Is there a Crucifix in your Church?

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Ours does not have a crucifix. above the alter there is a Jesus arms outstretched rising to Heaven with no cross. the lights on this statue create a shadow on the backwall of a dove descending. Pretty cool but not a crucifix.

off to the side there is a plain wooden cross about 6 ft high with a white clothe draped over the cross beam.

Is there any direction on the style of crucifix, cross, levitating Jesus a church should have?

Personally I miss the crucifix at the Parish of my youth. SS Simon & Jude, Westtown PA. I couldn’t find a picture but here is the website: simonandjude.org/

Thanks,
Mike
 
This is inappropriate no matter how pretty it is. There should be a crucifix behind the altar (or on it in small spaces of worship), as well as a crucifix for processions. Artwork of the sort you describe is perfectly fine elsewhere in the church buildings, but not in the place of prominence behind the altar.

My parish has a life-sized crucifix behind the altar hanging on the wall right where it belongs. There is a “touch down Jesus” cross in the foyer which I don’t care for, but I take comfort that at least is isn’t in the sanctuary.
 
Our parish also used to have a resurrected Christ instead of a crucifix, although the resurrected Christ was depicted on a cross in the dress of a priest, with arms outstretched, but not affixed to the cross. It was quite beautiful, but I am told that the resurrected Christ was not in accordance with the GIRM so it was replaced by a true crucifix depicting the crucified Christ. The new crucifix is also quite beautiful and, I am told, in conformity with the general instructions regarding the mass.

Peace and Charity,
 
As I understand it, the GIRM requires that there must be a crucifix with corpus in proximity to the altar, at least during mass.
 
Catholic Answers’ Jimmy Akin on page188 of his book, *Mass Confusion, *quotes Msgr.Peter Elliot as follows:

The cross should be located on, next to, immediately behind, or suspended above the altar. It ought to be visibly related to the altar as viewed by the people. In the context of the Roman liturgy, “cross” means a crucifix [see Roman Ritual, *Book of Blessings, Blessing of a Cross, no. 1235]. A figure of the risen Christ behind the altar cannot be regarded as a substitute for the cross.
 
Unfortunatly, we also have a cross with the resurected Christ, on the wall behind the altar. However we are in compliance, because we keep the processional cruifix in the sanctuary, near the altar. It’s not ideal but it is licit.
 
Yes we have a cross with the Corpus Christi on it, above the altar.
 
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Della:
This is inappropriate no matter how pretty it is. There should be a crucifix behind the altar (or on it in small spaces of worship), as well as a crucifix for processions.
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When Della says “inappropriate”, Della means that it violates Della’s personal aesthetics, not that it’s against the Church’s teachings.
 
We have a simple cross hanging over the alter. During the procession a crucifix is brought to the sancuary and then placed in the sacristy. Most of the time, after the Mass, the crucifix is retrieved and then leads the procession back out of the “woship space”.

BTW our tabernacle is not located within the “worship space” but is in a chapel only peripherally attached (thru the sacristy). Also after the distribution of the Eucharist, the “Eucharistic Ministers” (not EMHCs) take the chalices containing the blood and the plates containing the body and bring them into the sacristy where presumably someone (not the priest) consolidates the host and places it in the tabernacle as well as consumes any remaining blood and purifies the vessels.

I really don’t know what version (real or imaginary) of the GIRM we try to follow or for that matter if anyone realizes that liturgical norms are not supposed to be optional.
 
Our parish had a very modern crucifix behind the alter. It was made out of metal and was a great “art” peice. When the Bishop came to our parish, which is brand new, he was very upset at the crucifix. He stated that it was inapropriate and that it had to come down because it did not follow the Church rules. The Church, perish, must have a “realistic” style crucifix. It is in the Church rules. With that said, there is a rule when it comes to having a crucifix in the Church and what kind or style it is.

Hope that helps.
 
So I guess the next question is what can I or better a group of concerned parishoners do about getting a crucifix that conforms to the rules to be placed above the alter?

They are in the planning stages of a new church building as the current one is too small for the current parish membership. I’ve not seen the plans but given the liberal nature of this area. I’m visioning some sort of circular shaped multimedia center.

God help us.

Mike
 
The church where I was confirmed but no longer attend has a cross, not a crucifix, a cross hanging from the middle of the ceiling. The only crucifix that I remember in that place is the processional cross.

I the two church’s that I go to now each have a crucifix. One is life sized. 🙂
 
We have the resurrected Christ, with the cross behind him, reaching his arms out to us like an invitation to come to Him. A saying “To serve Him is to reign” is on the marble around Him. I remember the Church was built in the late 60’s and our pastor was so proud of it.
 
While I no longer belong to the parish that I grew up in, the church had a wonderful mosaic of Christ the High Priest on the cross behind the high altar. I recall that as a little kid, I would gaze up at Jesus…there he was in a chasuble and stole…even wore a maniple. At the foot of this cross was the table of the Last Supper with all of the apostles. As a little kid, not understanding Latin, this spoke volumes to me, and I loved it.

In the 1980’s, the parish celebrated its centennial (though the church was built in the 1940’s) and underwent a complete update. A new Christ the High Priest mosaic went up in place of the old one. Gone are the apostles, but the foot of the cross ends behind the tabernacle.

The parish also put the 1940’s processional crucifix away at the centennial and purchased a new crucifix…it is a cross with a spider attached to it, at least, that is what the art work that is to depict Jesus looks like to me.

I suppose that this post is a tad off topic, as I am not writing about my current parish, but the original post caused my mind to wander.

Joe
 
There are two newer parishes in my area and neither one of them have the Crucifix behind the altar. I find it very disturbing, and I have not gone back to either of them since because of it. I drive forty minutes to get to my old home parish and I am happy to do so, because it is a true Catholic parish. Those other two new parishes are protestant who call themselves Catholic, imho. No thank you!
 
Robert in SD:
Our parish also used to have a resurrected Christ instead of a crucifix, although the resurrected Christ was depicted on a cross in the dress of a priest, with arms outstretched, but not affixed to the cross. It was quite beautiful, but I am told that the resurrected Christ was not in accordance with the GIRM so it was replaced by a true crucifix depicting the crucified Christ. The new crucifix is also quite beautiful and, I am told, in conformity with the general instructions regarding the mass.

Peace and Charity,
Click to expand...
Did the Cristus have a crown on as well? If so, it was a Cristus Rex, a “Christ the King.” I love that image, depicting the Risen Lord as Priest and King. It is not, however, appropriate for display immediately at the Altar, as you said. Our parish has a beautiful crucifix behind the Altar. It’s painted, in the Eastern style, rather than a sculpture. Our pastor also bought an truly VAST crucifix for our GYMNASIUM!!! It’s like 20 feet high and is really beautiful. It won’t fit in the church, I don’t think. I was told it was bought for the gymnasium anyway. I don’t particularly care for the thought of basketballs bouncing off Him.
 
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Timidity:
When Della says “inappropriate”, Della means that it violates Della’s personal aesthetics, not that it’s against the Church’s teachings.
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Actually, a Crucifix is supposed to be in close proximity to the Altar during the celebration of the Mass. It doesn’t have to be permanent, ie, a processional cross will do, but it does have to be there, according to GIRM.
 
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travellinmike:
So I guess the next question is what can I or better a group of concerned parishoners do about getting a crucifix that conforms to the rules to be placed above the alter?
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The one you have does not violate any rules, so you really have nothing other than personal preference to stand on.
 
C S P B:
We have a simple cross hanging over the alter. During the procession a crucifix is brought to the sancuary and then placed in the sacristy. Most of the time, after the Mass, the crucifix is retrieved and then leads the procession back out of the “woship space”.

BTW our tabernacle is not located within the “worship space” but is in a chapel only peripherally attached (thru the sacristy). Also after the distribution of the Eucharist, the “Eucharistic Ministers” (not EMHCs) take the chalices containing the blood and the plates containing the body and bring them into the sacristy where presumably someone (not the priest) consolidates the host and places it in the tabernacle as well as consumes any remaining blood and purifies the vessels.

I really don’t know what version (real or imaginary) of the GIRM we try to follow or for that matter if anyone realizes that liturgical norms are not supposed to be optional.
Click to expand...
There is an indult which allows the EMHCs to purify the vessels. The indult applies to the whole United States.
 
Our old (original) altar has this high back to it (eventually goes to two peaks which mirror towers outside), and in the center section is our Crucifix (which is framed by statues of the Blessed Virgin and St. John). The new altar stands in front of the old one, but you can’t look there without seeing the old one.
 
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