Friday 29 May 2009

Vestments for Pentecost

A Greeting to all readers, after these days of great Feasts: the Ascension, Our Lady Help of Christians, Saint Philip Neri, Saint Bede the Venerable (patron saint of our Studio), Saint Augustine of Canterbury and lastly, Pentecost.

Father Mitchell Beachey of Quebec, Canada, commisioned the Studio to prepare a set of vestments for Pentecost. Father Beachey chose to have the set prepared in the "Philip Neri" style. The vestments were made of a silk damask of deep-red colour, ornamented with a brocade of dark red and gold.

Having received the vestments this week, Father Beachey wrote to us:

Just finished opening and trying on the new chasuble. I love it. This is absolutely beautiful and well made. In making such works of art, you add so much to the beauty and sanctity of the Church's worship. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. The St. Philip Neri style, now that I have actually seen it and wore it, is the perfect chasuble for priests who celebrate both the Ordinary Form and the Extraordinary Form. Although I like the fiddleback or Roman style for the EF, I do not it like for the OF celebrated versus populum because the front of the Roman vestment does not lend itself very well to versus populum. The St. Philip Neri chasuble is perfect for both ad orientem and versus populum.

Click on the photograph for an enlarged view.