Extra gesture in Sign of the Cross

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EmiliaT

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I’m a fairly recent convent who is working as a music director at a parish with a predominantly ethnically Polish congregation. Recently, I’ve noticed that many of the parishioners make the sign of the cross differently than I was taught in RCIA; after the vertical movement, they very clearly go to one shoulder, the other, and then back to the first shoulder. I’d say at least a third of the people do this. What is the origin of this? Is it a Polish custom? I’d greatly appreciate any insights, as it puzzles me at at least three Masses per week!
 
I have seen in Hispanic cultures, the people make the sign of the cross and kiss their hand, the explaination is that they are “kissing the cross”, but I’m not sure about what you are describing.
 
I’m of 100% Polish decent / 2nd generation American and haven’t seen this.
 
I have seen the gesture of the “kissing” of the hand at the end of the sign of the cross, and also the gesture of “touching the center of the chest” after touching the right shoulder… I myself do these both.

However, I have never seen or heard of what you describe of going back to touch the left shoulder at the end…
 
My Catholic girlfriend who is Irish on her father’s side and Polish on her mother’s side does exactly what you just described when making the sign of the cross at Mass.

I will ask her about it and try to get back to you.
 
mfrances said:
I have seen in Hispanic cultures, the people make the sign of the cross and kiss their hand, the explaination is that they are “kissing the cross”, but I’m not sure about what you are describing.
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Yes, Filipinos do this too. What we are doing is placing the right index finger and the right thumb into a cross shape: the index finger forms the horizontal bar of the cross and the thumb forms the vertical bar and we kiss either the top of the thumb - to represent kissing the top of the cross - or we kiss the nail of the thumb - to represent kissing the centre of the cross. It’s an old Hispanic custom.

One variant I’ve seen among people of different cultures is touching your heart after making the sign of the cross, similarly to the way you’d touch your breast after saluting a flag or something. The Cross is the victory banner under which all Christians live and it should ever remain in our hearts. I guess this is the sentiment.
 
I was taught in the Episcopal Church to make a smaller cross in the center of my chest after making the standard Western Church sign, although this sometimes looks like I am merely touching the center of my sternum.

In the Eastern Church the sign is made right-to-left, instead of left-to-right.

I’ve never seen what you describe, though.
 
I see similar gesture every day when we do morning prayers at school. but they do not go back to the first shoulder. They go back to the middle, which is close to the heart. I think the explanation might be they want to keep the cross in their heart. I don’t know if it’s Polish though
 
EmiliaT said:
I’m a fairly recent convent who is working as a music director at a parish with a predominantly ethnically Polish congregation. Recently, I’ve noticed that many of the parishioners make the sign of the cross differently than I was taught in RCIA; after the vertical movement, they very clearly go to one shoulder, the other, and then back to the first shoulder. I’d say at least a third of the people do this. What is the origin of this? Is it a Polish custom? I’d greatly appreciate any insights, as it puzzles me at at least three Masses per week!
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If it is a custom among Poles (I can’t say for sure), I think it might have something to do with the origins of the Polish church in the missions of Ss Cyril and Methodios.

Then again. it could be anything.
 
My first post on the forum!

I just returned from Divine Liturgy at a Ukrainian Catholic church (though I usually attend a Roman Catholic church with my family), and when the priest blessed us, he did do the extended gesture of returning to the middle after the right-left gesture. So maybe it’s not just Polish. 🤷
 
iohanne said:
Yes, Filipinos do this too. What we are doing is placing the right index finger and the right thumb into a cross shape: the index finger forms the horizontal bar of the cross and the thumb forms the vertical bar and we kiss either the top of the thumb - to represent kissing the top of the cross - or we kiss the nail of the thumb - to represent kissing the centre of the cross. It’s an old Hispanic custom.
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As a (half-) Filipino raised in the Philippines this was actually how I was taught to make the Sign of the Cross. 🙂
 
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