Serviam

I got a very nice note this morning from a faithful reader of blog and all around good person. 

Here are my boys serving at their first usus antiquior…very early this morning.  I hope you don’t mind my sending you snapshots of life here and our progress in living the life post-Summorum Pontificum.  I will cherish this moment which a year ago we had prayed for and today is a reality.

 

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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17 Comments

  1. Irulats says:

    There are np earthly words to describe the beauty of this event. Deo gratias, Deo gratias.

  2. danphunter1 says:

    This is Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Rocky Mount North Carolina, and that is one of the holiest priests in the United States, Father Meares.
    I believe the reredos are original from when the church was built in 1952.
    Thank the Lord on high for this priest, Mass and church.
    Gloria in Excelsis Deo!

  3. I’m a 46 year old convert to the Catholic faith. Being raised as a Protestant precludes me from having any “nostalgia” for the extraordinary form. That being said, I GREATLY PREFER THE EXTRAORDINARY FORM. I’ll take Catholic Tradition over the nonsense of the last 40 years any day, thank you very much!

    Truly, the TLM IS “The most beautiful thing this side of heaven”.

    God bless our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI and God grant him fortitude, encouragement, and MANY years!

    Glory and gratitude to our risen Lord! He has heard our cries!

    “I don’t want a Time machine. I want tradition.”

  4. Matthew Mattingly says:

    The rose colored chasuble in this picture is PERFECT!! That’s exactly what the rose color should be! Definitly not pink, definitly not an ugly orange/salmon color. This is the “old rose” color I had heard of. Glad to see it still used in vestments.

    As an aside, I found out that there’s a new Order of cloistered/contemplative nuns in France which wears this color habit, with white scapulars and black veils. I think they are called (if I remember right), the Sisters of the Sorrowful Hearts of Jesus and Mary, founded to make reparation for sins done in the Church (abuses etc. in the liturgy), and sins in the world. From the French I could read, they were founded in 1981, and have 2 cloisters in France, and a grand total of about 50 sisters. From the photos, in the first monastery established, there’s a community of about 35 sisters, most very young , and about 7 novices (2 from Africa I suppose). The second house has about 10 sisters and 2-3 novices. They celebrated, up until 2004 only the Novus Ordo (but reverently). Today, they use both the Tridentine Latin Mass, and the Novus Ordo. Their habit is so stunning, I was shocked. The design is like cloistered Dominican nuns (who haven’t updated the habit of course)but in “old rose” rather than white. At first I thought they were “The Pink Sisters” which are familiar to many, until I saw the deep rose color (almost purple), and black veils.
    Anyway, the color of the chasuble this priest is wearing is perfect. I don’t think any priest would be ashamed to wear this beautiful color, because in no way could it be mistaken as pink.

  5. Al says:

    Why do the servers hold his chausible like that? I am a server myself and hope one day to serve in a TLM and am learning.

    Thank you.

  6. Al says:

    Why do the servers hold his chausible like that? I one day hope to serve a TLM mass.

    Thank you.

  7. Al says:

    So sorry for the double post. I didn’t think it took.

  8. Allan Potts says:

    The altar boys hold the chausible up during the elevation of the host and chalice during the consecration. This is part of the rubics of the Traditional Latin mass, which I had the privileged to serve for about 12 years and expect to serve again shortly, until we can train a new generation of servers.

  9. Steve Girone says:

    I believe the lifting of the chausible is from a time when the vestments were
    more constraining and Father literally needed some help in order to elevate host
    and chalice. At least that’s what I’ve been told. Anyone else know of another
    reason?

  10. Derik Castillo says:

    Al,

    I recently became an altar server, thanks
    to the support of the kind readers (and contributors) of this blog, and the members
    of the Latin Mass Community at my parish,
    where we have a tiny Schola Acolytorum.

    I you need more details about the Altar
    Service according to the Extraordinary
    Form, just post your e-mail address,
    I’m sure you will receive a load of responses,
    among them mine.

    You may be interested in visiting
    http://www.sanctamissa.org
    and study their lessons

    Derik

  11. Jeff says:

    In the past, when the vestments were very ample or ornate, it was necessary for the server to lift the back of the chasuble to allow the priest to elevate the consecrated Host or the chalice of Precious Blood above his head so that it could be seen by the faithful.

    Most rubricist such as O’Connell, suggest the lifting of the chasuble be minimal. I have even read where it is preferable to omit it, just not sure where.

  12. Actually, I have been wondering about the origins of the practice of raising
    the chasuble myself. The elevation of the host was introduced in the early
    1200s, first it seems at Paris about 1205 (if I remember right). By that time
    the vestments were cut back enough on the sides so that the act didn’t
    help the priest much, if at all. In the modern period, of course, with Roman
    style vestments, it does not help him because there is no weight on the arms.
    If the usual explanation is right, I find it hard to believe that the motion was introduced before the elevation
    itself. And the “practical” value in 1200 was just about nil.

    On the other hand, in the Dominican Rite, the deacon lifted the chasuble at
    the elevations (as he incensed the host and chalice) AND he lifted the
    front of the chasuble when he incensed the priest at the offertory. In both
    cases this had the effect of getting the vestment away from the thurible. And at
    the Offertory the priest does not raise his arms at all! They are folded at the
    breast.

    I wonder if this wasn’t the actual origin of this act–protecting the vestment. I could argue against
    this that in our rite the deacon also raises the front of the chasuble when
    the priest turns to say “Dominus Vobiscum.” But I suspect this may be a
    latter addition based on the (wrong?) idea that the act had to do with
    weight of the vestment and not protecting it.

  13. Different says:

    I have seen Archbishop Burke having the sleeve of his ornate gothic chasuble held up by a deacon while the Archbishop incenses the altar. This seemed to be purely a practical move and a good one as the chasuble looked quite heavy.

    I think Fr. Augustine (or do you prefer Thompson) is on the right track.

  14. Al says:

    Thank you Derik and everyone that shared a bit of history..

    That’s an amazing site. I will definetely visit there and learn.

  15. Father J says:

    I don’t think you’ll find that the lifting of the chasuble is a “rubric” as such but is a suggested “practicum”… Indeed, many commentators recommend it is only done when the particular vestment necessitates it, to prevent the practice from becoming misconstrued as a “rubric” (as it can… and obviously has done… detract one’s focus from the Blessed Sacrament)! Heavy and ample gothic chasubles may well require assistance to be offered to the celebrant when elevating, as too stiff fiddle-back chasubles (to prevent the bottom of the back of the vestment from resting on the ankle of the bended knee, thus allowing the possibility of the celebrant’s head to be “lost from view” the chasuble having remained in the position it was before he genuflected!)

  16. Dear “Different,”

    Thanks. I do think that the history of this gesture deserves a study and
    that the received wisdom presents problems historically.

    Within the mendicant orders (like mine, the Preachers) the tradition is
    to use “Father” and the name in religion (mine is Augustine). But there
    are people who don’t feel comfortable with that and I don’t object to
    use of my surname.

    By the way, I don’t know how to get an answer on a clerical attire question
    that I have so I will just ask it here. Does anyone know what the traditional form of
    the ring used for creating the Sacrae Theologiae Magister in the Order of
    Preachers (Dominicans) is? This is not a “master’s degree” but the honorary
    degree given by the Order. The biretta is four-finned with episcopal purple
    pipping and pom-pom–like the ecclesiastical doctorate in theology
    The title is something like a D.D., but older.

  17. leo says:

    the alb should be lifted up by the server as the priest goes up the steps which is rarely seen along with the ceremonial kisses i always try to greet a priest by kissing his hand as a sign of respect i would encourage eveyone to do this

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