The month of October

At the conclusion of October, the month of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Saint Bede Studio is pleased to present this set of Marian vestments made for a returning customer, a priest in the United States. It is an adapted form of the Saint Philip Neri style.

The vestments were made from a brocade with a large-scale woven design in the colour of ivory. The front of the chasuble was ornamented with a stylised form of the Roman TAU, but the back of the chasuble was formed into a Cross.

This ornament was formed from a beautiful silk damask in a subtle shade of blue, outlined with one of the Studio's unique braids, Saint Barnabas, in the colours of straw-gold and lighter blue.  

At the intersection of the Cross on the chasuble back, an embroidered medallion with the letters BVM interlocked was placed.  The vestments were lined with taffeta in a shade to match the orphrey.

Click on the images for an enlarged view.

Enquiries : Visit this page

AMDG

Jubilee Vestments

Mass celebrated in Saint Mary's
Cathedral Sydney celebrated
by Archbishop Fisher OP.

In August 2021, in the midst of a COVID Pandemic lockdown, the Order of Preachers in Australia celebrated the Jubilee of the death of Saint Dominic.  A special set of vestments was commissioned with the Saint Bede Studio for this Jubilee and was used at a Mass celebrated in Saint Mary's Cathedral by the Archbishop of Sydney, Most Rev'd Anthony Fisher OP.  The vestments are now in the care of the Dominican Community at Glebe, an inner-city suburb of Sydney.

These ample vestments were made from a lovely silk brocade in colours of white and muted gold.  They were ornamented in the Roman manner with a TAU formed from one of the Studio's braids, Saint Columba, outlined with a golden galloon.  The vestments were fully lined in a rust red taffeta.

Please click on the images for an enlarged view.

Enquiries : Visit this page

Before Mass in Saint Mary's Cathedral,
the Archbishop of Sydney blessed the new vestments.

Bi-centenary of Saint Mary's Cathedral Sydney 1821 - 2021

The editor of this blog was approached to assist the staff of the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Sydney The Catholic Weekly in the preparation of a special edition commemorative of the Bi-centenary of Saint Mary's Cathedral.

This commemorative edition has now been published and an online version of it may be viewed here.

Old Saint Mary's as it appeared in the early 1840s.
Image : The Saint Bede Studio

Four special articles were written about old Saint Mary' Cathedral (1821-1865).  Some of the information has already appeared on our other Catholic history blog In diebus illis, but special images were prepared to illustrate the articles.

Since every word had to count in limited print space, I was not able to mention those who assisted me in this project.  I wish to do so here.

Mr Brian Andrews of Tasmania

Dr Lienntje Cornelissen, Sydney Archdiocesan Archivist

Mr Giovanni Portelli, Catholic photographer

The Very Rev'd Donald Richardson, Dean of Saint Mary's Cathedral

Staff of Special Collections, State Library of New South Wales

Mr Simon Fieldhouse, Sydney artist

Prof. James Franklin, Vice-President of the Australian Catholic Historical Society.

Mr Peter Rosengren, editor of the Catholic Weekly.

The Friends of Saint Mary's Cathedral.

Various encouragers known to the editor.

AMDG

ORDINANDS 2023

2023 is not far off, so if you are interested in commissioning vestments with the Saint Bede Studio for your Ordination next year, NOW is the time to contact us to begin discussions.

Every year - regretfully - we have to refuse work from ordinands because they have left enquiries too late for us to fit into our over-crowded schedule.

Contact us now to avoid disappointment.  

Please show this notice to ordinands who may be thinking of vestments.

Enquiries : stbede62@gmail.com

Gothic Revival Festal Vestments

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

This chasuble was tailored in the Studio's Saint Giles design, a variant on the Gothic Revival chasuble.  The vestments were made from a brocade in colours of ivory and burgundy upon old gold.  They were lined in red taffeta.

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

Click on the images for an enlarged view.

Enquiries : Visit this page

For the Season "Per Annum" 2022 : 6

Recently made for a returning customer in the Diocese of Trenton NJ is this chasuble in the Saint Bede Studio's Saint Anselm style.

This style of chasuble, which we have been making for a few years now, is simple and comfortable to wear.  Although the chasuble is unlined, it is made from substantial, not flimsy material, so that it hangs down well.  Around the neckline, on the underside of the chasuble is a facing, which causes the vestments to sit well on the shoulders.

Concerning the appearance of this vestment, it is intended to be a mixture of the contemporary and the traditional.  It is a long chasuble and reaching near to the wrists.  It is ornamented simply.  The colour of the ornament varies, but consists of two columns made from silk.

In the case of this chasuble, a beautiful European silk brocade, in colours of deep green and straw, formed the pendants. These pendants were attached to the front and to the back of chasuble, which is made from a silk brocade in two shades of green.

This particular set was made with accessories fully lined in green silk dupion.  

Please click on the images for an enlarged view.

Enquiries : stbede62@gmail.com