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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…
The skinny
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