Do you make the Sign of the Cross among unbelieving friends?

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Always, doesn’t make a difference if I’m saying grace in a non-Catholic environment, am praying with non-Catholic or Catholic friends, etc. I even take it a step further and make the Sign of the Cross whenever I pass by our Blessed Sacrament chapel or any Catholic church, regardless of company.
 
It’s really weird… i am one of those “in your face” Catholics… but for some reason, i don’t always like people to see me making the sign of the cross… I don’t understand why… :confused:

i guess it could just be the culture we live in… so unholy… that we feel uncomfortable doing holy things…
 
My husband is non-Catholic so he can make the sign and say the words can’t he?

I am not working now so we have our meals together and pray, so I am telling him to make the sign with me and say the words.

Is this wrong?

He is not a Catholic but not an unbeliever but no means.

He prays a lot but does not like to pray out loud a lot :rolleyes:

What do you thinK?
D.
 
dessert said:
My husband is non-Catholic so he can make the sign and say the words can’t he?
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Of course! Blessing himself will lead to an eventual revelation.
I am not working now so we have our meals together and pray, so I am telling him to make the sign with me and say the words.
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Is this wrong?
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No. It is instruction.
He is not a Catholic but not an unbeliever but no means.
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He prays a lot but does not like to pray out loud a lot :rolleyes:
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What do you thinK?
D.
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I think that he, like most hard-headed men 😉 is slowly coming to the conclusion that he must surrender himself to God, as it will not occur the other way round. Christ’s peace from one like him.
 
In the part of the country where I live, most of the time before a speech, dinner, presentation ect. someone (usually a Protestant minister) says a prayer. I bow my head and then make the sign of the cross after he’s finished. No has ever given me a funny look.

I work on a college campus. I hear a lot of profanity. Lately, I have been making the sign of the cross when I hear it.
 
Great thread, thats all! I am trying to get in the habit of making the SOTC in public. Amazing that something so simple and beautiful can be a source of hesitation and embarrassment isn’t it?
 
dessert said:
My husband is non-Catholic so he can make the sign and say the words can’t he?

I am not working now so we have our meals together and pray, so I am telling him to make the sign with me and say the words.

Is this wrong?

He is not a Catholic but not an unbeliever but no means.

He prays a lot but does not like to pray out loud a lot :rolleyes:

What do you thinK?
D.
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My wife is non-Catholic, non-Christian, and yet she helps my 4-yr-old say his prayers at home when I can’t be at the table. She usually just bows her head when I’m there, but occasionally does the sign of the cross. I wish to ask her further about that, but for now I don’t want to rock the boat – she might think she’s being hypocritical or giving me false hope and stop.

My 4-yr-old was self-conscious the other day when we went out to eat with some unbelievers and we were the only ones praying (even though these friends are supportive and encouraging – one even reminded me to say grace another time when we ate out and I was feeling cowardly, so they have been a help). So tonight we made a pact to be prayer-buddies. We will help each other to be brave and pray when we’re eating in public, and pray for each other. I told him Mommy is shy, so we have to be brave for our family and sometimes it will be hard. But he liked the idea of being my prayer buddy. I’ll have to remember to prep him next time we go out to eat.
 
I’m among protestants a lot. My brother and I always make the Sign of the Cross. I admit, at first it felt strange. Especially when I’m the only one. But once you do it once or twice it gets easier. I’ve had non-Catholic kids I baby-sit ask me about, and even try it themselves. It’s a great way to, as St. Francis said, “Preach always, use words only when necessary.”

God Bless, and always Persevere in Christ!!! 👍
 
The sign of the cross…Yes!! I don’t hide, water down, cover up, disguise or repress my catholicism for no one, under any circumstances.

People that know me or of me, know that I am catholic. Not because of the “big” things but because of the little things. Case in point: I work at a hospital, one time someone asked me about the Rosary. This came about because everyday I go to the hospital chapel and pray the Rosary. Consequently, different people enter the chapel and happen to see me there with my Rosary. I don’t hide it. After the initial questions (what is that, why do you pray it, etc etc) came the “big question”. Where did it originate from? Without hesitancy nor skipping a beat I said, " it was revealed to Saint Dominic in its current format by the Blessed Virgin Mary in an apparition" the person was speechless but smiled… a peaceful smile and said, " you’re a different kind of catholic, you’re not like other catholics I’ve seen". It was a peacful encounter and somehow the person knew or felt my firm yet peaceful conviction.
Don’t waste any opportunity to allow others to see your catholicism.
Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum
 
I don’t think that there is anything wrong at all with yor husband doing these things. He believes in God and that is what is most important. The two of you can work out the rest as you go and if he seems compelled to learn more about the faith I am sure that you will lovingly guide his hand the best of your ability. Many people do not like to pray aloud, I am not real big on it myself and prefer to do my praying in private, and I did read once somewhere that it was stated that a person most times if possible should pray at home in private unless otherwise compelled by other circumstances i.e. praying at the dinner table or with children.
Again nothing at all wrong with him making the sign of the cross, because I believe it is still a faithful act.
God bless:)
dessert said:
My husband is non-Catholic so he can make the sign and say the words can’t he?

I am not working now so we have our meals together and pray, so I am telling him to make the sign with me and say the words.

Is this wrong?

He is not a Catholic but not an unbeliever but no means.

He prays a lot but does not like to pray out loud a lot :rolleyes:

What do you thinK?
D.
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Sometimes, for instance at a recent Protestant wedding, the minister said, “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit” and I made the SOTC. I didn’t care who saw me!
 
If the occasion calls for it, YES, I do make the sign of the cross in front of non-catholics. you do not have to be Catholic to make the sign of the cross or to say its words.
Deacon Ed B
 
It’s been just over a year now since we journied out of our former faith transitioning through one of those mega non-denoms. I’d say about 10 to 20 percent were non-practicing or visiting Catholics because the Pastor there would end some prayers with the trinity and I saw them make the sign of the cross. I couldn’t help but think to myself, man wouldn’t it be cool if my wife opened up to Catholicism. Had I jumped back in the Church I’m not sure we’d be sitting in the pew again today. Fortunately for me we converted at the same time, her slightly before me in many ways.

This Catholic stuffs hard to swallow if you’ve grown up mixed or without. I’ve always worn my faith on my shoulders. Probably why I haven’t climbed higher in the work force. But I still have a pretty good job.
 
In my case, my in-laws are very anti-Catholic, hardcore Pentecostals. My father-in-law is a former Catholic, turned Assistant Pastor at his church.

My problem is that when we go to my in-laws for dinner, my son and I will do the SOTC when no one’s looking because on more than one occasion, my sister-in-law has scolded my son (he’s 4 years old), saying he’s not supposed to do the SOTC. Ever since, my son is scared to do it in the presence of his dad’s family.

My husband is just uncomfortable with the whole situation so he doesn’t say anything (hubby is what I consider a closet Catholic – he believes everything I believe, but because his entire family is in the Pentecostal Church, he says he’ll never convert because converting would mean leaving his family). My mother-in-law frequently tells me she prays for all Catholics to come back to Jesus lol.
 
hoodrat said:
My mother-in-law frequently tells me she prays for all Catholics to come back to Jesus lol.
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I get told the same thing from my friends [who are almost exclusively Protestant] all the time. When I converted to Catholicism one of my non-denomination friends told her husband and his response was “I’m so sorry to hear that!”

It’s sad that there’s such misinformation about the Church out there, but at least I know I’ve got an army of Protestants praying for my soul! As a woman always looking to find a better understanding of her faith - I’ll take all the help I can get 😉 !!
 
If I was around people that behaved like this, I would ask them why they think they have the right to tell me how to practice my faith?

I always make the sign of the cross…and I won’t stop doing it for anyone
 
My mother-in-law lives with my wife and I. Whenever we go out to eat which is 2-3 times per week, we always make the sign of the cross and say the blessing before meals out loud. When my kids and grandkids are here, and it is a large gathering, when we go out to eat, we will have a long table of 10 to 15 or more. We again always start with the sign of the cross and blessing. It suddenly gets quiet around us and then starts up again after we are finished. Many times people have commented to us that they wish more people would do that. I always respond that you can be the new recruits of the “more people”.
Prayers & blessings
deacon Ed B
 
hoodrat said:
My problem is that when we go to my in-laws for dinner, my son and I will do the SOTC when no one’s looking because on more than one occasion, my sister-in-law has scolded my son (he’s 4 years old), saying he’s not supposed to do the SOTC. Ever since, my son is scared to do it in the presence of his dad’s family.
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You have more patience than I do, I’d be scolding the sister in law in front of the family and reminding her who the mother and father are. You can be a great example to your son by demonstrating the SOTC in front of the in-laws.
 
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