What to expect your first time in a Catholic Church

You've never been to a Catholic Church and you don't know what to do?

First of all, what day is it?  Is it Sunday?  Yes?  Then you'll find a large crowd of people entering a building which is adorned with statues of Saints and a Cross with Jesus Christ crucified.

But, what if it isn't Sunday?  Then skip down to the bottom.

If its Sunday, follow them in.  If this is a ROMAN Catholic Church, usually you'll see a sign with the Church name and the "mass" times.  If you don't see a sign, ask one of the people that is entering the building.  Once you're sure you're in a ROMAN Catholic Church, you can follow the old time adage, "do as the Romans".

What you will see:

Probably the first thing you'll see, outside, is statuary.  Statues of the Saints and mostly of Mary and Jesus.  Also, very frequently, images of Jesus, crucified.

Then, as you follow the people through the front doors, you'll see them dip their fingers in water and touch their foreheads with it.  Then they'll bring their hand down to their chest and then across to their left shoulder and then to their right.

The water might be in little bowls on either side of the door.  Or it might be in big bowls or fonts in front of the door or in the vicinity of the entrance.  People will be making their way to the water in order to perform this ritual.

The water is Holy Water which has been sanctified by the priest for the purpose of bringing down Christ's blessings upon all who touch it.

The movement of their hands from head to chest and shoulders is a prayer called the "Sign of the Cross".

When we touch the water to our heads and make the Sign of the Cross we pray to bring down Christ's blessings in the name of the Father (head), Son (chest) and the Holy Spirit (left and right shoulders).  It also reminds us of our Baptism (Matt 28:29).

Then, you should notice that people stop talking.  Unlike a Protestant gathering, in a Catholic Church, we maintain reverence for the presence of God.

Then, people will go to a pew and kneel on one knee and stand back up.  That is called a "genuflect".  It is our showing that we humble ourselves before the Lord.  Remember the Scripture, "every knee will bend".  That's what we do.

Then, we enter the pew and find a place where we will sit.

BUT before we sit, we kneel to pray.  What do we pray for at that moment?  Whatever is on our mind.  I use that time to thank God for my family and friends.  If anyone has asked me to pray for them, I add those prayers.

If you're there very early, say, about 30 minutes early, you'll see people praying the Rosary.  They are preparing their hearts for the coming of the Lord.

What's the Rosary?  It's an ancient Biblical prayer that walks you through the Gospels from the perspective of Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ.

If this is your very first time to a Catholic Mass, I suggest you sit in the back and simply do as the Romans are doing.  Sit when they sit, kneel when they kneel, stand when they stand.

Fortunately, in this day and age, some Churches have TV monitors which show the prayers which are being prayed if you want to follow along.

Some also show the songs being sung.

If that isn't available, most Churches have "missalettes".  They are booklets that have the entire Mass for you to follow along.  If you come in early enough, you can look for the appropriate date.

Some Churches don't have entire books but do provide outlines of the Mass in leaflets.  You can't read along because they won't have the entire prayers. But you can follow along because they tell you the main points and usually tell you when to kneel, sit and stand.

If you have a smart phone, you can get the same information from certain apps.  Some are free.

Or you can print out the Readings before you leave your home.  Click on the day that you want to see what Scriptures will be prayed on that day.

For a minute explanation of the Mass, go here.

If it isn't Sunday.

The parking lot will probably be empty.  But, most Catholic Church's have a daily Mass.  So, find the office.  Its usually well marked, but if it isn't, it will be in the area of the few cars that are in the parking lot.

Rarely, but occasionally, the office is not connected to the Church.  If it isn't in same campus as the Church itself, then you might want to get the name of the Church and look up the phone number.

Or, google it.

Once you get in touch with someone in the office, you will want to know the schedule of Masses. Some Churches have the daily Mass in the morning.  Some in the evening.  Some don't have a daily Mass, but will be able to direct you to a Church which does.

Now that you've decided upon which Mass you will attend, go back up to "if its Sunday" and do as the Romans.  The only difference will be that there will be fewer Romans.  But this set of Parishioners are far more knowledgeable than the ones who only go on Sunday.

So, there it is.  I hope this is helpful.  Let me know.

See also why do they wave their hand…, the Sign of the Cross…?,  and the double-cross errr, I mean, Triple Sign of the Cross.