Vestments a new priest needs for the Ordinary Form, part I

I am often asked what a newly-ordained priest needs in the way of vestments, so I am putting together a series of recommendations, based on my years of experience and observation.

Ideally, of course, a young priest for the needs of the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite would own a set of vestments in the Liturgical colours of white, green, red and violet.  Of these, red is used least throughout the Liturgical year, so that the priority list of needs could become:

White vestments: chasuble, stole, chalice veil

Violet vestments: chasuble, stole, chalice veil

Green vestments: chasuble, stole, chalice veil.

Every priest ought to have available for his use a set of the above three colours.

Some additional points. 

For the various rituals of the Roman Rite, a priest ought to have available a cope in white and a cope in violet.

If it can be afforded, a priest should have two sets in different shades of the colours, white, violet and green.  A congregation often appreciates seeing some variety in the vestments that are used.  Remember, it is the congregation which is looking at the vestments during Mass, not the priest wearing them.

Saint Philip Neri vestments

A priest from the Archdiocese of New York commissioned the Saint Bede Studio for a set of vestments according to the style now referred to as Saint Philip Neri.  In this instance, the vestments were made from an English ecclesiastical brocade and lined in gold-coloured dupion silk.  The ornament, according to the traditional style of Rome, was formed simply from braids running in parallel lines.

Father James Ferreira is shewn in the adjacent photograph, wearing the vestments.

Enquiries: stbede62@gmail.com


Click on the photograph for an enlarged view.

Jubilee Vestments

The Saint Bede Studio was commissioned to prepare a set of red vestments to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Ordination of a Sydney priest, Father Patrick Sharpe MSC.

A Renaissance-style Italian silk damask of cherry red and old gold was chosen for the design, which was ornamented with a pallium-style orphrey in red-silk. Appliques were added to the orphrey to provide highlights. The lining used for Father Sharpe's vestments was red silk taffeta.

Enquiries: stbede62@gmail.com

Click on the photograph for a larger view.

Puginesque vestments

Pictured is the Saint Giles chasuble, a familar style to readers of this Blog. It is a simplified version of a design by A.W.N. Pugin.  A green brocade (Emerald green on a very dark base colour) is ornamented with a Puginesque braids in red and gold and lined in scarlet-red. The braids were produced exclusively for the Saint Bede Studio.

This chasuble was commissioned as a gift to a priest resident in the Archdiocese of Sydney.

Enquiries: stbede62@gmail.com

Click on the image for an enlarged view.

Priestly Ordinations 2011 - part 5

Ordination Mass of Father Damian McCaughan

Continuing our series of Ordination vestments, is a set prepared for a young man who was ordained to the Sacred Priesthood in St Malachy’s Church, Coleraine (Northern Ireland) on 3rd July by the Bishop of Down and Connor.

Father Damian McCaughan had undertaken priestly studies at the Pontifical Irish College, Rome.  Read a little more about Father McCaughan here.  Please pray for Father McCaughan and all newly-ordained priests. 

Ordination Mass of Father McCaughan

The ordinand asked for a chasuble in the Borromeon style.  A Renaissance-style silk damask in silver and gold 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.

Please click on the images for an enlarged view.

Enquiries: stbede62@gmail.com

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.

Enquiries: stbede62@gmail.com

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