You cross yourself before and after. Twice before you kiss the icon, once after.
That’s the basic pattern you’ll see at St. Michael and in Orthodox churches everywhere. But let’s walk through the whole sequence so you don’t feel lost your first few times.
When you approach an icon to venerate it, you’re not just kissing a picture. You’re greeting the person depicted. The honor passes through the image to the prototype, as St. Basil the Great put it. So we approach with the same reverence we’d show if Christ or His Mother or St. Michael himself stood before us in the flesh.
In practice, you walk up to the icon stand (we call it an analogion). Make the sign of the cross and bow. Make the sign of the cross again and bow again. Some people say a short prayer with each cross, something like “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me” if it’s an icon of Christ, or “Most-holy Theotokos, save us” before an icon of the Virgin Mary. Then you kiss the icon. Then you cross yourself one more time and bow.
Where you kiss matters a bit. On icons of Christ, kiss His feet if they’re visible, or His hand, or the edge of His garment. On icons of the Theotokos or the saints, kiss their hands. If you’re venerating the cross, kiss the feet of Christ. Don’t overthink it. Nobody’s watching with a clipboard.
The bows described above can be simple bows from the waist, or on weekdays outside of Paschal season, some people make prostrations (going down to touch their forehead to the ground). Sundays and feast days we don’t prostrate, just bow. If you’re new, a simple bow is fine. You’ll pick up the rhythms as you go.
One kiss per icon, even if multiple saints appear on it. There’s usually a line behind you, especially before Liturgy starts or after Communion. Be reverent but don’t linger. You can come back later when it’s quieter if you want more time.
Some people rest their forehead gently against the icon for a moment. That’s fine. Some don’t. Both are fine.
If there’s a basket or slot for donations near the icon stand, you can leave something if you want. Then step aside and give a slight nod to whoever’s waiting behind you. That little gesture of acknowledgment is very Orthodox. We’re not isolated mystics. We’re a community.
You’ll venerate icons at different times. Most people venerate the central icon when they first arrive at church, before the service starts. Some wait until after. After the service you can venerate again on your way out.
Questions about when to venerate or receive Communion belong to Fr. Michael, so ask him if you have concerns.
If all this sounds like a lot to remember, don’t worry. Stand back and watch others the first few times. Orthodoxy isn’t something you master by reading instructions. It’s something you grow into by showing up and participating. If you forget to cross yourself the first time, or kiss the icon awkwardly and walk away, nobody will correct you. Nobody will glare. The saints won’t mind.
The crossing and bowing aren’t magic formulas. They’re physical prayers, ways of involving your whole body in worship. We’re not Gnostics. We don’t think the material world is bad and only the spiritual matters. Your body prays too. And after a while, crossing yourself before you kiss an icon of Christ becomes as natural as reaching out to embrace someone you love.
