Sign of the Cross

"In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen."

Mass begins and ends with the Sign of the Cross, the ending coming with a Blessing of the Assembly.
Catholics often bless themselves with Holy Water making the Sign of the Cross. Many prayers and devotions, such as the Rosary, begin and end with the Sign of the Cross.

For Roman Catholics, the Sign of the Cross is made in the following manner:

In the Name of the Father, [touching the forehead]
and of the Son, [touching the heart]
and of the Holy Spirit.[touching the left shoulder, then right shoulder]
Amen.

The Sign of the Cross recalls Baptism, and Jesus' instruction to the Apostles to "go forth and make disciples of all the lands, Baptizing in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." The motion of a cross reminds us of Jesus' dying for our sins on the Cross. Note also that the Sign of the Cross declares "In the Name of ..." as a reminder of the need to act as an instrument of God, Who is Three Persons and One God.

For Eastern Rite Catholics such as Ukrainian Catholics, the horizontal motion is the reverse of Latin Rite Catholics, i.e., for the Eastern Rite the motion is from right shoulder to left shoulder, and there is an effort to hold the thumb and first two fingers together throughout the motion, with the bundle of three representing the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity.

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- page last modified May 21, 2008 -

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Steven C. Welsh, Editor and Contributor
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