Why the Priest Faces East: Ad Orientem Explained – Dr. Peter Kwasniewski – 07/10/2026

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski is a Catholic author, lecturer, and longtime advocate for traditional liturgy. His new booklet, Ad Orientem: The Direction that Changes Everything, published by TAN Books, examines why the direction of worship — toward the East, symbolizing Christ — has shaped Catholic prayer since the age of the apostles. Highlights from the conversation: What ad orientem means: Priest and people facing the same direction — historically East — during the Eucharistic liturgy, a practice St. Basil the Great described as received from the apostles Debunking the "banquet table" theory: Kwasniewski explains why the idea that early Christians worshiped facing one another around a table doesn't hold up to scholarship from historians such as Fr. Josef Jungmann, Fr. Louis Bouyer, Fr. Uwe Michael Lang, and Msgr. Stefan Heid The exception of St. Peter's Basilica: Built facing west due to the location of Peter's tomb, requiring the pope to stand at the west end of the altar while still facing liturgical East Can the Novus Ordo be celebrated ad orientem? Yes — Kwasniewski points to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM), which presumes the priest turns toward the people only at specific points, implying an eastward-facing default The spiritual stakes: Why facing the same direction as the congregation helps the priest avoid becoming the center of attention, and how it re-orients worship toward God rather than the assembly Order the booklet or learn more: tanbooks.com #AdOrientem #CatholicLiturgy #TANBooks #PeterKwasniewski #TraditionalCatholic #CatholicMass #LatinMass #CatholicPodcast #IowaCatholicRadio Episode Contributors Bo Bonner, Dr. Peter Kwasniewski Search Keywords Ad Orientem, Peter Kwasniewski, ad orientem Mass, TAN Books, priest facing east Mass, Novus Ordo ad orientem, General Instruction Roman Missal, Catholic liturgy podcast, traditional Latin Mass, versus populum Credits: Produced, Edited, and Mixed by Ayden Pugh, Alexia Baker, and Brady Grimm. ENJOYING THE SHOW? Follow The Catholic Morning Show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you never miss an episode — and if this one was worth your time, please leave us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating. It takes ten seconds and it's the single best way to help more people find the show. 🎧 LISTEN LIVE Catch The Catholic Morning Show live, weekday mornings on Iowa Catholic Radio. Listen Live · Program Schedule · Our Stations LINKSYou can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok! More on our website.If you would like to support Iowa Catholic Radio you can donate Here! More from Iowa Catholic Radio:Sunday Dive with Katie PatrizioMan Up! with Joe StopulosCatholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie NelsonThe Uncommon Good with Bo Bonner and Dr. Bud MarrBe Not Afraid with Fr. Fabian Moncada and Fr. Bruce RiebeBe Not Afraid en Español con el P. Fabián MoncadaMaking it Personal with Bishop William JoensenFaith and Family Finance with Gregory WaddleThe Great Men of the Bible with Joe Stopulos Liturgy & DevotionsThe Daily Gospel Reflection with Fr. Nick SmithThe Daily Mass from St. Francis of AssisiThe Daily Mass from St. Pius XThe Daily Mass from St. TheresaSunday Mass from the Basilica of Saint JohnWant to support your favorite show? Click Here Iowa Catholic Radio - Connecting People to Christ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.