Genuflect or bow

[Phemie]

I have a little question since you elaborated so nicely:
I knew that one genuflects towards the sacrament and bows in front of the altar. If the sacrament is behind or on the altar genuflecting is apropos.
Now to my question: I was basically taught (by watching quite a few others) that when entering the pew during perpetual adoration it’s even different. I have to describe it as I simply don’t know the proper English words for this. If I was to translate the term from German into English this would be called a double genuflection. Both knees on the ground and a bow.
Would this be right?

The double genuflection was required during adoration but that requirement no longer exists except in some countries where the Conference of Bishops has voted to retain it. That doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be done, just that it isn’t required. You can read about it here.

 

[Janet1983]

The double genuflection was required during adoration but that requirement no longer exists except in some countries where the Conference of Bishops has voted to retain it. That doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be done, just that it isn’t required. You can read about it here.

Thank you. It was rather interesting since my German sources and my English sources were giving conflicting information and I wasn’t sure whether what I experienced had something to do with the age of the other participants and the fact that they were Franciscan sisters…
Your source helped me a great deal. I knew that there were subtle national differences, but I did not know the extend.

 

[Matthew_Holford]

I’ve seen Franciscan Sisters genuflect (and bow if they wouldn’t have been able to get back up).

I think the profound bow in place of a genuflection is a tradition in the Benedictine family of monastic orders, e.g. Benedictines, Cistercians, Trappists. Franciscans are not monastics but mendicants and perhaps they don’t have the same tradition. I would propose from what you have observed is that they may usually genuflect but bow if physically incapable of genuflecting.

 

[corsair]

Ah, and when it comes to bowing don’t forget the Dominicans