Returning Catholics FAQs: The Sign of the Cross

On Mondays, I answer questions frequently asked by those considering a return to the Catholic Church. How do I know this stuff? I was away for more than 30 years myself, and am the co-author of  When They Come Home: Ways to Welcome Returning Catholics, a book for pastors and parish leaders interested in this ministry.

What’s the significance of making the Sign of the Cross, and why do we do it all the time?

Catholics cross ourselves before and after we pray (for example, when we say grace at meals), after Communion, and when we enter and

exit a church sanctuary. The Sign of the Cross also is part of all sacraments, and is used by some people in times of fear and uncertainty.

Through crossing ourselves, forehead to breastbone, left to right on the chest, we remember Jesus’s suffering for us on the cross and restate our belief in God’s existence in three Persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We also make smaller crosses on our forehead, lips, and heart as the priest prepares to proclaim the Gospel to signify our desire for the words to enter our minds, tongues, and hearts.

Tagged as: Catholic, lapsed catholics, returning catholics, sign of the cross, When They Come Home