Veiling the Cross
Date: March 15, 2026
Author: Fr. Edward McNamara, LC
Question: My question regards the use of veiling crosses and images after the Fifth Sunday of Lent. If we were to practice this in our seminary, then, during daily Mass after this date, should we also place a cross with the image of Christ Crucified on or near the altar? — T.L., Vietnam
Answer: This possibility is mentioned in the rubrics of the Roman Missal for the Fifth Sunday of Lent. It is also quoted by the Congregation for Divine Worship in its circular letter Paschalis Sollemnitatis, on the celebration of Lent and Easter. To wit:
"26. The practice of covering the crosses and images in the church may be observed, if the episcopal conference should so decide. The crosses are to be covered until the end of the celebration of the Lord's passion on Good Friday. Images are to remain covered until the beginning of the Easter Vigil."
This document also quotes the Missal for after the celebration of the Mass of the Lord's Supper:
"57. After Mass, the altar should be stripped. It is fitting that any crosses in the church be covered with a red or purple veil, unless they have already been veiled on the Saturday before the fifth Sunday of Lent. Lamps should not be lit before the images of saints."
As seen above, the bishops' conference may decide if this practice is obligatory in any particular country. On the local level, however, any parish or other community may freely practice this custom if it so desires.
Where it is practiced, the usual custom is to veil the crosses and images with a lightweight, undecorated purple cloth from before first vespers or the vigil Mass of the Fifth Sunday of Lent. It is universally required after the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday.
If possible, especially after the Mass of the Lord's Supper, images and statues are actually removed from the church and not simply veiled.
Crosses are unveiled after the Good Friday ceremonies. All other images are unveiled, with no particular ceremony, shortly before the Mass of the Easter Vigil.
Neither the Stations of the Cross nor stained glass windows are ever veiled.
As we mentioned in some earlier articles related to this topic, the historical origin of this practice probably derives from a custom, noted in Germany from the ninth century, of extending a large cloth before the altar from the beginning of Lent.
This cloth, called the Hungertuch (hunger cloth), hid the altar entirely from the faithful during Lent and was not removed until during the reading of the Passion on Holy Wednesday at the words "the veil of the temple was rent in two."
Some authors say there was a practical reason for this practice insofar as the often-illiterate faithful needed a way to know it was Lent.
Others, however, maintain that it was a remnant of the ancient practice of public penance in which the penitents were ritually expelled from the church at the beginning of Lent.
After the ritual of public penance fell into disuse — but the entire congregation symbolically entered the order of penitents by receiving ashes on Ash Wednesday — it was no longer possible to expel them from the church. Rather, the altar or "Holy of Holies," was shielded from view until they were reconciled to God at Easter.
For analogous motives, later on in the Middle Ages, the images of crosses and saints were also covered from the start of Lent.
The present rule of limiting this veiling to Passiontide came later and does not appear until the publication of the Bishops' Ceremonial of the 17th century.
Now, our reader's question addresses a slightly different aspect.
On the one hand, a community may choose to veil crosses and images after the Fifth Sunday of Lent.
On the other hand, the General Instruction of the Roman Missal [GIRM], No. 17, requires for each Mass "on the altar or close to it, there is to be a cross adorned with a figure of Christ crucified. The candles and the cross with the figure of Christ crucified may also be carried in the procession at the Entrance."
Also, GIRM 308: "Likewise, either on the altar or near it, there is to be a cross, with the figure of Christ crucified upon it, a cross clearly visible to the assembled people. It is desirable that such a cross should remain near the altar even outside of liturgical celebrations, so as to call to mind for the faithful the saving Passion of the Lord."
Therefore, the question arises, should the cross that is associated with the celebration of Holy Mass also be veiled from the Fifth Sunday of Lent?
Although the norms would appear to allow for this, and there are places that veil the processional or altar cross, my judgment is that this crucifix should remain unveiled for all Masses during this period.
The practice of veiling the crosses and images refers above all to those images habitually present in the church for the devotion of the people.
The GIRM makes no mention of an exception regarding the need for an altar cross for Mass nor suggests that it should be veiled at any time. If this were the case, the legislator would certainly have touched upon this point, especially when describing the processions of Palm Sunday and the Mass of the Lord's Supper.
While there is no rubric referring to veiling the altar and processional crosses, there are several indications that presume an unveiled cross. For example, No. 270 of the Ceremonial of Bishops, regarding the Pontifical Mass on Palm Sunday, says, "The cross may be suitably decorated with palm in accordance with local custom." This suggestion would be clearly incompatible with a veiled cross.
A brief perusal of images of papal Masses during this period shows that both the processional and the altar crosses are always unveiled.
We should also consider that the optional custom of veiling is of a generally catechetical and mystagogical nature which can be spiritually profitable, whereas the liturgical norms that require the visible presence of a crucifix for the celebration of Mass are grounded on theological principles related to the nature of the Mass itself.
The emphasis which the Missal makes regarding the importance of the crucifix during Mass reminds us that the Eucharistic celebration at all times is a true sacrifice embracing the whole paschal mystery.
As noted by the Book of Blessings, "Of all sacred images, the figure of the precious, life-giving cross of Christ is pre-eminent, because it is the symbol of the entire paschal mystery (no. 1233)".
Consequentially, I would say that, at least during the celebration of Mass, the procession and/or altar cross should be unveiled.
If there is a large crucifix present that presides over the altar, it may be left unveiled because of its theological and ritual functions within the celebration. Even if this large crucifix is veiled, a processional or other altar cross should be used for Mass with the figure facing the celebrant.
This would avoid certain liturgical contradictions. For example, if incense is used during the principal celebrations of these days, both cross and altar are incensed as both refer to Christ's sacrifice. This meaning could be obscured if the altar cross is veiled.
Indeed, we could surmise that during these last days of Lent, the veiling of all images and crosses, except the cross intimately connected to the celebration of Holy Mass, should focus our minds on hearts precisely on the centrality of the great mysteries of our salvation.
* * *
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.