The Sign of the Cross

A traditional Catholic prayer

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In Latin

In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.

Where it comes from

The Father holds the Cross by its arms, the Dove hangs between His face and the Son's, and four angels fold their hands at the corners. The whole mystery of the Trinity goes into one gesture of the hand: forehead, breast, shoulder, shoulder. Its words are the words Christ gave the apostles when He sent them to baptize, in the verse below, and every Catholic first heard them spoken over the water of baptism; the hand still remembers them.

¹⁹Going therefore, teach ye all nations: baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.

Matthew 28:19, Douay-Rheims (Challoner)

In painting

The traditional prayers  ·  The Rosary