From a reader…
QUAERITUR:
Dear Father, do you know a good vesting prayer in Latin, or could you compose one, for putting on a facemask?
The questioner seeks to tickle the funny bone, of course.
As you know there are beautiful and quite serious prayers that priests and bishops ought to be saying when they vest for Mass, each piece having its own prayer. There are also prayers for washing hands before vesting and also for the cassock and surplice for servers.
The prayers are important. An exorcist friend told me that one of the people he was helping was able to see, during Mass, the demons attacking the priest and, like armor, his vestments and the holy angels protecting him.
That said, we can also have a sense of humor.
I once posted a prayer for the clipping on the microphone (I hate those things).
Here is something I cobbled up for your amusement.
Ad personam dum in faciem imponitur
Dómine, qui me indígnum Tuam índuisti in persónam, fac ut quámvis personátus isto faciáli integuménto ad sacra mystéria accédo, fidélium tamen ánimas ad Te condúcere váleam et coram Te Tuam claritátem una cum eis fácie ad fáciem videámus.
You can ponder your own perfect and yet smooth translation after your purchase of delectable…
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I’ve just been wryly using Esther 14:16 (or C:27 in some bibles)
Bthompson, that’s absolutely priceless! ;D
Another fun passage that I have sometimes humorously suggested is from Psalm 140: “Pone, Domine, custodiam ori meo: et ostium circumstantiae labiis meis. Non declines cor meum in verba malitiae, ad excusandas excusationes in peccatis.”
Argument: Though we priests also recite that while incensing the altar at the offertory (in the grown up version, that is). It is still a good choice!
I am halfway through Wheelock and have made an attempt to translate this prayer. The last clause defeated me because of too many accusatives. Also, I have only the barest exposure to subjunctives. I didn’t have time to order Mystic Monk coffee!!
Here goes:
O Lord, who clothed me, your unworthy one, in a mask, make that although I approach the sacred mysteries masked with that face covering, I may yet be empowered … in faith ? … to lead souls to you and that one with them we may see you …in your clarity ? … and your heart face to face.
Oh, embarrassing. Help!
sibnao: You will need some help with that. Anyone?
Don’t forget that deacons have vesting prayers, too!
https://d2y1pz2y630308.cloudfront.net/15206/documents/2020/11/Vesting-Prayers-for-Deacons-Latin.pdf
Adam says: deacons
You are missing something!
A late suggestion: “accedam” (subjunctive) instead of “accedo”. The subjunctive is more normal after “quamvis”. Or change “quamvis” to “quamquam” and leave “accedo”.
pAlban says: Maybe in Classical Latin, sure. However, in later Latin “quamvis” and indicative work, as in the VESTING PRAYER…
Redde mihi, Domine,
stolam immortalitatis,
quam perdidi in praevaricatione primi parentis:
et, quamvis indignus accedo ad tuum sacrum mysterium,
merear tamen gaudium sempiterum.
.
Do tell, please. Those are the ones I use, though I don’t have an amice.
I’m still stuck figuring why ‘induit’ is a third-person form instead of ‘induisti’.
Because I started with Dominus and changed it.
I looked at the vesting prayers in the sacristy, and there is also a prayer for a Maniple, but I also don’t have one of those. I don’t recall ever hearing of a deacon with one, though that doesn’t mean much. Might a deacon wear a maniple?
.
The prayer in the sacristy is:
.
Ad manípulum:
Mérear, Dómine, portáre
manípulum fletus et dolóris: ut
cum exsultatióne recípiam
mercédem labóris.
Deacons can wear maniples.
So, I have a question about maniples after a fashion. At the Easter Vigil and at First Communion, two of the boys (one each time, both Hispanic if that matters) were wearing ribbons around one of their arms that seemed to be (at least very possibly) in imitation or emulation of a maniple. I have seen such things before, but never up close. I could see that such a pious custom could have developed in imitation of the vestments of the priest in the days when maniples were worn rather more regularly, but did it? Do you/does anyone here know of such a tradition, or might they know of some other such tradition? Clearly, it was meant as an act of piety.