Q: I so appreciate your wisdom as liturgical conundrums arise!
We have an odd set up in our church where the tabernacle is not in the sanctuary. It is in the chapel behind and to the left of the main church. My question is this, when entering the Sanctuary to proclaim the word or cantor the psalm, should the minister a) bow to the altar b) bow to the back wall??? c) not bow at all
My personal preference is to the altar. There is a cross at the rear of the sanctuary and some ministers bow to that. I’m not sure why exactly. There is obviously some confusion afoot!
Thank you for your guidance!
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A: Here’s an earlier post: https://paulturner.org/reverence-for-the-altar/
There is never any direction to bow to a crucifix at Mass. Because your tabernacle is not in the sanctuary, ministers entering and leaving the sanctuary make a profound bow to the altar.