Talks on the Sacramentals, by Msgr Arthur Tonne - Vestments

"There they shall lay their vestments wherein they minister, for they are holy, and they shall put on other garments, and so shall they go forth to the people." Ezechiel, 42:14.

Among the islands of the southern Philippines is one called Mindanao. In one of the villages on that island during the late war there was a Columban missionary by the name of Father J. Noone. One day Father Noone found an American flyer who had been shot down over Mindanao, and had parachuted safely into a swamp. Father brought him to the village and took care of him. The American airman, a young man from Philadelphia by the name of Lieutenant Kenneth Dries presented his parachute to the padre in gratitude for his kindness and hospitality.

From the silk of that parachute some Filipino women in Father's parish made him a complete set of white vestments for Mass, together with a cope and humeral veil. These are Father's prize war souvenirs. Of them he says: "Just the thing for this Philippine weather."

The sacrifice of that soldier made those vestments particularly significant, for the garments which the priest wears at Mass carry us back to the Last Supper and the supreme sacrifice of Calvary. The vestments are sacramentals. Mother Church prescribes their color and design, the manner in which the priest puts them on, and the prayers he must say while doing so. All the vestments for Mass--the amice, alb, cincture, maniple, stole and chasuble--must be blessed before they may be used.

1. In preparing for Holy Mass the priest first puts on the amice, a rectangular piece of white linen with strings attached to hold it in place. In the middle is a cross which he kisses as he dons and doffs the amice. The amice reminds us of the veiling of the eyes and face of Jesus by the Jews when they struck Him and cried:

"Prophesy to us, O Christ! Who is it that struck Thee?"

Another meaning is seen in the words of the priest as he puts it on:

"Place, O Lord, on my head the helmet of salvation, so that I may resist the assaults of the devil."

Historically the amice was a covering for the head and neck, worn like a hood. Indoors it was lowered and thrown over the shoulders. For the priest it is a sort of spiritual helmet.

2. The alb is a white and wide linen robe reaching from the shoulders to the feet and covering the entire body. Putting it on the priest prays:

"Make me clean, O Lord, and purify my heart; that being made white in the blood of the Lamb, I may deserve an eternal reward."

The alb or tunic was worn in ancient times by all who enjoyed any dignity. Symbolically it reminds us of the white garment with which Herod clothed our Lord. It also signifies purity of conscience demanded for God's priest.

3. The cincture is the cord of linen tied about the waist to hold the alb in place. The priest prays:

"Gird me, O Lord, with the cincture of purity, and quench in my heart the fires of concupiscence, that the virtue of chastity and continence may abide in me.'

This cincture had a practical purpose in the days when long flowing garments were worn--to tuck it up for working, walking and running. It also symbolizes the cord that bound our Lord to the pillar, and the modesty and readiness the priest must ever show for the service of the Lord.

4. The maniple is a strip of silken cloth worn on the left arm. In former times it was used to wipe perspiration from the face and brow. It reminds us of the rope whereby our Lord was led, and the chains that bound His sacred Hands. It is an emblem of the tears of penance, and of the beads of perspiration resulting from the work of the priest and their joyful reward in heaven. This is the prayer for the maniple:

"May I deserve, O Lord, to bear the maniple of weeping and sorrow in order that I may joyfully reap the reward of my labors."

5. The stole is a strip of silken material about eighty inches long. It is three inches wide at the neck and widens toward the ends. It is worn round the neck and crossed on the breast. Taking it up, the priest prays:

"Restore to me, O Lord, the state of immortality which I lost through the sin of my first parents and, although unworthy to approach Thy sacred mysteries, may I deserve nevertheless to possess eternal joy."

It was formerly a neck-piece or kerchief, a part of the dress of the upper classes. Gradually it became the mark of authority for higher clerics. It represents the cords with which Jesus was tied, and the cross that was laid on His shoulders. It is the yoke which Christ said we must take up, the priest's burden of heavy responsibility. Our Lord promised to make it sweet. The priest wears it at most official functions.

6. The chasuble is the outer vestment of the celebrant. Originally it was a cloak completely covering the priest. It was shortened for freedom of movement, by cutting away the sides. The prayer for putting it on:

"O Lord, who hast said, 'My yoke is sweet and My burden light,' grant that I may carry it so as to merit Thy grace."

It is an emblem of the purple cloak worn by our Lord before Pilate, an emblem of love, which must encircle us completely.

In general Mother Church has retained the form and design of these garments of the past to remind us continually of the antiquity of the Mass. It goes back to the time of Christ.

The vestments of Father Noone on Mindanao, made from the parachute that saved an airman's life, are a continual reminder of his sacrifice. The vestments of the priest, carrying us back through twenty centuries, remind us continually of the sacrifice of Christ upon the cross. How fittingly the priest wears them as he celebrates the continuation of that sacrifice upon the altar! Amen