Bows Toward Priests
Date: September 28, 2025
Author: Fr. Edward McNamara, LC
Question: If the priest is standing in front of the altar, and in his ordinary movements one of the altar servers or ministers passes behind him, should he bow to him? If the priest is not seated in the chair, and in his ordinary movements one of the servants passes in front of the chair, should he bow toward the empty chair? When the priest says the final blessing at Mass, should we make the sign of the cross? When a lector goes up to the presbytery to proclaim a reading of the Mass he bows to the priest; should he bow again to come down when he finishes reading? — G.O., Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Answer: There is very little said regarding bows by servers in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM). However, this document describes the general meaning of bows:
"No. 275. A bow signifies reverence and honor shown to the persons themselves or to the signs that represent them. There are two kinds of bows: a bow of the head and a bow of the body.
"a. A bow of the head is made when the three Divine Persons are named together and at the names of Jesus, of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and of the Saint in whose honor Mass is being celebrated.
"b. A bow of the body, that is to say a profound bow, is made to the altar; during the prayers Munda cor meum (Almighty God, cleanse my heart) and In spiritu humilitatis (Lord God, we ask you to receive); in the Creed at the words Et incarnatus est (by the power of the Holy Spirit ... made man); in the Roman Canon at the words Supplices te rogamus (Almighty God, we pray that your angel). The same kind of bow is made by the deacon when he asks for a blessing before the proclamation of the Gospel. In addition, the priest bows slightly as he speaks the words of the Lord at the consecration."
Most writers on the subject consider bows made by servers and readers as somehow flowing from the reverence shown toward the bishop and the altar indicated in the Ceremonial of Bishops, to wit:
No. 72: "A deep bow is made to the altar by all who enter the sanctuary (chancel), leave it, or pass before the altar."
“Nos. 76-77:
"The bishop is greeted with a deep bow by the ministers or others when they approach to assist him, when they leave after assisting him, or when they pass in front of him.
"When the bishop's chair is behind the altar, the ministers should reverence either the altar or the bishop, depending on whether they are approaching the altar or approaching the bishop; out of reverence for both, ministers should, as far as possible, avoid passing between the bishop and the altar.”
Some authors consider it a legitimate practice to extend these signs of liturgical respect and decorum to priest celebrants as well, even though they are not mentioned in the liturgical books; it is certainly never obligatory or required. For example, in many places it is common practice for servers to bow toward the priest after they bring the missal to the chair, when they bring the water and wine, and then again after the washing of the hands.
These may be considered legitimate customs if they have been practiced for many years.
Thus, in his book Ceremonial for Priests, Monsignor Marc Caron mentions the reader’s bow which is not found in the missal:
“If the reader is not seated in the sanctuary, he or she goes to the center of the main aisle and makes a profound bow to the altar at the steps of the sanctuary before approaching the ambo. If the reader, however, is already seated in the sanctuary itself and must pass before the altar while crossing the sanctuary in order to approach the ambo, he or she makes a profound bow to the altar when doing so. In addition, either immediately after making the reverence to the altar or upon arriving at the ambo, the reader makes a bow of the head towards the celebrant and turns to the ambo to begin the reading.”
Why this bow toward the celebrant? “The bow indicates the reader’s recognition that all ministries during Mass take place under the presidency of the priest celebrant. It is a gracious gesture to acknowledge the one who is moderating the exercise of various ministries into one harmonious act of worship.”
Although this is probably sound liturgical reasoning it is necessary to affirm that these bows toward the celebrant do not form a stable and obligatory part of the rites for those who exercise the ministry of reader or server.
Responding to our reader’s precise questions, we can say the following.
First, since none of these bows are obligatory, the questions themselves can be resolved by simply omitting all these bows.
Second, where it is already a custom to extend the liturgical reverence due to the bishop to the priest celebrant, these bows are only made when approaching and leaving the bishop.
Hence, they will never be made when a server passes behind him or toward the empty chair.
Finally, the missal is silent regarding whether the people cross themselves when receiving the final blessing. The missal does mention that the people sign themselves along with the priest at the beginning of Mass:
“124. Once all this has been done, the Priest goes to the chair. When the Entrance Chant is concluded, with everybody standing, the Priest and faithful sign themselves with the Sign of the Cross. The Priest says: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. The people reply, Amen.”
The concluding rites only mention the priest or bishop blessing the people with the sign of the cross.
However, I think it is practically a universal custom for the faithful to make the sign of the cross when receiving a blessing. It is also a fitting conclusion that the sign of the cross begins and ends the Church’s highest act of worship.
* * *
Readers may send questions to zenit.liturgy@gmail.com. Please put the word "Liturgy" in the subject field. The text should include your initials, your city and your state, province or country. Father McNamara can only answer a small selection of the great number of questions that arrive.