How should we enter a church?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Woman1987
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
This might me a stupid question, but is there a specific side on which you genuflect? Are you supposed to go down on your right or left knee, or does it not matter?
 
I prefer to cross myself (Eastern style) with water, although I notice other parishes aren’t as particular about refilling their fonts, or they place them far from the door. 😦
 
CopyKat said:
I cross myself with holy water AS I walk in the door. I genuflect once I get to the aisle, but before I proceed down it to find a seat. Then I genuflect each time I get in and out of the pew. This seems to be what most others do at the TLM I attend. I also have seen a number of elderly who bow reverently (and probably can’t physically kneel).
Click to expand...
👍👍👍

God bless

jesus g
 
Maybe I am spending too much time thinking about this, but I do have one problem that I share with some early posts on this issue. Upon entering the church, I normally cross myself with the holy water. When I get to the pew, I try to kneel, bow my head in the direction of the tabernacle and go to my seat. I have been fooled more than once in newer churches.

In so many churches built within recent years, the tabernacle is really hard to find. On more than a few occasions, I have been surprised to see a panel opened for the Eucharist. Some of those look like normal decorations to those of us not familiar with a particular church. I understand that church architecture is not in my training, but I would love it if something that holy could be readily identified for showing reverence to Our Lord.
 
Georgia said:
Maybe I am spending too much time thinking about this, but I do have one problem that I share with some early posts on this issue. Upon entering the church, I normally cross myself with the holy water. When I get to the pew, I try to kneel, bow my head in the direction of the tabernacle and go to my seat. I have been fooled more than once in newer churches.

In so many churches built within recent years, the tabernacle is really hard to find. On more than a few occasions, I have been surprised to see a panel opened for the Eucharist. Some of those look like normal decorations to those of us not familiar with a particular church. I understand that church architecture is not in my training, but I would love it if something that holy could be readily identified for showing reverence to Our Lord.
Click to expand...
I recently visited a newly built Church and I was SO confused. I didn’t know where to genuflect. I couldn’t see the Tabernacle anywhere… eventually I realized it was BEHIND where I was sitting. It was SO weird. 🤷

I was confused. When I left I knelt towards the altar because I just didn’t know what else to do…
 
When I enter the Church I use holy water from the font, genuflect while making the sign of the cross, look for a pew, genuflect again with the sign of the cross next to the pew chosen and once finding a place to sit I kneel and make the sign of the Cross again. I suppose this is
maybe the classic old-style?
But, when we went to visit the Cathedral in Santa Fe for the first time, I did not know that the
Tabernacle was not located in the area of the Altar. An usher came up to me and corrected me
for genuflecting, and pointed to the room where the Tabernacle was located. That was my
first time of not experiencing the Tabernacle being placed on the main Altar with the parishioner’s in view.🤷
 
Monte_RCMS said:
One day I just stopped by a Catholic Church in a different neighborhood.

COULD NOT FIND THE TABERNACLE.

But I felt this “pulling” sensation and found myself staring at a blank wall. The wall was made of wood panels, different from the rest of the church.

Dunno why, but I PUSHED on the wall and it gave slightly and then the hidden door popped open. They were “touch latches”.

No joke.

The tabernacle was hidden in a former broom closet.

So I chatted with Jesus for a few minutes … “What have they done to You?!!” is what I actually said.

They had “reckovated” that church.
Click to expand...
One day, a bunch of us from the USA office got ordered to visit a place in Paris, France.

No, really … “somebody had to do it”.

Anyway, our hosts weren’t getting much of THEIR work done what with the meetings and all.

So, one day they dropped us off at Notre Dame and said to walk up the street and they would meet us after work for dinner.

So, we went into Notre Dame which we thought was sort of a museum, being so old and all that.

In the vestibule, there was a bulletin board … WITH THE WEEKLY PARISH BULLETIN pinned to it. And the regular announcements and the Mass schedule.

I don’t know what happened, but when I entered the main part of the church building, … it was quiet … but nothing extraordinary … and I felt that “pulling” and I said to my friends, “He’s here!”.

And I just followed the “pulling” and let it pull me. And we went around and around and ended up behind the main altar … and there was in a side altar in the back … a “thousand” candles burning and dozens of people on their knees … with Jesus in the Monstrance!

He was there!
 
I enter the Church, get myself a bulletin in the vestibule, enter the Church proper, cross myself with Holy Water, go to my pew, genuflect, cross myself, and than pray.
 
Well the first thing I do is actually walk through the doors, conveniently enough, which are located directly in the middle of the cathedral entrance. Since we are to genuflect when passing the middle of the tabernacle and since the Holy Water fount is at the back and in the middle, I then bless myself with Holy Water whilst genuflecting. I then walk up the main aisle, genuflect at the pew I wish to be seated at and cross myself again, get into the pew, kneel and pray.
 
ConstantineTG said:
You genuflect right after you bless yourself with the Holy Water.
Click to expand...
I have never, ever seen this done. I don’t believe it is a universal custom, and it is misleading to present it as such. Still less is it mandatory. Do you have a document which says otherwise?

As a matter of fact, given the scrum in the porches or entrance areas of most churches, it could be downright dangerous.
 
I’m a bit concerned about this.

I am in RCIA and I attend Mass at least on Sunday and so far every Wednesday before RCIA classes. I plan to join the church. I am baptized already (In a Baptist church, it was valid, I already discussed this when joining RCIA).

Do I cross myself with Holy Water when I enter? I have been, but I didn’t know if I was supposed to. I also genuflect towards the tabernacle before entering the pew. I do this too. I believe I should definitely be doing this. Am I correct?
 
You are fine on both counts. Especially must you genuflect.

Personally, I rarely use the Holy Water as there is usually too much of a scrum before Mass, and during the day if I visit I’m put off by knowing how dirty it gets (I’m a sacristan).

It’s not compulsory to use the Holy Water, but if you do, it is meant as a reminder of baptism.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top