Just wondering about some basic traditions + customs

[analiffey]

I’m not a baptized Catholic, but I attend mass and adoration. I was in adoration, and I realized that I don’t know some basic things.

Which knee do you go down on, before you enter the pew?
Could you tell me which prayers are said during mass? I know Hail Mary, Prayer to St. Micheal, Our Father, Glory Be, and I’m working on learning Hail Holy Queen.
How should you sit during adoration? It is tiring to kneel for so long
Is it disrespectful if a non-Catholic makes the sign of the cross with the Holy Water? (I don’t do it, just in case)
Is it acceptable to bring Rosaries to Adoration? I brought mine but didn’t take it out of its case, because nobody else had theirs.

I’m sure I’ll think of more questions later…

 

[peter26]

1. Your right knee.
2. During Mass, just the Our Father and sometimes the Hail Mary during the bidding prayers. If you attend the Tridentine (noting that you posted in the traditional forum) the Prayer to St. Michael might be said after the end of the Mass, and possibly the Hail Holy Queen.
3. You can sit during adoration. The key thing is to be quiet and not disturb others unless there are collective prayers going on.
4. No, its fine to make the Sign of the Cross and this is used by many non-Catholic groups. Using Holy Water is fine. Basically anything except recieving Communion is fine if you are comfortable with it.
5. Yes, many people pray the Rosary during Adoration. You can basically do anything that is quiet and respectful.

 

[tafan2]

Which knee do you go down on, before you enter the pew?

Your right knee to the Tabernacle, if the Blessed Sacrament is exposed, genuflect on both knees.

Could you tell me which prayers are said during mass? I know Hail Mary, Prayer to St. Micheal, Our Father, Glory Be, and I’m working on learning Hail Holy Queen.

Of these, only the Our Father is said during mass. The prayer to Saint Michael is often said after Mass.

How should you sit during adoration? It is tiring to kneel for so long

Sit upright, good picture, and do NOT cross your legs.

Is it disrespectful if a non-Catholic makes the sign of the cross with the Holy Water? (I don’t do it, just in case)

Absolutely not disrespectful. You should feel free to do so.

Is it acceptable to bring Rosaries to Adoration? I brought mine but didn’t take it out of its case, because nobody else had theirs.

Yes, it is acceptable. I often say a rosary as part of adoration. Also, it’s acceptable to bring a Bible and read scripture.

 

[gracepoole]

Just a note that some prefer to kneel on both knees and this is acceptable. At the parish where I attend adoration, we have a few women who prostrate themselves completely. (And of course, you’re not barred from adoration if you have physical limitations that prohibit kneeling.)

 

[TomH1]

Which knee do you go down on, before you enter the pew?

The right knee. It was traditional, but no longer required, to genuflect on both knees if the Blessed Sacrament is exposed. If genuflecting is not physically possible then a deep bow should be made.

Could you tell me which prayers are said during mass? I know Hail Mary, Prayer to St. Micheal, Our Father, Glory Be, and I’m working on learning Hail Holy Queen.

There are quite a few prayers during Mass. Where I live, England, the Prayer of the Faithful has the Hail Mary at the end. I think we needed permission for that. Otherwise, the Hail Mary isn’t used at Mass. The Our Father is said as part of the Communion Rite. The Glory Be would be used if psalms we used as in the Gradual but in general no it is not. There is a psalm than can replace the Gradual called the Responsorial Psalm but that doesn’t end with Glory Be. The Prayer to St. Michael and the Hail Holy Queen are not said at Mass.

How should you sit during adoration? It is tiring to kneel for so long

Just sit normally.

Is it disrespectful if a non-Catholic makes the sign of the cross with the Holy Water? (I don’t do it, just in case)

You don’t, of course, have to do it, but doing it wouldn’t be disrespectful.

Is it acceptable to bring Rosaries to Adoration? I brought mine but didn’t take it out of its case, because nobody else had theirs.

Yes, you can if there is no liturgy during Adoration. You can quietly make your own prayers if Adoration is silent and that includes saying the Rosary.

 

[1ke]

Which knee do you go down on, before you enter the pew?

Depends on whether you are left or right handed which way you likely do it. There’s no right or wrong way.

Could you tell me which prayers are said during mass?

The Order of the Mass is online. Or you could ask your parish for a missalette. The Confiteor, Gloria, the Creed, the Sanctus, the Agnis Dei, and the Lord’s Prayer are the primary prayer of the congregation.

How should you sit during adoration?

Sit, kneel, stand. Any combo. Whatever works for you.

Is it disrespectful if a non-Catholic makes the sign of the cross with the Holy Water?

No. It’s a sacramental. Anyone can do so.

Is it acceptable to bring Rosaries to Adoration?

Bring whatever you want. Rosary, other Chaplet, holy cards, devotional books, prayer books, bible, or reading, audio, spiritual music or other materials on your phone or tablet (use headphones of course).

Really: whatever.

 

[Peeps]

Please remember that some of us can’t kneel or genuflect on either knee. Ouch! But our souls are kneeling even if our body isn’t.

 

[Peeps]

Sit upright, good picture, and do NOT cross your legs.

?? Really?

Why not?

Can you cite a source?

Honestly, I don’t think this matters.

 

[phil19034]

Which knee do you go down on, before you enter the pew?

1. When the Blessed Sacrament is inside the tabernacle, you go down on your RIGHT knee.
2. When the Blessed Sacrament is exposed for adoration (aka outside the tabernacle), you actually go down on both knees.
3. When the Blessed Sacrament is missing (aka not in the tabernacle and the red candle is not lit - like on Good Friday and Holy Saturday), you actually bow to the altar and do not genuflect.

• just as a note: going down on the right knee is for God, going down on the left knee is for humans. In other words, when a man goes down on one knee to propose to his girlfriend, he should go down on his left knee. When you kneel in front of the Queen of England, it should be the left knee. When you kneel in front of the Pope or a Bishop to kiss their ring, it should be with the left knee.

Could you tell me which prayers are said during mass? I know Hail Mary, Prayer to St. Micheal, Our Father, Glory Be, and I’m working on learning Hail Holy Queen.

Of the ones you’ve listed, only the Our Father is prayed by the laity during Mass. The rest are prayed at some parishes AFTER mass or during devotions, like the Rosary. In additional to the Our Father, the prayers at mass are:

• Confiteor (but sometimes this is replaced)
• The Gloria
• The Nicene Creed (or sometimes the Apostles Creed)
• Sanctus (Holy Holy Holy)
• Agnus Dei (Lamb of God)
• Lord, I’m not worth to enter under Your roof…

This website has all the parts that you can read: http://www.ibreviary.org/en/tools/ibreviary-web.html

How should you sit during adoration? It is tiring to kneel for so long
Is it disrespectful if a non-Catholic makes the sign of the cross with the Holy Water? (I don’t do it, just in case)
Is it acceptable to bring Rosaries to Adoration? I brought mine but didn’t take it out of its case, because nobody else had theirs.

you should kneel for a moment when you first get there. And you should kneel if the priest is doing a benediction or exposing the Blessed Sacrament in front of you. But otherwise you can sit.

It’s not “disrespectful” for non-Catholics to do it, but I would not do it if you are not baptized. It’s a reminder of our Baptism, so if you are not baptised, don’t do it until you are.

It is totally fine (and encouraged) to bring Rosary’s to adoration. However, I would not pray your Rosary IF the priest or deacon is praying another public devotion with everyone there. Otherwise, feel free to use your Rosary when at adoration.

God Bless!

 

[Dlee]

and do NOT cross your legs.

I’ve never heard this - can you please explain? Thanks.

 

[phil19034]

Depends on whether you are left or right handed which way you likely do it. There’s no right or wrong way.

as FYI - that’s not the traditional way.

The traditional way is right knee is for God, left knee is for humans.

 

[phil19034]

tafan2:

and do NOT cross your legs.

I’ve never heard this - can you please explain? Thanks.

It’s traditionally considered too informal. Same reason the Queen of England and other royalty traditionally do not cross their legs in public.

 

[1ke]

as FYI - that’s not the traditional way.

And FYI, that’s why I posted it: there is currently no rubric. People can kneel however they want to.

 

[phil19034]

phil19034:

as FYI - that’s not the traditional way.

And FYI, that’s why I posted it: there is currently no rubric. People can kneel however they want to.

Actually, there is a rubric.

According to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, “a genuflection, made by bending the right knee to the ground, signifies adoration, and therefore it is reserved for the Most Blessed Sacrament” (No. 274).

Which knee should I genuflect on? - Arlington Catholic Herald

God Bless

 

[tafan2]

You are sitting in front of the King of Kings, ettiqutee matters. Would you sit slouched over if you were meeting the queen of England?

 

[CRV]

Genuflecting: right, left, both? Ask an Apologist

Eucharistiae Sacramentum: Genuflection in the presence of the blessed sacrament, whether reserved in the tabernacle or exposed for public adoration, is on one knee. General Instruction of the Roman Missal: A genuflection, made by bending the right knee to the ground, signifies adoration, and therefore it is reserved for the Most Blessed Sacrament, as well as for the Holy Cross from the solemn adoration during the liturgical celebration on Good Friday until the beginning of the Easter Vig…

 

[tafan2]

It’s what we were taught as kids. But look up how to behave around royalty. One does not cross their legs.

 

[tafan2]

Thank you, I had no idea that statement if mine would be such a surprise

 

[phil19034]

Thank you, I had no idea that statement if mine would be such a surprise

it’s because some cultures (like in America) have little experience with royal edict. And type of things Emily Post used to teach have almost died out with the Greatest Generation.

For me, my Grandmother (rest her soul) was huge on edict, esp Emily Post. She was born in 1929, and past away back in Aug.

 

[po18guy]

1. Right knee to God. Left knee to humans, such as the Bishop, for example. To God it is humility, respect and worship. To the Bishop, it is recognition of the office of Bishop as created by Christ - not to the man himself necessarily.
2. Many of the prayers are strictly liturgical, and used in the mass for that specific purpose. Some are reserved, of course, for Father or the Bishop.
3. Sit. Kneel. Lie prostrate. Standing is not usual at all, unless you cannot sit. However, the pain you experience during kneeling may be joined to Christ’s suffering for the sake of others. Have family, friend or co-worker who needs help? Then put your pain and discomfort to good use. Offer it to God, in union with Christ, for a good intention.
4. Certainly make the sign of the cross! It does much more than you suspect (see below).
5. Bring that Rosary! Pray it. Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy! Yes!
6. Ask away! You have excellent judgment and are spending time exactly where you should: in the presence of Christ. Know someone else who might be interested? Invite them!

EDIT: Crud! Scatter-brained me forgot to post the info about the sign of the Cross. Here it is:

" The Sign of the Cross

The most basic Christian gesture in prayer is and always will be the sign of the cross. It is a way of confessing Christ crucified with one’s very body … To seal oneself with the sign of the cross is a visible and public Yes to him who suffered for us; to him who in the body has made God’s love visible, even to the utmost; to the God who reigns not by destruction but by the humility of suffering and love, which is stronger than all the power of the world and wiser than all the calculating intelligence of men. The sign of the cross is a confession of faith: I believe in him who suffered for me and rose again; in him who has transformed the sign of shame into a sign of hope and of the love of God that is present with us. The confession of faith is a confession of hope: I believe in him who in his weakness is the Almighty; in him who can and will save me even in apparent absence and impotence. By signing ourselves with the cross, we place ourselves under the protection of the cross, hold it in front of us like a shield that will guard us in all the distress of daily life and give us the courage to go on. We accept it as a signpost that we follow … The cross shows us the road of life — the imitation of Christ. . .Whenever we make the sign of the cross, we accept our Baptism anew; Christ from the cross draws us, so to speak, to himself. . .We make the sign of the cross on ourselves and thus enter the power of the blessing of Jesus Christ. We make the sign over people to whom we wish a blessing … Through the cross, we can become sources of blessing for one another.

• Pope Benedict XVI