We contribute a new algebraic method for computing the orthogonal projections of a point onto a rational algebraic surface embedded in the three dimensional projective space. This problem is first turned into the computation of the finite fibers of a generically finite dominant rational map: a congruence of normal lines to the rational surface. Then, an in-depth study of certain syzygy modules associated to such a congruence is presented and applied to build elimination matrices that provide universal representations of its finite fibers, under some genericity assumptions. These matrices depend linearly in the variables of the three dimensional space. They can be pre-computed so that the orthogonal projections of points are approximately computed by means of fast and robust numerical linear algebra calculations.