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Crucifer

Responsibilities

Attend to the Processional Crucifix:

Manner of holding the Processional Crucifix

  • Hold with two hands during Processions.
  • During Inclinations and Genuflections, only perform a Head Bow. The idea is that Christ should bow to no one.
  • Hold the Processional Crucifix as high as you can while maintaining control of it. Do not hold it so high so that it wobbles, or is not vertical, or is too difficult.
  • It is occasionally acceptable to rest the Processional Crucifix on the ground and hold it with the right hand, keeping it vertical, and keeping the left hand on the breast, such as during stations in the Stations of the Cross.

The direction of the Corpus

We follow the #dominican Custom of facing the Corpus toward the Celebrant in many circumstances:

  • When processing:
    • If a bishop or Dominican is part of the procession, the corpus faces backward, so that the bishop or Dominican is walking toward Christ.
    • If there is no bishop or Dominican, the corpus faces forward, so that those in the Procession are following Christ's lead.
  • When walking, not in a procession, the corpus faces forward.
  • When standing in a place where the Celebrant can see the Processional Crucifix, the Corpus faces the Celebrant.
  • When standing in place while the Celebrant is looking in the opposite direction, the Corpus should face the people.