Right or left Mary & Joseph?

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At your specific parish, is Mary on your left of the altar or the priests left of the altar? Is Joseph on your right of the altar or the priests right of the altar, at your specific parish? Also, at your specific parish, when you genuflect before entering the pew, which side do you face at your parish the right or the left? Which side do you sit on at your parish? Do you do it for any particular reason or just because that’s where an empty seat is?
 
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klmt123 said:
At your specific parish, is Mary on your left of the altar or the priests left of the altar? Is Joseph on your right of the altar or the priests right of the altar, at your specific parish?
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There is a statue of Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus on my right of the altar. There is a statue of St. Matthew on my left of the altar. (The parish is St. Matthew’s)
klmt123 said:
Also, at your specific parish, when you genuflect before entering the pew, which side do you face at your parish the right or the left?
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I face forward but slightly to the left because that is where the tabernacle resides.
klmt123 said:
Which side do you sit on at your parish? Do you do it for any particular reason or just because that’s where an empty seat is?
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I sit in the balcony. There are three rows of pews with two pews on the left and right row and three pews in the center. I typically pick one of the pews in the last row. (left, right or center, whatever is available) I prefer to sit up there because you have a great bird’s eye view of the sanctuary. My family started sitting there when my children were younger and it was a very good spot for me to be able to point out to them what was happening at each part of the Mass without disturbing others. The children could see what was going on rather than just staring at people’s backs if we were in the main nave of the church.
 
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When I walk into the church and look straight ahead, a statue of St. Paul, (for whom the church is named), and the tabernacle are on my left, Joseph, Mary and the infant Jesus are on my right. I genuflect to my left when arriving and departing.

The church seating is dived in two with a center aisle. In the four years I’ve been attending here I have chosen to sit on the left on all but two occasions. I really can’t explain why, it just feels like my spot. 🙂
 
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I belong to an Eastern Catholic parish, Our Lady, Queen of Heaven is depicted in the dome above the altar being crowned. An icon of Our Lady is also to the right of the altar. To the left our Church’s patron saint. We bow, not genuflect, towards the altar in the center, the tabernacle resides in a niche just behind it. If, while in the pews, one looks up, you will see an icon of Christ, as if ever always watching over us from heaven.
 
CelticWarlord said:
In the four years I’ve been attending here I have chosen to sit on the left on all but two occasions. I really can’t explain why, it just feels like my spot. 🙂
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I do the same thing. I always sit on the left, no matter where I attend, at my home parish or the Cathedral. Isn’t it funny how some of us have our “place”. 🙂
 
klmt123 said:
Also, at your specific parish, when you genuflect before entering the pew, which side do you face at your parish the right or the left?
Click to expand...
I genuflect facing forward, toward the tabernacle. So does everyone else, I think. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone genuflect facing either left or right. Why do you ask?
 
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Statue of Mary on the left past the tabernacle. Statue of Joespeh with infant on right. Genuflect facing the tabernacle. Sit in the front left.
 
Our church is very old. As I am sitting in the pew, on the high altar, we have a crucifix with Mary on the left and St. John on the right. There are two side altars, Joseph on the right, Mary on the left.
I face forward when I genuflect and I sit on the left side. Just habit I guess.
 
Mary is on the right in the back of the church. Jesus is on the left in the back of the church. No statues or other decorations in the church. Unable to genuflect, just bow to the tabernacle.
 
St. Joseph on the left, Our Lady on the right.

It is a tradition to depict the most important always on the right side of the main figure. It means strenght, control, worth, prominence etc.

Since Our Lady is the most perfect creature ever created by God, she is usually placed on the right
 
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Mary on right side altar, Jesus on left side altar, Joseph to the left of the altar, St Anne in the middle, St Joachim to the right. Tabernacle is in the middle so we genuflect to the front.

I usually sit in first or second pew on the right because the priest begins to distribute communion on this side and I’ve become quite a germaphobe lately, I like to be one of the first to receive. Plus I have to sit up front or I can’t focus.
 
This is so cool hearing about all the different ways the churches are set!!
 
Mary is to the priest’s (and Jesus on the Cross’) right and the congregation’s left.

Where I sit depends. My church is cruciform, so
-Daily Mass- North transept
-Adoration- East transept, next to the Sacristy, since I am serving
-Sunday Mass- Either in the Sanctuary as an MC or in the west transept.
 
Traditionally (small t, not bit T), Mary is on the left (if you are facing the main altar) and Joseph is on the right.

That is where we get the bride’s side on the left and groom’s side on the right.
 
At my parish when facing the altar from the pew, a statue of St. Joseph is on the left and a statue of Mary is on the right. We always sit on the left side around the middle. No reason, it’s just habit.
 
I church hop a little. The one I visit most often has no statuary at the front except a prominent crucifix on the front wall behind the altar.

There is a statue of Mary in an alcove on the congregations right side about half way along the length of the church.

The tabernacle is to the right of the altar so that is where I face when bowing.

I usually sit on the congregation left side - no particular rhyme or reason.
 
From the pews facing the alter Baby Jesus, Mary and St Joseph are on the right. On the left, oh my gosh I just had a brain fart, I forgot the saint who is on the left side. I can’t believe I forgot, lol. Anyway I think he is our churches Patron Saint, I need to ask on that. Our church is St Joseph Catholic Church, well Mission now that we are joined with another bigger church since the restructuring.

Anyway, is that normal for a C.C. to have a different Patron Saint than their name?

My old Church was called Immaculate Conception and Mary was on the left facing the alter/sitting in the pew and Joseph holding Jesus was on the right.

95% of the time, regardless of what C.C. I attend I set on the right side about middle facing the alter. My family as far back as I can remember, always sat on the right, so I guess tradition, small t 😁
 
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In my parish the Theotokos is on the left side of the iconostasis when you enter the church.

I always stand on the right side out of habit. Some (most?) Orthodox churches still have sex segregated seating/standing and it’s usually (though not always) the case that women stand on the left, corresponding to the side of the Theotokos. Men usually stand on the right. In some cases women stand up in a balcony while men stand on the floor below, though I’ve only seen this twice and in Europe, never the United States. My own parish is not sex segregated though most people in the parish still honor this age old tradition. It’s usually only families with young children that stand together.
 
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