Suscipe Sancta Trinitas

One of the prayers which didn't survive the Missale Romanum final cut in 1970 was this one:

Accept, holy Trinity, this offering which we make to you in remembrance of the passion, resurrection and ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in honour of blessed Mary ever Virgin, of blessed John the Baptist, of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, of those whose relics rest here, and of all the Saints. To them may it bring honour, and to us salvation; and may they, whose memory we keep on earth, be pleased to intercede for us in heaven. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

This beautiful prayer, intended to be recited quietly after the washing of the hands during the Preparation of Gifts or Offertory, is a summary of the things a Catholic should keep in mind when praying the Mass. It reminds us firstly that all our worship is offered to the One God, who is a Trinity of Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Secondly, in reflecting the Anamnesis after the consecration, the prayer insists on the unity of Christ’s Paschal Mystery that is re-presented for us in sacramental form: His Passion, Resurrection and Ascension. Finally, it asserts that a secondary end of the Mass is the honour of the Saints (that is, the victory of Christ in His members is being praised), and accordingly it begs their intercession for us on Earth.

One can only wonder at the mentality which saw fit to excise this prayer from the Mass. If there was one prayer that ought to have been retained at the Offertory, this was the one. After washing his hands and before inviting the people to prayer (Pray, brethren), the celebrant bowed before the altar and quietly prayed the Suscipe Sancta Trinitas.

If you are a priest reading this, you might consider praying this prayer at the Offertory when you offer the Ordinary Form of the Roman Mass. If you pray it according to the rubrics of the 1962 Missale Romanum, (namely bowed and silently) no one in the pews will be disturbed by hearing a prayer recited which is not contained in the New Order of Mass.  Be daring.

How beautiful it would be if once again this prayer were recited at every Mass!  The Angels would rejoice.

The Latin:

Suscipe, sancta Trinitas, hanc oblationem, quam tibi offerimus ob memoriam passionis, resurrectionis, et ascensionis Jesu Christi Domini nostri: et in honorem beatae Mariae semper Virginis et beati Joannis Baptistae, et sanctorum Apostolorum Petri et Pauli, et istorum, et omnium Sanctorum: ut illis proficiat ad honorem, nobis autem ad salutem: et illi pro nobis intercedere dignentur in caelis, quorum memoriam agimus in terris. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen. 

For the Season "Per Annum" 2020 : 1

The vestments shewn in the adjacent photographs were prepared by the Saint Bede Studio for a returning customer, a young priest from the United States.

This chasuble was toilored in the Studio's Saint Austin design, a variant on the Gothic Revival chasuble, being pointed front and back.  The vestments were made from an English ecclesiastical brocade in a lovely brighter shade of green.  They were lined in red taffeta.

The vestments were ornamented with an orphrey braid of the Studio's own design in colours of green and gold upon red. The braid called Saint Chad is directly based on a design by AWN Pugin.

Click on the images for an enlarged view.

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In this Whitsun Octave

In a time of Disturbance

A prayer composed by the Saint Bede Studio.

Priestly Ordinations 2019 : 10

Each year, the Saint Bede Studio has the privilege of preparing sacred vestments for priestly Ordinands. Happily, 2019 was no exception. Further vestments from 2019 are yet to be posted on the Studio blog, which deficiency we are pleased now to remedy.

This post features a set of vestments made for an ordinand from the Diocese of Wichita (Kansas USA), who commissioned a set of red vestments from the Studio in the Gothic Revival form.

These vestments were made from a fine brocade in a beautiful and rich shade of red. The ornament was formed from one of the Studio's unique braids called Saint Giles. The vestments were lined in a muted gold-coloured taffeta.

Please pray for for all newly-ordained priests.

Click on the images for an enlarged view.

Enquiries : Visit this page

Priestly Ordinations 2019 : 9

Each year, the Saint Bede Studio has the privilege of preparing sacred vestments for priestly Ordinands. Happily, 2019 was no exception. Several more vestments from 2019 have yet to be posted on the Studio blog, which deficiency we are pleased now to remedy.

This post features a set of vestments made for an ordinand from the Diocese of Wichita (Kansas USA), who commissioned a set of festal vestments from the Studio in the Gothic Revival form.

These vestments were made from a beautiful silk damask in shades of ivory and straw. The ornament was formed from one of the Studio's unique braids called Saint Marie. The vestments were lined in a red-coloured taffeta.

Please pray for for all newly-ordained priests.

Click on the images for an enlarged view.

Enquiries : Visit this page

NEW : Saint Cuthbert vestments

Since 2016 the Saint Bede Studio has occasionally been offering for sale a new range of simpler vestments, unlined and less expensive than our usual work. Not everyone can afford expensive vestments, whilst others, for various reasons, prefer a more modest beauty. 

Our "economy" vestments are made from simpler, good-quality fabrics and ornamented with our distinctive and unique braids. Simpler they may be, but there is no diminution of the quality for which the Studio has become so highly-regarded.

During this year, we will be offering for sale three varieties of "economy" chasuble sets to our customers.  These are :

SAINT ANSELM

SAINT CUTHBERT

SAINT ALBAN

In this post, we illustrate an example of the Saint Cuthbert vestments, which will be available in all the liturgical colours.  More ample than our usual Gothic vestments, these unlined chasuble will be ornamented with a chevron of brocade or damask and with narrow braids, as illustrated.  This particular chasuble was made with a matching amice apparel.

These simpler vestments will continue occasionally to be offered for sale via the Studio Blog. 

Please pray for God’s continued Blessing on our work.

Contact : stbede62@gmail.com

Studio Newsletter

The Newsletter of the Saint Bede Studio has now been published.  Any reader wishing to subscribe to the newsletter may do so by sending an e-mail to us, titled "NEWSLETTER".  Thank you.

Enquiries : stbede62@gmail.com

To our Readers in an Hour of Tribulation

We are sending this message to all those who usually read the blog of the Saint Bede Studio, located in Newcastle, Australia.

In Australia, the effects of the epidemic have taken hold, as they have in other nations. Massive disruption will ensue over the next several months.

The Studio continues to carry out its daily work, which is somewhat removed from the hustle and bustle of commercial enterprise. We will continue to work on our commissions, providing each customer with his vestments in as timely a manner as possible. We take with great seriousness our commitment to each and every customer. Not one customer is overlooked or forgotten.

Posts on the Studio blog will continue each week.  In the forthcoming week, we will be distributing our Newsletter to readers and to customers past and present.

We are receiving new orders and invite your enquiries for 2021.

We are mindful that for our customers and readers of this blog, the coming months will pose many challenges, sorrows, frustrations and disappointments. We wish to place all these things in the context of Faith. At the Studio, we have been praying each day for God's mercy in softening the effects of the epidemic. This includes all our customers.

Enquiries : stbede62@gmail.com

Festal Vestments

The front of the chasuble with maniple.

The Saint Bede Studio recently completed this set of vestments for a Seminary in the United States.  This was an unusual commission, since we were asked to prepare a set of vestments to complement two existing heritage dalmatics in the Seminary's possession.

The new vestments were made in the Borromeon style from an English silk-and-metallic-thread brocade in a bright shade of gold.  The orphrey was formed from dupion silk in a shade of olive green.  Upon the orphreys were placed appliqué and a vesica depicting the Lamb of God.  The front orphrey was a column, the rear orphrey a Latin Cross.

The vestments were lined in red taffeta.

Click on the images for an enlarged view.

Enquiries : Visit this page

The lower edge of the chasuble front

Fleur de lis appliqué on the orphrey

The rear of the chasuble shewing Agnus Dei vesica.