His Hermeneuticalness has blessed a new set of rosacea vestments… and not just any, but a Roman solemn set, including the cope.
I think they should have the tablets of the law on the back, so that everyone will see the tablet when Father "turns his back to the people".
Well done Fr. Finigan! Laetare indeed!
The servers who come on Saturday morning for Mass and Benediction had some fun today opening up the new rose vestments and putting them so that I could show you a photo. Above is the shot where the servers didn’t quite manage to be solemn.
Mass was offered this morning for all the benefactors who have paid for these vestments in response to kind appeals by Damian Thompson on Holy Smoke and Fr Zuhlsdorf on What Does The Prayer Really Say. I will write to everyone who has contacted me but it will take me a little time. Thank you all very much indeed. Next Sunday’s Mass will be a High Mass so I’ll make sure there are some photos of the vestments in use. This morning, I blessed them.
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Simple, yet beautiful! Very appropriate for that oasis of rejoicing in this holy season of self-denial. After all, it is not God who must be penitent so why vest His priest in poor garments when celebrating His sacrifice. Ad majorem Dei gloriam!
Wow a rose cope.. I’ve only seen them in use in St. Peter’s for Vespers!
Sure to cause some rose blushes in certain journalistic quarters…
Is that kind of like seeing our tax dollars at work? Tithe dollars, maybe?
I’m drooling :-P
Oh, I am overwhelmed with joy for His Hermeneuticalness, his parishioners and the youngsters sharing this blessed event!
Father Z, I just received an email from my parish and am wondering if this statement is correct. It is an answer provided as to why our two local parishes do not offer the TLM at this time.
“Priests who were trained before 1962 know the Latin language. Those who became priests afterwards do not. And those who are just entering the seminaries will be provided this education as the seminaries they are attending “come on line” with this addition to the curriculum. There is also the issue that the Altar Servers must also be trained in the Latin responses, as well as the rubrics and protocols of the Latin Mass.”
Thank you and may God bless you.
DeborahAnne: Priests who were trained before 1962 know the Latin language. Those who became priests afterwards do not.
The latter statement is not true in all cases. None of the numerous TLM celebrating priests I know personally was ordained before 1985, and most of them in the last 10 years.
Of course, it makes no sense to expect a TLM where there is not a priest who\’s willing and able to make the effort to learn both the language and the ceremonies of the TLM. But I know from personal observation that this effort is not a obstacle to the orthodox young priest who determined to do it. (Admittedly this motivation is absent in many or most of those priests ordained without adequate priestly formation in the first couple of decades or so after Vatican II.)
The issue of altar boys for the TLM is not a substantial obstacle. Of course they must be trained in the responses and rubrics. But in my experience in preparing boys for this service — usually starting with older boys experienced in serving the Novus Ordo –it takes a half dozen sessions spread over several weeks (and is more arduous for me than for them).
DeborahAnne – The response you have received is, in most parts, correct regarding the training of Priests. Most seminaries have not taught Latin since soon after the Council, neither have they taught their students the rubrics of the TLM. Thus there is only a small, although thankfully growing, pool of Priests who are qualified to celebrate according to the usus antiquior.
Training the servers is a bit of a red herring as they have very much less to learn and can fairly quickly absorb the limited amount of Latin needed to make the necessary responses at Mass.
What are between the Chasuble and the Dalmatics?
The vestments are magnificent — and those young servers are a delight to see. While I’m sure they’re rambunctious at times, they are real boys — and I know whereof I speak as a Mum of two (though they’re now adults). I hope that working with Fr. Finegan will inspire a few of them to consider a call to the priesthood. They have a good role model right in front of them.
Jared,
It appears to me that on the left, between the Chasuble and the Dalmatic to either be a Tabernacle Veil, or a Ciborium Veil. The one on the right may be a preaching stole.
Again, those are my guesses, don’t quote me on those
They are wonderful vestments, but perhaps it would have
been better to purchase a set that can be worn more than once
a year.
nice that such a good pounding has such immediate effect!
Catholic, they can be worn more than once a year. There is the 3rd Sunday of Advent, Guadate Sunday, and the 4th Sunday of Lent, Laetare Sunday
Jared and cuaguy – tabernacle veil on the left, maniples on the right…
(I took the photos, so you CAN quote me on that!)
;-)
Supporters of Fr Finnigan will not be astonished to learn that in my poll on ‘Why you love the Tablet’ (http://ccfather.blogspot.com/) the item ‘Its fearless stance against reactionary priests’ has yet to register a vote. Front-runner is ‘Its unswerving loyalty to … err…’ closely followed by ‘I like my dissent to have a pseudo-intellectual air.’
Oh, and Catholic, twice a year is pretty good: my kids always love looking out for the rose vestments in advent and lent, and are disappointed if they don’t appear. It’s something to do with tradition, and putting a shape on the year… (that’s one of the reasons I think the 3 year lectionary is a mistake).
Res Miranda! :-)
Father Finigan is doing some really great things, including fostering vocations. How wise to include the altar boys in the blessings of the new vestments. Tom
and those altar boys don’t look like they are groaning under Fr. Finigan’s iron fist! How can they be the victims of such a monster and be happy!? Don’t they know that because of those vestments many poor children in Africa will die?
As the Patron of the Pill would say of anything done for Jesus: Why such a waste? It could have been sold for more than three hundred days’ wages and the money given to the poor.” Mark 14:4-5 John 12:4-5
Fabrizio, yes, and the Tablet should almost admonish Al Gore to stop flying around the planet in his private jet to warn us of global warming, so that money (100 times or more the cost of those vestments) could feed the whales, or children, or whatever. Tom
I am blushing with joy!
Fabrizio: How can they be the victims of such a monster and be happy!? Don’t they know that because of those vestments many poor children in Africa will die?
Don’t you know? He’s brainwashed them. Clearly, having to wear those cumbersome cassocks and suffer all that dreadful Latin and still appear to be your average, contented, well-adjusted kid could only be achieved after a thorough brainwash.
Jayna, you’re so perceptive. Back in the day, my parish priest had that affect on me! He brainwashed me so thoroughly that I am still a practicing Catholic. That man would stop at Nothing! Tom
Bit of a rabbit hole, but this post makes me wonder about vocations:
Have vocations stopped because of a lack of faith?
Or have they stopped because the clerical state is no longer looked upon with respect? Fr Finigan seems to be showing people that being a priest is a respectable, indeed respected, “career” and I understand there is a seminarian at Blackfen. How many polyester chausable parishes have vocations? Who wouldn’t want to wear those vestments?
“That man would stop at Nothing!”
I tell ya, the nerve of some of these priests! Flouncing around in their cassocks and expensive pink vestments, forcing poor, defenseless children to learn a dead language. What is the world coming to?
Andrew: I think it is perhaps some combination of the two. Wouldn’t a decreased respect for clergy be indicative of the state of one’s faith? How could it be possible to not hold the deepest respect for priests if your faith is well-founded? I can tell you that I don’t think there’s ever been a single seminarian out of my polyester chasuble parish. Of course, I’m surprised now a days to even get a priest who is from this country, much less from my parish (mind you, I’m not being derogatory towards priests of foreign origin).
“Priests who were trained before 1962 know the Latin language. Those who became priests afterwards do not. And those who are just entering the seminaries will be provided this education as the seminaries they are attending “come on line” with this addition to the curriculum. There is also the issue that the Altar Servers must also be trained in the Latin responses, as well as the rubrics and protocols of the Latin Mass.”
Thank you and may God bless you.
Comment by DeborahAnne
Granting that the reply is mostly true about the Latin deficient priests, perhaps you could respond with an email asking why that is so, pointing out that according to the explicit directions of Vat II and the 1983 code of canon law, proficiency is Latin is required for seminarians.
Money spent on new vestments was wasted money. Obviously, it all should have been sent to the Obama campaign.
Well I learned something! It is good to know they can be worn
more than once a year.
I love the expressions of the kids faces.
Mac McLernon,
If those are maniples on the right? then what is on top of the Chasuble and Dalmatics (besides stoles)?
Jared,
It appears to be a maniple on top of left dalmatic, stole next, maniple on chasuble, stole next, maniple on right dalmatic.
Those vestments…gaudeamus! :)
Joy,
There appears to be a maniple each on both dalmatics and the chasuble AND a stole on both the left dalmatic and the chasuble.
What nice pictures-of the vestments AND the servers!
“Rosecea”-oh, that’s funny-except for those of us who have the facial rash of the same name!
‘Patron of the Pill’-oooo, good one, Fabrizio!
‘Gaudeamus’, indeed! Long live Fr. Finigan, His Hermeneuticalness!
Many thanks for all those comments: it’s really great to have such support and encouragement. We actually got more than I bargained for – there are two diaconal stoles. So if we get two deacons turn up for one of the Novus Ordo Masses, everything can be hunky-dory. Thanks to my MC for reminding me that we needed a tabernacle veil – Luzar vestments made that up from an example I sent them.
The boys enjoyed unwrapping the vestments and they increasingly take a role in caring for them by putting them away properly in the vestment press after Mass with paper in between the various items so that the gold braid does not cause undue wear and tear on the damask. I do hope for more vocations to the priesthood and the keen interest in the Liturgy is a good start. Catechesis and training in good behaviour on and off the sanctuary is important too, so say a prayer for my work in those areas in support of their families.
The three smaller boys are making their first Holy Communion at our Missa Cantata on 2 May. At the moment, I only allow them to be torchbearers at Benediction or Stations. They are mad keen to start serving Mass once they have made their first Communion, and their parents have downloaded mp3 files of the responses so that they can learn them. The older boys all want to have hand missals so they can set the ribbons and follow the texts – and read the introductions that give the meaning of the feasts and seasons.
There is so much good coming out of all this – your support has been most helpful in preventing it from being derailed.