Why does the Priest have his back to us?

One of the first things a visitor to our Mass might notice is that the Celebrant is standing on the same side of the Altar as the people and has his back to them during parts of the Mass. This is called ad orientem, which means “towards the East,” where the sun rises and from which Scripture says Christ will return.

It is rooted in the early Church. When the early Christians built a church, they “oriented” it so that when the Priest stood before the Altar offering the Mass, with his people behind him, they were all facing east: Priest and People looking to the Second Coming of the Lord. (it is the traditional expression of their awaiting the Second Coming, and the Resurrection.)

Older Catholics may remember the practice from pre-Vatican II days. The word liturgy means “the work of the people.” Our liturgy is a performance in which we are the actors, and God is the “audience.” The Priest in ad orientem worship is not “turning his back to the people;” rather both he and the people are facing God: the Priest is in the same position they are.