Is genuflection only something American's do or something?

I just got out of a Spanish mass for Our Lady of Guadalupe, and I thought it was strange that not a single person, including the priest, made any reverence when passing the tabernacle, is it just that parish, or is genuflecting or bowing before the tabernacle american or something?

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal, ¶ 274, says:


So they should not be genuflecting toward the tabernacle during Mass unless it is outside the sanctuary and they pass it for some reason, and even then, not if they are moving in procession.

It might just be the case that they improperly omitted it, but otherwise, does that answer your question?

Having attended Mass in Germany, France, England, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, Canada Mexico, Turkey, Korea, Vietnam and all over the USA, I can state that I have seen the vast majority of people genuflect in all of those places.

Some do not, for both physical reasons (I can’t myself because of severe arthritis), and others don’t because they either don’t believe or they are simply ignorant.

If you can not genuflect, you should bow to the best of your ability.

You don’t travel much do you? :stuck_out_tongue:

In my town we have started to genuflect or kneel before receiving the Host as well. They want to slowly make changes in preparation for the new missal(?). Have others begun to do this?


Genuflecting or kneeling before receiving the Host isn’t part of the revisions to the missal; the revisions are language translations only. The changes in the GIRM have already been implemented for the last few years in the most parts of the US.

In my parish, a head bow (not a profound bow) is considered the proper reverence when receiving either the Host or the Precious Blood. Our pastor views other actions as going beyond the norm as expressed by the Archbishop.

So this has been already done for a long time? I was told that the Church wants us to have more reverence to the Eucharist, which was why we are now told to either kneel, genuflect or make a quick bob.

To be honest, this doesn’t feel natural to me.

Well I haven’t been atending mass for long, but ever since I’ve started I’v seen people bow their heads and cross themselves before recieving the eucharist. But it’s only been like two months lol so idk

Genuflection is something Roman Catholics do. Its a gesture of reverence.

Where I live in Japan I only very occasionally see people genuflect, and most of them are non-Japanese. Bowing is, of course, the cultural way to show reverence and respect, so that is what is done here. Since I became a Catholic while living here I am not accustomed to genuflecting, and often wonder if I’ll do it right when I’m back in the US the next time. :eek:

It sounds like not everyone there does it either, though?

I have a friend who genuflects even when we are visiting non-Catholic churches and even if he is the only person to do so and even in churchjes that don’t have a tabernacle or even an altar. I asked him why he does it and he says that it is the right way to acknowledge the holiness of the place. Is it correct to genuflect in other churches even if it is not expected or required?

if its an orthodox church, any others dont have christ present.

Avoid whiplash, slow it down!

I would say it is not correct. We do not genuflect to “acknowledge the holiness of the place”, we genuflect to reverence Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, who bestows holiness on the place.

well your post says you are in California, not that you attended out of the country, so presumably everyone there was American, unless you checked their green cards and know otherwise.

here at least the primarily Spanish speaking parishes and masses are the places one is most likely to see the greatest reverence, genuflexion, people refraining from receiving communion if they are not properly disposed, and so forth.

I suspect what you observe has more to do with the geographic area than any generalization that would apply to all Masses celebrated in Spanish. Travelling in Mexico where many country churches and capillas have no kneelers (and sometimes dirt or rock floors) the custom is to kneel on the floor throughout the Eucharistic prayer, something I seldom see in US Churches.

Bowing down to your waist is an equivalent gesture in Eastern Christianity, as genuflection developed mainly from the Roman Church. Of course I can understand that culturally a deep, profound bow has more significance to Japanese people than genuflection.

Either of the two are acceptable. What you do comes from yoru own reverence to God.

Orthodox don’t genuflect at all. Its more appropriate for a profound bow when in their churches.

I’ve been to Spanish Mass in California, Mexico, Texas, and here in Arizona. In all the Masses I’ve been to, kneeling during the Eucharistic Prayer is the norm. We Start to kneel after the Holy Holy Holy, and get up before the Our Father. What isn’t consistent is kneeling again after the Agnus Dei at the Elevation of the Body and Blood of Christ. I’ve heard on the forums, that kneeling at that moment isn’t necesary, but I am not enterily sure about that.

Just a thing for us all to wonder about. Is it possible that the tabernacle was empty during this Mass? I know for one reason or another, the tabernacle can be empty during the Mass at my home parish.

Usually the door is left open if the Tabernacle is empty. Also the tabernacle light/candle will be out. Otherwise we are to assume the Blessed Sacrament is reserved in the tabernacle.
