Priestly Ordinations 2011 - part 4

The fourth in this series of Ordination vestments features sets of vestments  prepared for a young man who was ordained to the Sacred Priesthood in the Sacred Heart Cathedral, Diocese of Richmond (USA)  on 18th June.

Father Brian Capuano offered his Mass of Thanksgiving in S' Benedict's Church, Richmond (see adjacent photographs).

Please pray for Father Capuano and all newly-ordained priests.

Saint Benedict's Church Richmond VA (1928)

The ordinand asked for a chasuble in the Borromeon style.  A Renaissance-foliage silk damask in ivory was chosen for the vestments, ornamented with a silk damask of burgundy and gold, outlined with a narrow galloon. The ornamentation is in the traditional Roman style of the TAU. The chasuble was fully lined in cherry-red cotton.

In addition, a cope, humeral veil and dalmatic were prepared to complement the chasuble.  Made from the same fabrics, these are shewn below.  The hood of the cope is also in the style of the 16th century, typically Roman in shape, but pre-dating the exaggerated dimensions found in copes of the later Baroque period.

Click on the images for an enlarged view.

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Affording costly vestments

Good-quality vestments, especially if they are handmade and use silk fabrics, are quite costly.  Indeed, they always have been.  Once, I read on a website (I can't remember where it was), a strategy for being able to afford a vestment which seems too expensive.  It may be useful for readers.  It goes something like this...

Father had his heart set on a particular set of vestments, but didn't have the money to purchase them.  The Parish had many commitments and could not justify making such a purchase.  But the Parish did buy them and then they were put on display in the Church, with this sign:

These new vestments were recently purchased.  When we have raised enough money to pay for them, they will be used at the Altar.  Until then, they are only for display.

It didn't take too long for the money to be raised for the vestments to be used for Mass and more besides; in fact, enough for another set to be purchased!  The Parish loves the vestments and loves to see Father wearing them for Mass.

Mass on the Feast of S' Lawrence

I couldn't resist putting up this post about a Mass held this evening in Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne, on the Feast of Saint Lawrence.  Thanks to Dr Chris Steward for the photographs.  This Mass was celebrated at the magnificent Sacred Heart altar, one of the many remarkable features of this noble church, designed by the renowned Gothic Revival architect William Wardell.  The Borromeon-style vestments used at this Mass had been made some years previously by the Studio and look rather well in the setting!

Click on the images for an enlarged view.

Prayers at the Foot of the Altar

Reading of the Gospel

At the Offertory

Papal Mitres: part 2

Amongst the many remarkable features of Benedict XVI's Pontificate is the rather singular distinction of having used more mitres as Pope as all of his predecessors of the last 200 hundred years put together!  This is the second in a series of posts about the Papal mitres which I find pleasing, together with a description of them.

The mitres of Pope Benedict fall (almost) into two categories: those used during the tenure of Marini the First (Piero Marini) and those used during the tenure of Marini the Second (Guido Marini).  

The second in our series, shewn above, is part of the Marini the First range and was worn at Vespers in the Basilica of Saint Paul-without-the Walls in January 2008.  This mitre is a very inventive adaptation of the mediaeval mitre.  A similar mitre was used by Pope John Paul II.

As we know, the most common form of ornamentation for the mitre, as it developed in Tradition, was for a decorative band to be run around the crown of the head.  This band was called the circulus.  Another band extended at right angles to the circulus, forming an upside-down "T".  This vertical ornamentation was called the titulus.  Often, the circulus and titulus were lavishly embroidered.  During the mediaeval period, that area of the mitre on the left and the right of the titulus, which forms almost a triangular shape, came also to be decorated, often will geometrical medallions studded with jewels.  For the purposes of our description, let us call these areas of the mitre quadrants.

Returning to the mitre of this post, it is made from a gold fabric and its circulus and titulus are formed from a beautifully-conceived cross-hatching of golden braids.  This would have been sufficient to create a worthy mitre.  But the designer of this mitre took a bold step and ornamented the quadrants of the mitre, not with embroidery and jewels, but with an applique of black and gold silk damask, carefully enhanced with further gold braiding.  The shape and height of the mitre are very well proportioned, according to the manner of the early mediaeval period and well-suited to the stature of its wearer, Pope Benedict.

On that occasion, the Pope was given to wear a cope matching the mitre (adjacent photograph).  This cope is made from a magnificent straw-coloured silk damask.  Like the mitre, the cope's orphrey is formed from a  cross-hatching of golden braids, broken up with squares of the same black and gold silk damask.  The decoration is beautiful and striking.  There is nothing about this  Italian-made mitre and cope which makes it incongruous with the Baroque style of Catholic Rome.

Noteworthy, also, is the magnificent Morse, or clasp used to hold the cope together.  Obviously a modern work, but beautifully conceived and ornamented. Unhappily, a clearer image was not available.

Vestment for the Time "Per Annum"

The adjacent photograph shews a set of vestments completed for a Sydney priest in the Saint Martin style developed by the Saint Bede Studio.  The chasuble is made from a forest green brocade and ornamented (simply with a contrasting brocade) in the Roman style.  Unlike other examples of the Saint Martin chasuble, these vestments lack any additional ornamenting braids.  The vestments are fully lined in a rust-red cotton.


Click on the photograph for an enlarged view.

Enquiries: stbede62@gmail.com

Re-enchantment of a Roman chasuble

An old Roman chasuble (right)  remade

Known derisively as the "fiddleback" or inaccurately as the "Roman".  That well-known and abbreviated form of chasuble never makes an appearance on this Blog.  Some of these "Roman" chasubles are of great beauty, made of exquisite damasks and often wonderfully embroidered.  On the other hand, there are many which were crunched-out of the vestment-making businesses and are of no particular merit.  The "Roman" chasuble really looks well only on men of smaller build, where its abbreviated length and width is not so noticeable.

In this post, we will look at such a chasuble, which had seen better days.  Made in Italy in the 1940's from a tastefully embroidered red silk, its qualities were marred by an ugly gold lurex braid.  Faced with a decision between "retiring" the vestment or trying somehow to salvage it, the owner opted for the latter. 

After and before

The chasuble and its accessories were carefully taken to pieces and examined for what might be re-used.  The results are shewn in the attached photographs.  A misshapen and badly adorned chasuble was made into a new set of vestments in the Saint Philip Neri style.  The original fabric was re-used to ornament the new silk vestments.  In fact, the original fabric was used to ornament two new chasubles, the second of which can be seen here.

Searching for a word to describe such radical surgery, we lighted upon the phrase the "Re-enchantment" of a Roman chasuble.

Click on the images for an enlarged view.

Papal Mitres: part 1

Amongst the many remarkable features of Benedict XVI's Pontificate is the rather singular distinction of having used more mitres as Pope as (probably) all of his predecessors put together over the last 200 hundred years!  Most of his predecessors used two or three precious mitres at most (in addition to the cloth gold and simplex mitres). There are a number of websites which have a tally of the mitres used by Pope Benedict, so I won't be contributing to the statistics.

Instead, this is the first in a series of posts about the Papal mitres which I find pleasing, together with a description of them.

The first in the series, shewn adjacent, was presented to Pope Benedict on the occasion of his visit to the Abbey Monte Cassino a couple of years ago.  In addition, a matching cope and chasuble were presented.  These vestments and mitre are very much in the character of the style of vestments used in Italy in the 13th century. 

Confining ourselves to the mitre, it is made from a white silk damask and its orphrey (properly called the circulus and titulus) is also formed from hand-embroidered gold silk.  Quite unlike the baroque mitres, the ornament of such mitres is confined to orphrey.  Here we find, in geometrical patterns, precious stones of differing sizes and colours, arranged in a restrained and tasteful manner.  The shape and height of the mitre are very well proportioned, according to the manner of the early mediaeval period and well-suited to the stature of its wearer.

Admirable!

Click on the images for an enlarged view.

Priestly Ordinations 2011 - part 3

The third in this series of Ordination vestments features a chasuble  prepared for a young man who was ordained to the Sacred Priesthood in the Co-Cathedral of S' Thomas More, Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee (USA)  on 4th June, along with two other men.

The ordinand asked for a chasuble in the Saint Martin design, but strictly in colours of white and gold. This design is extremely ample and is intended to be more contemporary in appearance, even though based in Catholic traditions.

A renaissance-style ivory damask was chosen for the chasuble, ornamented with a brocade of white and gold, outlined with a narrow galloon. The ornamentation is in the traditional Roman style of the TAU. The chasuble was fully lined in gold dupion silk.

Click on the image for an enlarged view.

Enquiries: stbede62@gmail.com

Priestly Ordinations 2011 part 2

On 5th May, the Rev'd Damon Sypher FSSP was ordained to the Sacred Priesthood in Saint Mary's Cathedral, Sydney, by His Eminence, Cardinal Pell. The Mass was celebrated according to the 1962 Liturgical books. The adjacent photograph shews Father Sypher during the Rite of Ordination.

Father Sypher was ordained in a Saint Philip Neri style chasuble made by the Saint Bede Studio and presented to him by friends.  The chasuble was made of silver and straw-coloured silk damask, ornamented with orphreys of burgundy and straw brocade according to the Roman style.  The photograph below shews the rear of the chasuble.

A similar chasuble is illustrated here.

Please click on the photographs for an enlarged view.

Enquiries: stbede62@gmail.com

Priestly Ordinations 2011 part 1

Over the last 2-3 months, the Studio has been busily engaged in making chasubles for ordinands to the Sacred Priesthood.  At last we are in a position to post some photographs of the vestments that have been made.

Firstly, a set of vestments made for Father Matthew Hardesty of Kentucky, USA.  The vestments are made from an ivory silk damask, fully lined in gold dupion silk.  The orphrey was formed from a straw-coloured silk damask, alternating with fleur-de-lis emblems.

We are pleased to include a photograph of the vestments taken at the celebration of Father Hardesty's First Mass.  Congratulations, Father.

Click on the images for an enlarged view.

Enquiries: stbede62@gmail.com