When new these would have been the most splendid vestments imaginable, they most probably date from around 1910 or 20 they are mixture of appliqued and embroidered decoration. Some of the appliques are with inks.
If you click on the chasuble you will see just how perished they are, I don't think we will ever be able to raise the money to restore them, about £5,000.
I am wondering if we can wear them for Corpus Christi.
If you are in Brighton on Thursday at 7.30pm we are having a High Mass in the Usus Antiquior,
Fr Sean Finneagan is celebrant.
The Reverend Doctor Alcuin Reid is deacon
and I am subdeacon. I need to go away and study my Fortesque, O'Connell and, yes, Reid.Athe moment the schola are in the Church practicing the sequence and later the polyphonic choir will come to go through the Byrd Mass for Four Voices.
One of our problems is we have only just enough servers.
God will provide!
16 comments:
I notice that there are not any Christian symbols on them. They could just be curtain fabric. Should they at least have a cross on them?
The flowering tree of life is a Christian symbol.
Vestments are clothes not billboards there a crosses were they should be kissed.
They are beautiful.
Father, have you considered putting up a PayPal button on your blog to see if you can raise some money towards the restoration of these beautiful vestments?
Good luck for your Mass on Corpus Christi. I'm sure you will do well - your Jubilee Mass was a real pleasure to attend!
Very Oratorian
Go for it and wear them anyway. Better on you than in a museum! [Let me know if you find out why the subdeacon stands with the paten held face high at such a fatiguing level for so long! [And get some knee pads and save those knees too.]
When cleaning out a sacristy in an old church (by our standards) the ladies found a beautiful old piece -don't know its name - canopy over the Blessed Sacrament when going to the altar of repose. The ladies thought that they would be able to find volunteers to work on restoring the piece but they needed some expert help. An Embroidery Guild was contacted and they were very pleases to give advise and some practical help on restoring the canopy. Perhaps you might have such a guild who would be albe to help.
Oratorian hey??
"Anonymous" contact me, if you dare, what you suggest is untrue.
Really beautiful. But the embroidery itself doesn't look in bad condition, just bits of the backing. My sponsor used to restore vestments for the Oratory. She would insert very fine netting over the decayed bits of backing, or if really bad lift the embroidered sections and put them on a new ground.
I do hope you use them, but important not to get them wet if you plan a procession outside.
Very good idea of Mac's to put a PayPal button for their restoration.
Beautiful vestments Fr Ray - most fitting for celebrating the Holy Day of Corpus Christi in the Usus Antiquior - as of course they would have been when new!
The 'structural' fabric despite a bit of fraying due to wear and tear looks in overall good condition judging from the pictures. Despite the odd fading in colours here and there I'm sure they will more than stand up to one Latin High Mass before they are placed on the 'back burner' for some repair work. It will do the vestments proud to be used again for the Glory of God.
May your High Mass at St Mary Magdalen on Corpus Christi be a light to the people of Brighton.
Shine on Fr Ray!
They are really worth restoring. Could a collection be started via your blog, or the internet to accept donations for the restoration of these beautiful vestments?
I hope you do wear them tomorrow.
Where did you get the vestments from Fr?
Paypal is tempting but when we start to restore the Church.
Roysdan, They have always been here. They may have come with Mgr Wallis who was PP in the war years, before that he had been MC at Westminster Cat. He was MC for its consecration.
Just shows you what must be hiding in some sacristies!
Best wishes for Corpus Christi.
Also, as an additional note regarding Michael R's comment, I see the chasuble orphreys are in the form of pillar at rear and Tau cross at front (an alternative to the more usual Latin cross rear and pillar front) - so they do indeed have Christian symbols on them, they are just rather subtle when compared to the rest of the embroideries.
What beautiful vestments, thank you for posting! Does anyone know where (in Europe) one could study the design and making of Church vestments and textiles of this kind?
Father;
absolutely splendid vestments; they must have made your Corpus Christi mass the envy of Brighton !
Matthaeus;
the pillar on the rear and the cross on the front is 'usual' on Roman vestments; the reverse arrangement is typically French/Belgian.
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