Many newcomers and visitors may not be familiar with all of Saint Paul’s worship customs, which are briefly explained here. If any of these is confusing or unfamiliar, please feel free to ask any greeter, clergy, or parishioner who will be happy to talk to you about how and why we do what we do. And please know that they are strictly optional! All are welcome at St. Paul’s to worship with us however they are comfortable.

The Postures of Worship

The Old Testament attests to public prayers standing and kneeling, usually with uplifted hands. In the Anglican Church the tradition is to stand when praising (usually, singing or reciting hymns of praise), to sit when listening (except for the Gospel in Mass, when we stand), and to kneel when praying.

In contemporary practice most Episcopalians will stand from the opening acclamation at Mass through the Collect for Purity, the Kyrie, the Gloria, and the Collect of the Day.

We sit for the Lessons from the Old Testament, Acts, the Epistles, or Revelation and for the Psalm. We stand for the “Alleluia Verse” (or Tract during Lent) and remain standing for the Gospel.

We sit for the sermon or reading from the lives of the saints (if there is one).

We stand for the Creed (if it is said or sung). During the recitation of the Nicene Creed, we at St. Paul's genuflect at the words of the incarnatus. These words are: "Who for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven and was made flesh by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary AND WAS MADE MAN." The incarnation of Our Lord Jesus Christ is that act of love for humankind whereby the sinless Son of God, the Word, lowered himself to take on human nature. The genuflection is our physical response of immeasurable gratitude to God for the most significant event since the Creation, the recognition that God so loved the world that he came to live and die as one of us, to reconcile us to him.  As we lower ourselves in a genuflection we remind ourselves of God’s own “lowering” of himself.

We stand for the Prayers of the People.

We kneel for the Confession and Absolution.

We stand for the Peace and greet one another in the name of the Lord.

We stand for the Offertory during a Low Mass, but sit during the Offertory during a Sung or High Mass. We then stand when the thurifer turns to cense the People during a Sung or High Mass.

We kneel during the Eucharistic Prayer. Except for rising to receive Communion and to return to our pews, we usually stay kneeling through the Prayer of Thanksgiving and the Final Blessing. A few people follow Eastern Christian tradition and stand through the Eucharistic Prayer rather than kneeling. This is particularly true during the seven weeks of Eastertide.

We stand for the Dismissal and recessional hymn.

Genuflections and Bows

A typical genuflection is made by bending the knees, lowering one knee almost to the ground. This is a sign of respect, awe, and adoration. We generally genuflect when passing the Sanctuary where Christ is present in the consecrated Eucharistic elements. We also genuflect at mentions of the Incarnation, such as in the Nicene Creed at the words, “And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary and was made man” or the words in the first chapter of the Gospel of John “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” We also kneel on Palm Sunday and Good Friday at the announcement of the death of Christ during the reading of the Passion.

In the Letter to the Philippians, Saint Paul writes that “God has highly exalted [Jesus] and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil 2:9-11) In this spirit, to honor the name of Our Lord and to glorify Our God, when the name of Jesus is said or sung, we bow.

We also bow as a mark of honor and glory when the names of the Triune God, "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit", are said or sung.

Again we bow during the Sanctus as we say or heard sung the words “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts.” This tradition stems from the Hebrew liturgy.

We bow during the Gloria at the words “receive our prayer,” as an act of humble petition.

We bow at the word “worship” in both the Gloria and the Creed.

When we pass an altar we bow, reverencing the place of Christ’s sacrifice for us and the relics of saints that are traditionally in altars. We also bow in reverence when the cross passes in procession during Mass.

When a bishop passes in final procession at the end of Mass, going to the back doors, those who wish the bishop’s blessing genuflect as he passes.

Double genuflections involve kneeling on both knees and bowing the head low. These are generally reserved for the exposed Blessed Sacrament and for the adoration of the Holy Cross on Good Friday.

Jesus said, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it.” (Luke 9:3-24). Paul wrote, “Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Galatians 6:14)

The Cross is the unique symbol of Christians. From ancient times the Sign of the Cross has been used for blessing and for Christians to identify themselves to others. Crosses were used as signatures on documents by both literate and illiterate people. A scribe would write the names of all signatories to a document, but each would sign with his or her own Cross. Within Church circles, some people still will put a Cross at the top of a letter or note and will put a Cross after their signature. This is most consistently done by priests, nuns, and brothers. Bishops usually sign with a Cross before their names. So the Sign of the Cross can be a seal and an agreement.

In the Christian West, the Sign of the Cross is made by touching the forehead, the sternum (breast bone), the left shoulder, and the right shoulder. Some people come back to the center to complete the movement, others do not. The hand is held in different postures by different people when making the Sign of the Cross. Some use a single finger; some extend all of their fingers simultaneously. Some adopt the Eastern Christian tradition and hold the thumb, index, and middle fingers together to represent the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost). The ring finger and the little finger, representing the two natures of Christ (divine and human), are then held against the palm, representing the Incarnation, when Christ came to earth. A typical Hispanic tradition is to form a cross with the index finger and thumb after making the Sign of the Cross and then to kiss the thumb as a sign of veneration of the Cross of Christ.

The Sign of the Cross is used as a sign of blessing, and as such is used at various times to remind us of God’s many blessings to us in so many ways. It may be used at any time as a visible prayer and invocation of God’s grace.  There are several moments during the Mass when the Sign of the Cross is commonly used by the Faithful.

Upon entry into a Church building, many will dip their fingers in holy water and bless themselves in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit using the Sign of the Cross. Some use this as a reminder that by Baptism we enter the Household of God.
 
Upon exiting from a Church building, many will again bless themselves with holy water. Some see this as a reminder that by Baptism we are sent out into the world, “The Mission Field begins here, now.”

At the entrance of the Sanctuary party, if there is a short verse of scripture said by the priest or sung by choir as an opening antiphon (the Introit), most people will make the Sign of the Cross.

At the Opening Acclamation at Mass, when the Holy Trinity is blessed, most people make the Sign of the Cross.

At the end of the Gloria in excelsis Deo, usually at the mention of the “Glory of the Father,” most people make the Sign of the Cross in assent to this hymn of praise.

At the announcement of the Gospel, the priest or deacon, using the thumb, makes the Sign of the Cross on the Gospel passage and then on the forehead, lips and heart saying a prayer such as “May the Spirit of God be in my mind, in my heart, and on my lips that I may worthily proclaim the Gospel.” The people usually mirror this action, as they hear the Gospel in Church to proclaim the Gospel with their lives in the world.

Before the Congregation sits for the sermon, the preacher usually invokes the Holy Trinity and all make the Sign of the Cross. The sermon is meant to be a charge to the Faithful to live the Gospel in their daily lives, so it is a continuation of the proclamation of the Gospel. Some people make the Sign of the Cross at the end of the sermon as well as the beginning, particularly if the preacher finishes invoking the Holy Trinity once again.

At the end of the Creed, the Faithful make the Sign of the Cross as a seal of agreement with what they have just professed. Some people make the Sign of the Cross at the clause about the resurrection of the dead rather than at the last clause. This is related to the tradition of making the Sign of the Cross at the mention of those who have gone before us as a visible profession of our belief in the resurrection of the faithful dead as a consequence of Christ’s death on the Cross and Resurrection from the dead.

During the Prayers of the People, the people make the Sign of the Cross at the prayers for the dead and at the prayer for forgiveness of our sins, if there is no confession at the particular Mass.

When the priest pronounces the absolution, the people make the Sign of the Cross, as it is by Christ’s Cross and Resurrection that we are freed from the bondage of sin.

During the Sanctus and Benedictus (Holy, Holy, Holy…), at the words “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,” the people make the Sign of the Cross, since a blessing is being pronounced.

As each of the elements is elevated during the consecration, the people make the Sign of the Cross in acknowledgement of the solemnity of the event and the mystery that is present.

At the Altar Rail, most individuals make the Sign of the Cross before receiving each element and again after receiving both elements, before leaving the Altar Rail. Those who receive a blessing usually make the Sign of the Cross as the priest pronounces the individual blessing over them.

During the Final Blessing, as an acknowledgement of the completion of the act of worship, as the priest makes the Sign of the Cross over the people, the people respond by making the Sign of the Cross themselves.

Individuals, as specific acts of personal devotion, may make the Sign of the Cross at other times during the Mass as well. It should be done thoughtfully, prayerfully, and voluntarily.