitting in the sanctuary, next to the ambo, then you might not bow to the altar. (You only would if you were passing in front of it.)
When you go the ambo, will you be passing in front of the bishop? If you will, then you should bow to him. But if you were sitting next to the ambo, then you would probably not pass in front of him, and so should not bow to him.
In the cathedral I go to the readers sit in the pews. Then go into the sanctuary up the steps in front of the altar. They bow to the altar, then to the bishop. The bishop’s chair is directed towards them at the top of the steps, so they are passing in front of him.
If you have the same sort of arrangement then I suggest these two bows (before and after the reading).
 
I will be sitting in the pews and between me and the Bishop will be the ambo then alter then the bishop. I will not be passing in front of him.
 
hilde_the_dog said:
I will be sitting in the pews and between me and the Bishop will be the ambo then alter then the bishop. I will not be passing in front of him.
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Then just bow to the the altar, on entering and leaving the sanctuary.
 
I am not sure how you do it in the Roman Church, but in the Maronite church if I was to be saying a reading at a mass where the bishop was presiding I would first approach the altar bow to it then go over to the bishop and kiss his hand and then proceed to do the reading, but then again in the Maronite tradition we kiss the hands of every priest me meet and bow to them in acknowledgement of what their hands can do after hey were anointed at their ordination.
 
I think when going for the reading you must first bow to the alter but it happen to be as if you bow to the Bisop beause the priest always sit to the alter.

When reading you need not to mention anything about the Bishop,simply read the reading.

That all I have notice.
 
franco22 said:
I think when going for the reading you must first bow to the alter but it happen to be as if you bow to the Bisop beause the priest always sit to the alter.
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Absolutely. Outside of the Liturgy, you can show due obesiance to the office of the bishop, but during Mass you bow to the altar.

If you have the opportunity to speak with him outside of the Mass, he would be greeted as “Your Excellency” or “Your Grace” from here).
 
It is also traditional in the Latin Rite for bishops’ rings to be kissed, though I must say I didn’t do this when I met my bishop… I was too shy… no one else did it. You still can though if you are not shy like me. (I like the comment on the Maronite rite. How beautiful!)
 
I know it must be causing you anxiety, and it isn’t funny, but a light moment…The whole process sounds similar to a square dance! :dancing: Bow to the altar, bow to the bishop, promenade left to the ambo…
 
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