www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life The Christian East & West Eastern reverences when passing a Church

Dear Porter,

I grew up in a borough of NYC, and my friends were of Italian and Irish descent. Could it be that their Catholicism may have still been fresh with the customs of their parents' and grandparents' homelands? NYC is a very ethnic place compared to Washington State!

In the universal Roman Catholic church, each country of Europe seemed to have had their own traditions and practices...like the famous feast of San Giannaro in little Italy, where a statue of the Saint is paraded in the streets just like in Italy!

In Christ,
Alice

Likewise,we also make the sign of the Cross when passing a Sacramental Church. Since I don't pass many semitaries I tend to forge that. However, I have been very pleased to notice our chilren, all young adults when riding with them and passing an amulance will cross themselves and say a prayer.

Another thing, is remember the monk that whoever he passed he made the sign of the Cross. He said becasue everyone was Jesus.

Also, I am drawn to cross myself when I pass my dads house. I often wondered about that, but I do it without thinking about it. I guess if is ok, since it seems to happen without thought.

Pani Rose

Alice wrote to Porter:

I grew up in a borough of NYC, and my friends were of Italian and Irish descent. Could it be that their Catholicism may have still been fresh with the customs of their parents' and grandparents' homelands? NYC is a very ethnic place compared to Washington State!

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Yes, whereas many in the West would not have kept that practice nor would they in Alaska where being a first or second generation was rare. At any rate it seems it isn't a uniform thing - being mainly an ethnic practice in certain places.

In our little town in eastern Washington State out West Catholicism was in the minority. There were about 80% more Protestants. At that time 40's and 50's-- there was a small Catholic Church and didn't even have an Orthodox church in town. Never heard of one until in my late teens when I went to a bigger city to go to college.

Mary Jo

That's really a beautiful thing to do.

Pani Rose,

Long time ago when I was teaching in a Catholic Native mission boarding school in Alaska we had an elderly German Jesuit brother who tended the huge garden (you know those giant Alaska cabbages) He was so sweet and humble that even when he got to drink a bottle of beer he made the sign of the cross.

Mary Jo...

As a child in the Latin Church, growing up in Boston in the 50s, it was the custom to Sign the Cross on your forehead, lips, and breast when passing a Catholic Church. I know we used the thumb and I think, but can't remember for certain, that we joined the first and second fingers to the thumb.

We were taught to do so by the German and Irish Sisters, all now of blessed memory, who staffed our school. We were instructed by our priest, Father Joe Monahan, also of blessed memory, that we should Sign ourselves when passing an Orthodox Church as well, because they too were, in his words, "Holy Temples of God" (I remember the phrase because we were the only Catholic kids I knew who understood the word "temple" as a synonym for "church".)

Father Joe, who treasured his friendship with a local Greek Orthodox priest, an uncommon thing for the time, would have been awed by the presence of Orthodox hierarchs at a Pope's funeral. I suspect he watched from a better vantage point - with his friend - and without suffering the aggravation of listening to commentators .

Many years,

Neil

In my neighborhood lots of people make the sign of the cross when passing the church. The area is heavily Latino so I don't know if that has something to do with it. I've done it as long as I can remember. I don't remember ever having been "taught" to do it.

In my family we almost always cross ourselves when leaving the house. I think other people do this too. I used to do a lot of walking home late at night and I'd also make the sign of the cross when starting home.

My parish has an outdoor shrine facing an intersection and I see motorists cross themselves all the time when passing by there. The shrine is always full of candles and flowers.

In spanish the word "templo" or "temple" is often used for "church".

Just as a correction to my previous post, the word should read "intincted." Sorry for any confusion.

Christ is Risen!

I almost always cross myself when passing an Orthodox or Catholic Church.

From the earliest age, I always knew that the Orthodox and Catholic churches were the THE church of Christ.

My Orthodox friends cross themselves when passing a Catholic Church.

I also cross myself before driving, before work and when I pass an accident. I can't get enough of it.

In Christ,

John

Mary Jo [/qb][/QUOTE]My best friend of many years is a priest. I have picked up the habit from him of saying a short prayer for the dead every time I drive by a cemetery, or wait on the roadway for a funeral procession to pass. [/QB][/QUOTE]

I will make the sign of the cross and say the following

May God bless all the company of souls here
May God and Mary bless you.
You too spent a while here just as we are here now and we will join you soon.
May we all be adorned in the beauty of the bright King of Heaven.

(Traditional, Co Mayo)

Khram, meaning temple, is also used in modern Russian for church.

JGC,

Thank you for that lovely prayer.

Mary Jo

When I was a kid in Catholic School the nuns taught us to cross ourselves when we passed a Church, a cemetary and any time we saw a funeral procession or heard a siren. Along with the signing, there was different prayers they taught us to say. The Fatima prayer when we passed a Church, the prayer for the faithfully departed when passing a cemetary or seeing a funeral procession(keeps you from counting the cars ), and a Hail Mary when a siren is heard...

Since I still do this years later, my kids have also picked up the 'habit', though they do forget at times, and have taught their friends to do the same.
Vie

About doing the sign of the Holy Cross: many Christian people here in Romania do the sign of the Holy Cross when they pass near an Orthodox or Catholic Church, or before and after eating, passing near a funeral ceremony, before departing and after arriving from a travel, before beginning and after finishing a work. Always with God in soul.

In our countries there are many Christian traditions. The most important is to have love for God and each other.

Manuel beat me to it - many Latino Catholics make the sign of the Cross when passing by a Church.

I do so when I remember to. Western Pennsylvania has many Apostolic churches.