Crucifix above the altar, yes or no?

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I visited a small parish in our diocese and found it odd that the crucifix was way to the right of the altar area. Above the altar was a sculpture of the risen Christ. Even the local Lutheran church has a crucifix above their altar.
 
while the rubrics say there simply has to be a crucifix visible (I believe), just astheticly, it would help the symmetry of the church to have it centered in the sanctuary, like my church here

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Casilda said:
I visited a small parish in our diocese and found it odd that the crucifix was way to the right of the altar area. Above the altar was a sculpture of the risen Christ.
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My hometown parish for many years (like about 50) has had a large mosaic of Risen Christ behind the altar and until recently also had a large crucifix of Christ suspended directly above the altar on two chains. In recent years, the pastor moved the crucifix to the side wall directly overlooking the altar. My guess was that he did it because the chains were not 100 percent secure in the plaster walls of an old church, and he didn’t want to risk the suspended crucifix crashing to the floor and maybe killing someone. Where it is placed now it seems more secure because it is flat to a wall rather than hanging in space, and if it did fall it would be much less likely to hit anyone.

The Risen Christ mosaic is huge, part of the wall and about 2 stories high, so it’s not something that can be moved or painted over or have a crucifix hung on top.
 
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At my church they have no crucifix just the risen Jesus. I think the risen Jesus was put above the altar after Vatican II in some churches.
 
Yes, that’s true. Risen Jesus was the big new thing after Vatican II. We also got the Resurrection as the last Station of the Cross around that time.

The risen Christ mosaic I mention was put in place about 1967 or so. I seem to recall before that, the church did not have a crucifix front and center, but instead had a large statue of the patronal saint of the church, which was moved to the back wall of the church and mounted on the organ loft. I was very small when this happened.
 
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No, my parish doesn’t have a crucifix above the altar. Against the wall is a large cross on which we find the Risen Christ.

When a new processional cross was purchased a number of years ago it was purchased with a Risen Christ. There was an outcry and another section with a crucifix was purchased but they insist on switching from one to the other depending on the season. At any rate, it’s placed behind the celebrant’s chair and is not really noticeable during Mass.

So, depending on the time of year, there are sometimes two crucifixes in the sanctuary during Mass and sometimes there is only the tiny reclining crucifix on the altar which only the priest can see. In neither case do we fulfill the requirement of GIRM 308.
 
“010422m
At my church they have no crucifix just the risen Jesus. I think the risen Jesus was put above the altar after Vatican II in some churches.”

The Crucifix is REQUIRED. The Risen Jesus does not meet that requirement.

GIRM:
  1. The altar is to be covered with at least one white cloth. In addition, on or next to the
    altar are to be placed candlesticks with lighted candles: at least two in any celebration,
    or even four or six, especially for a Sunday Mass or a Holyday of Obligation, or if the
    Diocesan Bishop celebrates, then seven candlesticks with lighted candles. Likewise, on
    the altar or close to it, there is to be a cross adorned with a figure of Christ crucified.
    The candles and the cross with the figure of Christ crucified may also be carried in the
    procession at the Entrance.     On the altar itself may be placed a Book of the Gospels distinct
    from the book of other readings, unless it is carried in the Entrance Procession.
 
thistle said:
Likewise, on the altar or close to it, there is to be a cross adorned with a figure of Christ crucified.
The candles and the cross with the figure of Christ crucified may also be carried in the procession at the Entrance.
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It sounds like perhaps they try to meet the requirement by carrying the cross with the figure of Christ crucified in procession at the entrance, and then just placing it “close to” the altar during Mass, and then carrying it away again at the end.

Almost every church I attend does have a crucifix on a pole that is carried by the altar server in procession when the priest enters the sanctuary, placed near the altar during Mass, then carried out in procession again at the end.
 
The Risen Christ on the Cross has never made any sense to me. Jesus died on the cross and rose from the tomb (not the cross).
 
thistle said:
The Crucifix is REQUIRED. The Risen Jesus does not meet that requirement.
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Not exactly…the risen Christ can be depicted on the crucifix…cant think of many Franciscan churches that do not have a San Damiano cross which has the post resurrection glorified body of Christ.
 
Hereiam said:
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thistle:
The Crucifix is REQUIRED. The Risen Jesus does not meet that requirement.
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Not exactly…the risen Christ can be depicted on the crucifix…cant think of many Franciscan churches that do not have a San Damiano cross which has the post resurrection glorified body of Christ.
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A cross bearing an image of Christ crucified is indeed required.

This was clarified by Rome a few decades ago. Latin has only one word for cross (crucis) while English makes a distinction between cross and crucifix. The liturgical norms do indeed require a proper crucifix.

A plain cross, or one with the resurrection superimposed on it does not meet the requirement. Neither of these are prohibited, but a proper crucifix is still mandatory.
 
Our church was built over 100 years ago. It has a crucifix above the . . . the pedestal/column/platform (?) where the readings are done. It has a mural of the Assumption behind the altar.
 
FrDavid96 said:
A plain cross, or one with the resurrection superimposed on it does not meet the requirement.
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I’m at peace with the image and subsequent theology attached to the iconic cross and crucifix that is the San Damiano cross.
 
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My parish has a round church with the altar in the middle. We do have a very large free standing crucifix but it is not above and/or behind the altar
 
A couple of thoughts:
I wonder if a large crucifix on the wall or hanging from ceiling above/behind altar really meets the requirements of “on
the altar or close to it”.
Secondly, I think larger crucifixes above the altar or behind it on the wall are a fairly recent innovation. It seems to me that they have replaced the old lavish altars and artwork of pre-Vatican II days. Since the wall would be bare, put a crucifix there. I think this is fine. I am just saying that many people seem to be assuming it is a “traditional” thing, and I think it is not.
 
Hereiam said:
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FrDavid96:
A plain cross, or one with the resurrection superimposed on it does not meet the requirement.
Click to expand...
I’m at peace with the image and subsequent theology attached to the iconic cross and crucifix that is the San Damiano cross.
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What is your point?

Whether or not you are at peace with something has nothing to do with the issue.

A crucifix is required for the celebration of Mass. Every church must have one.
 
A previous parish I attended didn’t have a crucifix behind the alter because that ws where the tabernacle was, and immediately above the tabernacle there was a stained glass window. There was a cross that was sometimes placed on the altar. During my time there we went through several different priests and each had a slightly different idea about the right place to put it. Some had only two candles and the cross in the middle, some had six candles and the cross in the middle (I think it also varied between high and low mass) The last priest before I moved away had the cross taken off its stand and atached to the wall behind the lectern (previosly there had been an icon there). That priest did away with the ornate candlesticks and had them replaced by modern plain ones. I revisited that church some years back and the present priest has moved the cross to the lady chapel and replaced it by a modern one. The icon had come back but was now in a different place. So i guess these things are in constant flow and individual priests get to re-arrange according to pesonal tastes.
 
There is a church at my old city that only had the risen Christ cross. No where to be seen was there a crucifix. It really alarmed me.
 
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