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Sign of the Cross
The Sign of the Cross is one of the simplest and most recognisable Catholic prayers, invoking the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Pray
Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
The prayer begins by naming the three Persons of the Holy Trinity. Catholics are not invoking three gods, but the one God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
“Amen.”
Amen is a word of assent. It is a way of saying that we believe, accept and entrust ourselves to what has just been prayed.
In brief
Catholics make the Sign of the Cross as a short profession of faith in the Holy Trinity and a reminder that Christian life is centred on the Cross of Jesus Christ.
Understand
What is this prayer?
The Sign of the Cross is a brief Catholic prayer made while tracing a cross over the body and invoking the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. It is both a spoken prayer and a physical gesture of Christian faith.
Quick facts
- Type
- Essential Catholic prayer
- Focus
- The Holy Trinity and the Cross of Christ
- Length
- A few seconds
- Common use
- Beginning and ending prayer
- Latin name
- Signum Crucis
Why Catholics pray it
Why it matters
Catholics use the Sign of the Cross to begin and end prayer, to profess faith in the Trinity, and to remember the saving death and Resurrection of Jesus. The gesture turns a few words into a simple act involving both body and mind.
When to pray
When Catholics use it
It can be prayed at almost any time. Catholics commonly make the Sign of the Cross at the beginning and end of personal prayer, during the Mass, before meals, when entering a church, and at other moments when they deliberately turn their attention toward God.
Meaning
What the words mean
The words name the three Persons of the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The shape of the cross recalls Jesus Christ's sacrifice and the salvation Christians believe comes through Him.
History
Where this prayer comes from
Christians have used forms of the Sign of the Cross since the early centuries of the Church. The precise gesture developed over time, but marking oneself with the cross became an enduring expression of Christian identity and prayer.
Scripture
Biblical connections
Matthew 28:19
Jesus commands His disciples to baptise in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the same Trinitarian formula invoked in the prayer.
1 Corinthians 1:18
St Paul describes the message of the Cross as the power of God for those being saved, reflecting the central place of the Cross in Christian faith.
Catholic teaching
Catechism connections
CCC 232–237
The Catechism presents the mystery of the Holy Trinity as central to Christian faith and life.
CCC 2157
The Catechism explicitly describes Christians beginning their day, prayers and activities with the Sign of the Cross.
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Common questions
Why do Catholics make the Sign of the Cross?
Catholics make the Sign of the Cross to profess faith in the Trinity and to recall the Cross of Jesus. It is a short way of placing prayer and daily life in the name of God.
Is the Sign of the Cross a prayer?
Yes. It combines spoken words with a physical gesture, so Catholics understand it as both a prayer and a profession of faith.
Do you have to be Catholic to make the Sign of the Cross?
No. The Sign of the Cross is a Christian prayer centred on the Trinity and Jesus Christ, although its regular use is especially associated with Catholic and Orthodox Christian traditions.
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