REMINDER : New Commissions

A reminder to readers of the Saint Bede Studio blog.  If you are considering placing a commission with us for new vestments, NOW would be an opportune time to begin a discussion.

Enquiries : stbede62@gmail.com

Vestments in honour of the Blessed Virgin

The Studio was pleased to prepare for an English customer a variation on our well-known Maria Regina vestments.  Our customer is a priest of the Diocese of Shrewsbury (UK).

The vestments were made from a jacquard in a brighter shade of white and lined in a rich shade of blue taffeta.

Please click on the images for an enlarged view.

Enquiries : Visit this page

Cathedral Church of the Diocese of Shrewsbury.

On the Feast of the Most Holy Rosary

Recently, the Studio had the pleasure of completing a set of Marian vestments for a returning customer in the United States.

Our customer requested a set of vestments in the Ave Maris Stella style.  A brocade in a muted shade of gold was used,  ornamented in the Gothic style with one of the Studio's unique braids.  The lining was made from taffeta in a lovely shade of blue.

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Enquiries : Visit this page

Vestments for Sweden

Recently, the Studio had the pleasure of completing a set of vestments for a customer in Sweden, being our first commission from the Scandinavian countries.  This was for the Parish of Christ the King in Gothenberg (Archdiocese of Stockholm).

Our customer requested a set of red vestments in the Saint Philip Neri style.  A beautiful English ecclesiastical brocade was used, simply ornamented in the Roman style with an outlining galloon.  The lining was made from dupion silk in a lovely shade of purple.

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Enquiries : Visit this page

The vestments seen during the offering of Holy Mass in
the Church of Christ the King, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Image : Mrs Terez Uram.

Saint Martin vestments

The vestments described in this post were commissioned - together with a number of other vestments - for a Monastic Community in Brazil. Adjacent is pictured the new set of vestments in the Saint Martin style - an ample cut of chasuble.

This restrained but elegant set of vestments was made from crimson-red dupion silk and lined in a slightly-contrasting shade of silk taffeta.  The ornament is also simple, being a column front and back.  These columns were formed from one of the Studio's unique braids, Saint James, laid upon a panel of brighter-red dupion silk and outlined with a narrow braid in burgundy and gold.

Click on the images for an enlarged view.

Enquiries: stbede62@gmail.com

Saint Augustine's Church Ramsgate

Low Mass in the Church of S' Augustine's Ramsgate
Image :
Facebook page of Father Terence M Naughtin OFM Conv.

We are pleased to reproduce this photograph depicting the Australian Franciscan Father Terence Mary Naughtin celebrating Mass at an altar in the church of Saint Augustine's Ramsgate (UK).  Father is wearing a chasuble made by the Saint Bede Studio in 2012.  Read more about these vestments here.

New Vestments in the Borromeon form

The Saint Bede Studio recently completed a set of Festal vestments in the Borromeon form for a returning customer from the United States.

The vestments were made from a cream-coloured English brocade and lined in a brassy-coloured taffeta.  The ornament was formed from a semi-metallic brocade in rich colours of gold and burgundy, outlined with a galloon in similar colour.

Click on the image for an enlarged view.

Enquiries : Visit this page

Priestly Ordinations 2019 : 5

Figure 1
Father Van Wagner pictured during his
First Holy Mass.

One of the ordinands for whom this year the Saint Bede Studio prepared a set of vestments, kindly wrote to us to thank us for our work.  We are pleased to include here a message from Father William Van Wagner of the Diocese of Madison (Wisconsin) USA, together with some photographs he sent us of his first Holy Mass.

I wanted to pass along some photos from my First Solemn Mass of Thanksgiving at S. Cecilia's Catholic Church in Wisconsin Dells,  for which the vestment I commissioned with you was worn. The compliments on the beauty of your work were numerous, with many acknowledging how the dignity and artistry of the chasuble inspired true worship of God almighty. Thank you for your brilliant work. I myself was deeply edified to be vested in such manner as to give due reverence to the solemnity of the occasion. Know of my prayers for you and for you work.

Please pray for Father Van Wagner and for all newly-ordained priests.

Please click on the images for an enlarged view.

Figure 2
Father Van Wagner pictured with sacred ministers and
concelebrants at the conclusion of his
First Holy Mass.

In Dark Times for the Church

Almighty, Eternal God, by ever giving strength to our weakness, you enable the Church to flourish even amidst its trials, so that when it appears to men to be utterly cast down, then rather does it gloriously prevails.  Whilst then, it accepts affliction as a proving of its faith, let it persevere, by your grace, in triumphant loyalty.  Amen.


A Collect from the Missal of Robert of Jumieges, 11th century.

This edifying image of Holy Mass being offered at the Benedictine Abbey of Downside (Bath, United Kingdom) is from the Facebook page of Father Terence M. Naughtin OFM (Conv.).

Mutual Enrichment

Remember some years ago, we used frequently to hear on Blogdom about mutual enrichment between the Ordinary and Extraordinary forms of the Roman Rite?  Pope Benedict advocated this in his motu proprio Summorum Pontificum.  Perhaps you have noticed that this has not been discussed so much for a few years.  One might go so far that there is now hostility to the concept.  Such a Reaction seems unnecessary and unhelpful.

In this post, let us discuss this from the perspective of mutually enriching the aesthetics of the two Forms for, although the external appearances are of a lesser degree of importance than the prayers and rituals of the Mass, these external forms do, nevertheless, make a strong impression upon those who look at them, namely the congregation.

For the purposes of this discussion, let us consider the scenario where both Forms of the Roman Rite are offered in the same Church or Parish, using the same sanctuary or altar and by the same priest and community.

The Benedictine Abbey of Le Barroux: 
Contemporary vestments intended 
for the Extraordinary Form.

Whilst it is true that there are in use worldwide tasteful vestments and tasteless vestments, there is no stipulation that a particular style of vestments is appropriate to one Form of the Roman Rite more than another.  Readers of liturgical blogs might be excused for thinking this is not the case: they might be forgiven for thinking that the only appropriate style of vestments for the Extraordinary Form is the Baroque chasuble (sometimes mistakenly referred to as the "Roman" chasuble, or, more derisively, the fiddleback).  They might be forgiven this, because every day we see photographs appear on numerous Blogs of celebrations of the Extraordinary Form with Baroque vestments.  Just as frequently, we see Extraordinary Form Masses being celebrated with brand new Baroque vestments.  Well, the equation of Baroque vestments with Catholic Tradition simply is a non-sequitur. 

When the approach is taken that Baroque vestments must be used for the Extraordinary Form, we risk moving away from Tradition into the Re-Creation of bygone eras.  Tradition isn't about Reaction or Re-Creation; that is a very shallow interpretation of Tradition and Continuity.  Read more about that here.

In short, one obvious sort of mutual enrichment of the two Forms of the Roman Rite is when people observe that the same styles of vestments are appropriate for both and there is no required disjunct between the two.

Another is the manner in which altars are set up.  Leaving aside the question of the Orientation of the Extraordinary Form, an altar may be set up for Low Mass in the Extraordinary Form simply with two candlesticks and a Crucifix, resting on the mensa of the altar.  Tragically, some have now implemented the practice that, for the celebration of the Extraordinary Form, a timber shelf is placed on an altar, sometimes with a faux-tabernacle built into it, in order to make the altar seem more like "a Traditional High altar".  This frightful practice is not only nonsense, it is also unliturgical.  Is it not disrespectful of the dignity of a consecrated altar to place portable shelves on it?

Processional Cross as the altar Cross.

Vest the altar in worthy antependia (altar frontals) and with cloths of white linen.  If you find altar cloths (the cloths that cover the mensa of the altar) in your church which are made in the liturgical colours (another frightful practice) instead of pure white, dispose of these with a just penalty.

You don't have to place six candlesticks on your altar for the Ordinary or Extraordinary Form.  It became fashionable to do this, adopting what people referred to as the Benedictine Arrangement.  Two good-sized, worthy candlesticks will do, particularly if the altar is a small one.  If you do use a set of six candlesticks, make sure they are a matching set and proportionate to the altar.

Here is another suggestion: if you have a free-standing altar, locate the Processional Cross in the very centre of the altar (at the front of the altar for the Ordinary Form and at the back of the altar for the Extraordinary Form).  Anciently, the Processional Cross was used this way before there was ever a thought of placing a Cross on the altar.  A processional Cross so located can serve for both the Extraordinary and Ordinary Forms.

Secondly, then, ornament the altar for both Forms of the Roman Rite in much the same manner, even if the Orientation of the celebration is different.

Priestly crossing of the stole.

Thirdly, for priest readers: start crossing your stole when you vest for Mass in the Ordinary Form.  It might be immediately objected that this is forbidden by the GIRM (a debatable point),  but if you crossed your stole, would anyone mind that much?  If they do, they don't have enough to do with their time. It is an ancient practice to cross the stole and it reinforces the distinction between the threefold Orders of deacon, priest and bishop.  Give it a try.