With Flag Day in the United States celebrated on June 14, it’s a good opportunity to consider the placement of national flags in Catholic churches. Is an American flag displayed in your church? If so, where?

Surprisingly, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has no formal regulations for the placement of American flags in Catholic churches, other than to recommend that the flags are not placed in the sanctuary.

Activities:

• Discuss or debate the placement of national flags in Catholic churches.
• Assign students to visit 5 to 10 Catholic churches in their area and 1) note whether a United States flag is on display or not and 2) name the location in the church where a flag is displayed. They might also take photos each church they visit and prepare a short summary of the assignment along with their photos.