How to Properly Do the Catholic Cross

Catholics sign the cross before and after prayer.

Properly signing the cross on one's chest is an important part of worship and ceremony for several Christian denominations. Pope Innocent III of the Catholic Church first standardized the modern cross-signing movements during his tenure in the early 1200s. The sacred ritual signifies one's commitment and reverence toward the Holy Trinity -- God the Father, Jesus the Son, and his Holy Ghost. Present-day Catholics sign the cross during prayer and worship as a demonstration of devotion and love to their faith.

Instructions

1. Hold your thumb, ring finger and index finger together in your right hand. The tips of all three fingers should be even, as though you were trying to grasp an object. The three fingers represent the Holy Trinity -- the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.

2. Lay your left hand flat under your left chest.

3. Touch the three fingers of your right hand to the center of your forehead. The touch is gentle but definitive on the skin. The central forehead mark represents God the Father.

4. Keep your three fingers together and touch them to your upper sternum, a few inches above your navel. This marking point signifies The Son. Movement between each marking point is fluid and delicate.

5. Raise your three fingers from your sternum to touch your left and then your right shoulders. The horizontal movement represents the Crucifix of the Holy Ghost.

Tips & Warnings

• Performing the cross should be a conscientious and mindful experience during which you focus on the meaning and symbolism of the movements.

References

• Fish Eaters: The Sign of the Cross
• Catholic Education: The Sign of the Cross
• Evangelical Lutheran Church of America: Why Do Lutherans Make the Sign of the Cross?