Catholic elementary telling kids not to genuflect at Mass

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Hello-

Before I go to the school to inquire what this is about, I want to ask if anyone else has run into this problem at their kids’ private Catholic school.

My kids were told by Sr. “Elizabeth”, the liturgy coordinator for the school, not to genuflect upon entering the pew for their school Mass, as well as to not cross themselves after receiving the Eucharist. They also brought home a printout that stated this as well, though no explanation was given as to why not.

The tabernacle is not placed behind the altar, but it is visible, placed in a small room which is entirely glass-walled so it is visible, off to the side. I state this so as not to make it seem that the tabernacle is not visible, which in any case, it’s my understanding that one should still bow to the altar if the tabernacle is not visible.

I was told by my 3rd grade son that he most likely would get in trouble by his teacher if he were to “break the rules” by genuflecting, which I told him I would take care of it and not to worry about it.

Thanks for any advice.
 
If the tabernacle is visible, and the Blessed Sacrament is reserved in it (the candle is burning), one genuflects towards it. If not, one bows to the Altar. Was there any instruction to bow to the altar?

As for the crossing oneself after receiving communion. I don’t know of anything saying to do this or not to do this. In a practical sense, it doesn’t make much sense to do it when received during the OF as what’s said is, “The body of Christ. R: Amen”. That is a statement of affirmation that what is being received is the body of Christ. It makes no sense to cross oneself in that situation. On the other hand, when receiving in the EF, the priest says, “The body of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve thy soul unto life everlasting. Amen”. It makes sense to cross oneself in this situation because the priest is giving the recipient almost like a mini benediction.
 
Crossing yourself after receiving the Eucharist is not required. In many places this custom does not exsist.

Bowing to the altar would be correct in the case you describe.

Some times in the name of “uniformity” you have coordinators make up rules, or take a strict interpretation that if something is not required then it won’t be done, even a good and pious practice.

EIther way, best to bring your concerns, and the printed letter, to the attention of the school principal and parish pastor.
 
Are they entering the church “in Procession?”

We don’t genuflect when we process into the church.
 
In our school, the kids do not genuflect when entering the pew, they genuflect as a group at the bottom of the steps to the Sanctuary. Our tabernacle is directly behind the altar. Could this be what is going on?

As far as crossing one’s self after receiving the Eucharist. It doesn’t matter whether it is the OF, or the EF. It is a personal devotion, and one that is not “required” either way. As other posters have pointed out, it doesn’t occur in all parishes, and is somewhat cultural.
 
quiz1 said:
Hello-

Before I go to the school to inquire what this is about, I want to ask if anyone else has run into this problem at their kids’ private Catholic school.

My kids were told by Sr. “Elizabeth”, the liturgy coordinator for the school, not to genuflect upon entering the pew for their school Mass, as well as to not cross themselves after receiving the Eucharist. They also brought home a printout that stated this as well, though no explanation was given as to why not.

The tabernacle is not placed behind the altar, but it is visible, placed in a small room which is entirely glass-walled so it is visible, off to the side. I state this so as not to make it seem that the tabernacle is not visible, which in any case, it’s my understanding that one should still bow to the altar if the tabernacle is not visible.

I was told by my 3rd grade son that he most likely would get in trouble by his teacher if he were to “break the rules” by genuflecting, which I told him I would take care of it and not to worry about it.

Thanks for any advice.
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Hi Quiz1:
I do not have any kids so I haven’t run into this problem. I do believe what you and Deo Gratias42 says is true about either genuflecting or bowing depending on whether the Blessed Sacrament is visible or not and in your church it would seem to me genuflecting would be proper as Christ is present in the church in a side tabernacle. I think these instructions may be found in the General Instruction on the Roman Missal or other church documents. In fact, #49 of the General Instruction on the Roman Missal says this:
  1. When they have arrived at the sanctuary, the Priest, the Deacon, and the ministers reverence the altar with a profound bow.
    Moreover, as an expression of veneration, the Priest and Deacon then kiss the altar itself; the Priest, if appropriate, also incenses the cross and the altar.
I’m not sure Sr. Elizabeth could site any church documents to back her assertion up to not genuflect or bow before entering the pew unless the kids did this upon first entering the church. At the very least, genuflecting or bowing is a sign of respect for Jesus Christ who is present in your church in the side tabernacle. As for making the sign of the cross after receiving the eucharist, this is not necessary. I do not do this and I’m not aware of any church teaching that says we should be doing that. I suppose if someone wants to do this, they can.

I think that if you want to instruct your child to genuflect or bow before entering the pew then you have that right and Sr. Elizabeth should not make a big deal out of it. I do not see how it can do any harm in any way. Pope Benedict XVI has said that the right of parents to educate their children is a fundamental right of parents and is non-negotiable.
 
Same thing going on in my Parish school of Religion and Parish school.

No need to genuflect/bow & no need to bless yourself after receiving communion.
 
twopekinguys said:
As far as crossing one’s self after receiving the Eucharist. It doesn’t matter whether it is the OF, or the EF. It is a personal devotion, and one that is not “required” either way. As other posters have pointed out, it doesn’t occur in all parishes, and is somewhat cultural.
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There is a difference between telling children that they do not have to cross themselves after receiving (which is true) and telling them they may not do so. It seems really inappropriate to forbid them to do it. It certainly shouldn’t be done without telling at least the parents a reason for it.

–Jen
 
From the way you describe it, it seems very inappropriate to forbid the students to genuflect, and it probably isn’t necessary to restrict them from making the sign of the cross either.

Personally, if you can’t resolve this on a local level, I would send a copy of the handout mentioned to the bishop. He is directly responsible for all of the Catholic schools in the diocese, and the formation of those children. If they are being taught incorrectly and the lower authority is not helping you, it is only proper that you alert him, and if you receive no hearing there, to even alert the CDW.

Frankly, this is very stupid that a school is telling the children not to genuflect to the visible tabernacle.
 
cradlecatholic5 said:
Same thing going on in my Parish school of Religion and Parish school.

No need to genuflect/bow & no need to bless yourself after receiving communion.
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What do you mean? Of course we should genuflect when we enter a church. External postures matter.
 
I’m so out of touch with the Ordinary Form of the Mass, that I couldn’t answer.

I am now almost exclusively EF.
 
When I went to an all schools Mass for the feast of St Therese and the church is named for her also the schools connected, I did not see many kids genuflect nor cross themselves upon receiving Holy Communion. Some of those entering may be non Catholics, so the requirements are not binding on them. I would hope that those kids that are Catholics are at least genuflecting before entering their pew as it was hard to observe several hundred kids ranging in age from 4 to 18, and what they were doing.

Then again, when I go to the EF Masses, people genuflect when entering the pew, and if they have to leave during Mass if they need to go to the bathroom or attend to a child’s needs then do so upon return. The majority of communicants also cross themselves after receiving Communion. Both practices I do not see often in the OF that I was raised in and still attend periodically.

I would like to see a link from the Catechism that states the genuflection is required or perhaps a bow if someone is not able to genuflect. I know the sign of the cross is a personal devotion after Communion is received.
 
revert_jen said:
There is a difference between telling children that they do not have to cross themselves after receiving (which is true) and telling them they may not do so. It seems really inappropriate to forbid them to do it. It certainly shouldn’t be done without telling at least the parents a reason for it.

–Jen
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Yes, and we only have one side of this don’t we?

We also don’t have the exact wording of what is in the letter to the parents either.

What we do have is one person’s interpretation of the letter.

There is an old saying that goes something like this. There are 3 sides to every story. Your side, my side, and somewhere in between is the truth. 😉
 
It’s most likely so the instructor can teach with a sense of uniformity. She’s wrangling a bunch of rowdy school kids into Mass and having a couple hundred genuflect one by one is bound to cause problems. The same with the Sign of the Cross. It can cause physical stumbling and ‘goofing off’ - especially if you’ve ever seen a 2nd or 3rd grader do the SotC.

The most appropriate thing to do is contact Sr. Elizabeth and humbly ask her to clarify the purpose of this exercise. You’d be surprised that you’re probably not the first to ask.
 
everyone has made good and valid points for the edict. i would like to know, can it be enforced ?
 
maryjk said:
Are they entering the church “in Procession?”

We don’t genuflect when we process into the church.
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This is a good point, honestly I don’t know. I wasn’t able to make the first all-school Mass. I will take another poster’s advice and see if I can talk to her personally and see how that goes first.

Thanks all for your help.
 
Could it be the tabernacle is empty? The Catholic school where I used to do catechesis has a chapel but they never reserve the Eucharist there. No priest resides in the school as the parish is only 3 blocks away. So if the priest comes for Mass, there is no Eucharist in the tabernacle. So it is right that they do not genuflect when coming in. I remember we even told the parents and children that, because a number genuflected as they came in and we told them that they only genuflect if there is the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle.
 
Chris_Etzel said:
It’s most likely so the instructor can teach with a sense of uniformity. She’s wrangling a bunch of rowdy school kids into Mass and having a couple hundred genuflect one by one is bound to cause problems. The same with the Sign of the Cross. It can cause physical stumbling and ‘goofing off’ - especially if you’ve ever seen a 2nd or 3rd grader do the SotC.

The most appropriate thing to do is contact Sr. Elizabeth and humbly ask her to clarify the purpose of this exercise. You’d be surprised that you’re probably not the first to ask.
Click to expand...
That seems most likely, honestly. Especially if you have kids that are young enough to not be entirely stable during the genuflection!
 
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