Sign of the Cross

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Malia_Belen

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I went to my first visit to the Catholic Church near our house. The service was really nice even though I didn’t understand a lot of what was going on.

I do have a question though. Everyone was doing the sign of the cross so I tried to do it too…tried being the operative word. What’s the right way to do it?
 
Take your right hand and touch the middle of your forehead with the tips of your right fingers saying “in the name of the Father”, drop your arm down to your upper stomach, touching with the tips of your right fingers, saying, ‘the Son’, bring your right arm up to your left shoulder and touch your left shoulder with the tips of your right fingers saying “and the Holy”, then touch your right shoulder with the tips of your right fingers, quickly, saying “Spirit”, then bring your right arm down and to the center, bring your left arm rightward to meet your right arm in the center of your body in front of you, join your left and right hand together, and say, "amen’.

So the full prayer is “in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen”. Sometimes this is said aloud, sometimes silently. Also, some variants are "In the name of the father, and of the son, and of the Holy Spirit’. Sometimes the ‘and of’ part is said so quickly it isn’t really heard at all.
 
In addition to Tantum ergo’s spot on answer, I’ll add that is fine to substitute “Holy Ghost” for Holy Spirit".

In the old versions of the Litany of the Holy Ghost, both Names are used.

In the Byzantine Rite there is a specific way to join the fingers, and someone may offer a description of the method they use. 🙂
 
The priest or deacon or any lay member of the parish will also be more than happy to talk with you and answer any questions…and believe it or not there are NO dumb questions. I am in RCIA at the moment and that is how I got started. God Bless and I’ll keep you in my prayers.

👍
 
Thanks everyone 🙂

Now, I won’t look like I’m swatting a fly.

Rex_Tremendae: the mass was in english : )
 
For a bit of an irreverent answer: 😛

From the movie Die Hard: With a Vengeance
Zeus (Samuel L Jackson): How do Catholics do their thing?
John McClane (Bruce Willis): North, South, West, East.
:signofcross:

(That applies to the Latin rite – For easterners it is North, South, East, West :byzsoc: )

tee
 
tee_eff_em said:
For a bit of an irreverent answer: 😛

From the movie Die Hard: With a Vengeance
Zeus (Samuel L Jackson): How do Catholics do their thing?
John McClane (Bruce Willis): North, South, West, East.
:signofcross:

(That applies to the Latin rite – For easterners it is North, South, East, West :byzsoc: )

tee
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That’s better than some I’ve heard- “Spectacles, Testicles, Wallet and Watch” being one of the worst! 😊
 
jfallaw said:
Thanks for the image! I read somewhere when I was a child that it should be done like that- the three fingers signifying the Trinity. But everyone around me either uses the whole hand or just the index finger, so I always feel like I’m doing it wrong.
Click to expand...
I was never taught that. I thought it was supposed to be the whole hand.
 
JPUSC said:
I was never taught that. I thought it was supposed to be the whole hand.
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I do not think there is a strict rule on this. However, with the three fingers, the action seems more deliberate (which is the purpose).

Malia- if you were confused by an English Mass, just wait until you go to a Mass in Latin!!
 
I’m hoping that this post is not off-topic, since it deals with the “little” Signs we do at the Gospel.

I’ve seen it done with the thumb, with the fingers together as in the “larger” sign, and one parish priest who did it with his whole hand extended but using only the middle finger.

Which one is correct? Or if all are correct, which one is the most proper/ancient/traditional?
 
Ghoti said:
I’m hoping that this post is not off-topic, since it deals with the “little” Signs we do at the Gospel.

I’ve seen it done with the thumb, with the fingers together as in the “larger” sign, and one parish priest who did it with his whole hand extended but using only the middle finger.

Which one is correct? Or if all are correct, which one is the most proper/ancient/traditional?
Click to expand...
The GIRM says:
134. At the ambo, the priest opens the book and, with hands joined, says, Dominus vobiscum (The Lord be with you), and the people respond, Et cum spiritu tuo (And also with you). Then he says, Lectio sancti Evangelii (A reading from the holy gospel),
Code: 
making the sign of the cross with his thumb
on the book and on his forehead, mouth, and breast, which everyone else does as well…

👍
tee
 
tee_eff_em said:
The GIRM says:
134. At the ambo, the priest opens the book and, with hands joined, says, Dominus vobiscum (The Lord be with you), and the people respond, Et cum spiritu tuo (And also with you). Then he says, Lectio sancti Evangelii (A reading from the holy gospel),
Code: 
making the sign of the cross with his thumb
on the book and on his forehead, mouth, and breast, which everyone else does as well…

👍
tee
Click to expand...
👍
ta!
 
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