Church Etiquette

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ReneLynette

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I’m in the RCIA and haven’t had any instruction on how we are supposed to behave inside the church. I know some of the very basics such as genuflecting before sitting down. I also heard we aren’t supposed to genuflect at all during Mass. If I need to leave my seat before Mass begins, am I supposed to genuflect every time I pass before the Blessed Sacrament? One time I was told to change my seat several times in the church so I genuflected every time I had to move into another pew. I also see people bowing to the altar when they pass by it in Church. Why don’t they genuflect since the Blessed Sacrament is directly behind it? I’d also really appreciate any official readings I can get on church etiquette. I’ve been getting some incorrect information on protocol and a religious brother told me a lot of lay people sometimes tend to make up their own rules.
Thanks in advance.
 
ReneLynette said:
I’m in the RCIA and haven’t had any instruction on how we are supposed to behave inside the church. I know some of the very basics such as genuflecting before sitting down. I also heard we aren’t supposed to genuflect at all during Mass. If I need to leave my seat before Mass begins, am I supposed to genuflect every time I pass before the Blessed Sacrament? One time I was told to change my seat several times in the church so I genuflected every time I had to move into another pew. I also see people bowing to the altar when they pass by it in Church. Why don’t they genuflect since the Blessed Sacrament is directly behind it? I’d also really appreciate any official readings I can get on church etiquette. I’ve been getting some incorrect information on protocol and a religious brother told me a lot of lay people sometimes tend to make up their own rules.
Thanks in advance.
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You are allowed to genuflect during Mass, in fact you’re supposed to genuflect. A difference would be, once the consecration has occurred and Jesus is present in the Holy Eucharist exposed or during Adoration, you have to genuflect on both knees in coming and going.

You have to genuflect each time you cross in front of the Blessed Sacrament (think of it this way…that’s Jesus, and He’s sitting there). Those who only bow before the altar in front of the Blessed Sacrament are only doing it half way. You should really genuflect.

Here is a very good site for learning the etiquette and meaning behind it(a very important thing as well). http://www.fisheaters.com/beingcatholic.html

Etiquette and Dress

Posture and Gesture <----this is what you’d want to look at regarding genuflection. It has great detail.
 
It is true that people do tend to make up their own rules, but it is useful to remember that there are no real official rules.

It is traditional to genuflect in the direction of the tabernacle and then make the sign of the cross before entering your pew and then after exiting it. If all you are doing is, for example, changing seats, I don’t think it’s necessary to genuflect. You should always genuflect to God on your right knee, unless you are impaired in its use. If you ever approach the altar during mass for any reason, you bow towards it. If you ever approach it or pass it outside the context of a liturgy, and the Eucharist is inside the tabernacle (which it almost always is), then you genuflect towards it as you would entering and exiting your pew.

Whenever the priest does asperges (usually during Lent and Eastertide), which is the sprinkling of holy water, it is traditional to make the sign of the cross as the water hits you, when it hits you. Whenever a pontifical mass (bishop’s mass) is being celebrated, it is traditional to bow to him as he passes your pew in the recession.

Non-Catholics and Catholics not disposed to receive communion should not go up to receive communion. It is proper to just let people out of the pew and then let them back in. No one will think you’re weird for not receiving communion. It’s helpful to sit on the end of the pew if you’re not receiving communion. Even if you are a non-Catholic but you’re converting, it is proper for you to make all the responses and whatnot.

There are probably countless what-ifs I could go in to, but this is a basic overview of the average mass.
 
I have two metal knees and it hurts like anything when I kneel. I can manage a one knee half=sit, half kneel at the Sanctus through the Amen, but genuflecting is very difficult. I do bow toward the tablenacle. I feel kind of badly about this, although I rationalize that it is probably better than people having to pick me up if I topple over!:eek: Sort of kidding there. I think I am doing the best I can but then Ithink of what He suffered for me, so I keep trying. Tylenol helps but I do not want to take anything stronger on any kind of regular basis. Opinions? How could I do this better?
 
^^Just make a profound bow. It’s as much as you can do.
 
@ Ohana–If you can’t genuflect safely or without a lot of pain, just bow from the waist. If you can’t kneel at the consecration, just sit. The Church does not demand the impossible from you.

Yeah, I’ve caught a couple of people who couldn’t genuflect safely, and it wasn’t fun for either of us.
 
Thanks, I do manage a “sit-kneel” during the consecration without a lot of discomfort. It just bothers me not to genuflect. I guess I would rather bow because bobbing up and down a in a quarter genuflect is so inelegant! 🙂 I manage enough inelegancies without adding to them!
 
I agree. A profound bow (from the waist) is a more dignified and respectful gesture than the sort of curtsey-thing that some folks do. One of our priests had great trouble with his knees. The altar boys serving his Masses made it a point to genuflect well as a sort of offering for his pain. 🙂
 
This is an interesting discussion.

Do I have to genuflect in any part of the church?

One church I used to attend many years ago had a moveable wall that normally was closed, but on special occasions such as Midnight Mass when a high attendace was expected they opened that wall and filled the space behind with extra chairs. When the wall was closed though (which was most of the time), that other room served all sorts of purposes from a badminton court to a meeting room and they would sometimes show movies there. Sometimes it would occur that the janitor would leave the wall open some way while setting up so that he could carry things between the rooms. I was never sure in those situations whether I should be genuflecting because I could clearly see inside the church, so technically I was inside the church, but on the other hand obviously I wasn’t seeing I was coming to see a movie.

Something else. The church I attend presently is a historic old building and it has an old organ and sometimes they hold concerts. Obviously some of the concert goers are not Catholics and don’t know the etiquette, but when there is a choir or musicians, surely they ought to be genuflecting. They are hiring the church for their concert and surely the priest should be able to demand it of them.
 
Cirdan_XII said:
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Something else. The church I attend presently is a historic old building and it has an old organ and sometimes they hold concerts. Obviously some of the concert goers are not Catholics and don’t know the etiquette, but when there is a choir or musicians, surely they ought to be genuflecting. They are hiring the church for their concert and surely the priest should be able to demand it of them.
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You genuflect to the Eucharist in the Tabernacle. It should be not be present during a concert.
 
Thanks for all the information guys. I’m definitely going to spend time on those sites posted. I’ve been attending Mass for a little over a year now and I still feel a bit lost on how to conduct myself inside a Catholic church.
 
Before a secular concert, or even a sacred music concert, the priest moves the Blessed Sacrament to a tabernacle of repose elsewhere in the church building. There should be no need to genuflect during performances, but one would still be expected to behave respectfully as one would in any other type of church during non-worship times.
 
One should also note, that they should not merely go through the motions when genuflecting or bowing, but also silently say an ejaculatory prayer while doing so.
 
Deo_Gratias42 said:
One should also note, that they should not merely go through the motions when genuflecting or bowing, but also silently say an ejaculatory prayer while doing so.
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??? What is that? Ejaculatory prayer? Never heard of it.
 
nickybr38 said:
??? What is that? Ejaculatory prayer? Never heard of it.
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A short prayer invoking the name of God or Jesus Christ, usually also mentioning our lowliness and need for saving or mercy. “Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me the sinner” is likely the most famous of these, and is an important prayer (understatement) in Eastern Christianity. Ejaculatory prayers appear throughout the Psalms as well.
 
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