Why do they shroud the statues in catholic churches during Lent?

Question

In my church every year, they cover up all the saint statues and the crucifix that the alter servers carry in purple. Last year I thought they were re-furbushing them , but they did it again this year. No one at church seems to know and I keep forgetting to ask the priest.

Answer 1

Not all churches do this (mine does not), but i have been to some that do. The priest gave me this explanation when I asked him the same thing:

The custom of veiling crosses and images helps us to concentrate on Christ's work of Redemption.

Answer 2

The processional crucifix should not be used at all during Lent, and statues should only be shrouded from the Sunday before Palm Sunday onward.

It is a reminder that we are entering in the dark part of Lent- the time when our sacrifices become burdensome. It is a way to 'remove' some of the adornemtn from our churches to make them more barren as we enter the time of barrenness in our souls.

Answer 3

The two weeks of Passiontide begin today, the first week being known as "Passion Week," and the second week being known as "Holy Week."

This day -- Passion Sunday -- memorializes the increasing antipathy against Christ from the Jews who would not accept Him and accused Him of sorcery and of being blasphemous and possessed by a devil. From today until Maundy Thursday, the Júdica me and the Glória patris at the Introit and Lavabo are omitted from Masses of the Season (not Sundays and Feasts).

Today, statues and sacred images (except for the Stations of the Cross) are veiled with purple cloth beginning at the Vespers of Passion Sunday, and they remain covered until the Gloria of Holy Saturday, at which point Lent ends and Eastertide begins. Catholics cover statues and icons, etc., in their homes for the same time period (the cloth shouldn't be transluscent or decorated in any way).

This veiling of the statues and icons stems from the Gospel reading of Passion Sunday (John 8:46-59), at the end of which the Jews take up stones to cast at Jesus, Who hides Himself away. The veiling also symbolizes the fact that Christ's Divinity was hidden at the time of His Passion and death, the very essence of Passiontide.

It is an old custom and is not followed in all instances.

Answer 4

They veil the statues on Passion Sunday in Lent and the week following. Why?

On Passion Sunday we are told that Jesus proclaims He is God to the Jews and they threaten to stone Him. Scripture says Jesus "hid Himself" from them because the time had not come yet for Him to die.

So to carry this through, all adornments in the Church are hidden as well so we might meditate on the coming Passion of the Christ.

It is an old custom of the Catholic Church, that is still perpetuated faithfully in the old Latin rite, and also in some Novus Ordo parishes as well.

God bless you.

Answer 5

The idea behind it is that christians are fasting from everything, including glorious images and thinking of other figures and saints, so they can focus their attention on Christ and the sacrifice he made.

Veiling the statues helps people focus on Christ.

The practice was stopped in 1965 and only recently came back into vogue, which is why many churches don't do it.

Answer 6

I went to Catholic school for 6 years and they never did such a thing.

Answer 7

amazed that I found this topic already answered! it's like you've read my mind!

Answer 8

that's a tricky question

Answer 9

It's possible that the statues request it out of a sense of shame.

.

Answer 10

here you go:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1359132/posts