Sign of the Cross
Pray together
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Matthew 28:19: Jesus sends the apostles to baptize “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”.
Prayer for kids
Pray it with Clara
How to make the Sign of the Cross
To make the Sign of the Cross, touch your forehead, then your chest, then your left shoulder and your right shoulder, while you say the words below. Catholics begin and end every prayer with it, so it’s the first prayer most children learn.
Pray it with Clara
Pray it with Clara at bedtime, in the Little Prayer Stories app.Get the app →How to pray it with your child
- 1
Guide their hand
Kneel behind your child and move their right hand with yours: head, heart, left, right. After a few nights they’ll lead.
- 2
Match the words
“Father” on the forehead, “Son” on the chest, “Holy Spirit” across the shoulders. The words and the movement teach each other.
- 3
Begin and end with it
Open and close bedtime prayers, meals and the car ride to Mass with it. Children learn it fastest when it’s a habit.
Questions parents ask
Which shoulder comes first?
In the Latin (Roman) Catholic Church, the left shoulder, then the right. Eastern Catholics and Orthodox Christians touch the right shoulder first.
Why do Catholics make the Sign of the Cross?
It traces the cross Jesus died on and names the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. It also recalls our Baptism, which was done with the same words.
What is the difference between persignarse and santiguarse?
Both are Spanish words for crossing yourself. Santiguarse is the one big cross shown here; persignarse adds three small crosses on the forehead, lips and chest first, with their own short prayer.
