- Feb 5, 2002
- 181,254
- 65,456
- Country
- United States
- Gender
- Female
- Faith
- Catholic
- Marital Status
- Married
- Politics
- US-Others
Question: I have been in many Catholic churches around the world, and the statue of Mary was always on the left side of the altar, as you face it. But at my church in Florida, she is on the right side. Why?
— Ben Hoffman, via email
Answer: There is no Church law about the arrangement of statues or on which side the Blessed Mother’s statue should be. This is more a matter of custom and may be affected by the design of the Church and the placement of other statues such as the parish’s patron saint. You are correct in noting that it is common to see the Blessed Mother’s likeness to the left when facing the sanctuary, but this is far from universal.
Masses for the dead
Continued below.
Is there proper statue etiquette in churches?
— Ben Hoffman, via email
Answer: There is no Church law about the arrangement of statues or on which side the Blessed Mother’s statue should be. This is more a matter of custom and may be affected by the design of the Church and the placement of other statues such as the parish’s patron saint. You are correct in noting that it is common to see the Blessed Mother’s likeness to the left when facing the sanctuary, but this is far from universal.
Masses for the dead
Continued below.
Is there proper statue etiquette in churches?
