On this Feast of St. Ubaldus the sun came into view at 5:47. We will lose sight of it again at 20:27.
Our ears will not hear in the Curia the un-rung Ave Maria Bell at 20:45. But it does ring at the proper solar time at The Parish™, Ss. Trinità and on my seriously cool APP!
A long time reader and follower of my daily live Mass stream was here in Rome and we met up for my Mass.
This morning The World’s Best Sacristan™ and I went to the Giuseppine in Trastevere to talk to the sisters and to look at difference varieties of lace for, potentially, a new surplice. The one I have here is not awful. However, I’m thinking about something more in the style of the place and my advancing age. (What that is, I’m not sure.) I did learn more about lace today. There are still fantastic hand made laces. I am in complete awe. The last time I was at the Giuseppine was over 35 years ago before my ordination, the anniversary of which is coming up in the next days.
The fact that I have a few photos of lace doesn’t indicate that I’ve made a move. However, this one is nice.
Is there enough?
Made by hand. Holy Cow. Good for an alb, but for a surplice?
This is nice. Classic. Restrained.
I don’t know what to do. Some of this lace is E. 150 per meter. GULP. I don’t want that…yet. I’m stingy. But, it would be a nice alb. One for Rome? Otherwise, here and in the USA, I wear a plain alb with zero lace. I have lacy albs in the USA, but… I should sell them, maybe. I don’t personally know enough seminarians to give them. I’m getting old.
NB: ladies weave beautiful lace flowers in imitation of nature to reflect God’s beauty for the sake of divine worship and I honor them by wearing what the created from love.
Meanwhile, this is what God weaves from the stuff of the earth to reflect His Truth through beauty. What a privilege to see it.
On the way away from The Parish™, I met Pippo’s crew bringing flowers for an afternoon wedding. Look how beautiful. Pippo is a master. This is Anastasia.
I’d LOVE IT if 100 of you wrote to say “Ciao da un lettore di don John”: info@pippocampodefiori.com
I had a little hate note about my sybaritic lifestyle because I ate in a restaurant (at someone’s invitation). LOL. It was the first time I’d been out (at someone’s invitation) for a while. There are those who think that if I am not rubbing gravel in my hair and drinking from a puddle between the cobblestone, then my life doesn’t suck enough. And THAT, of course, is the key to your spiritual life: your life has to suck. I think this might have been provoked by my recent SSPX post. Tonight, here is my ultra-sucky repast: broth, frozen veg, pieces of dried out bread. BUT… sorry to disappoint: it was really good! I’m easily pleased. That “pane di Lariano” had a great resurrection and “descension”.
Speaking of getting old, today and yesterday I just slept a lot. It helped that it rained.
BTW… there is a chestnut that only bishops can have a lining of an alb or surplice in red. That’s false. There is nothing in the Roman tradition that sanctions or proscribes that. Ordinary priests can have red lining for albs and surplices. PERIOD.
