Sunday, April 20, 2008

The reception for His Eminence...






7 comments:

PeterHWright said...

Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos is coming to England in July.

He will be met with full ceremony at the west door of Westminster Cathedral, before vesting and celebrating Solemn Mass in rito antico at the high altar.

Perhaps J.P. should be in attendance. He looks the part !

Stella Orientis said...

I'm not sure about the rules in Rome, but here in Australia it was my understanding that even if vested in soutanne and cotta for mass, non-clerics are not permitted to wear the collar. John does this make you a cleric, or are you simply adhering to Roman practice?

Anonymous said...

Pure Anglo-Saxon sacristy legend. What is improper and ugly yet tolerated is the absence of a Roman collar while wearing a Roman cassock. It is the surplice (not the cassock and still less the collar) which corresponds to the cleric, since he receives it along with the tonsure and with it he is buried if he dies as a minor cleric. The altar servers taking the place of clerics, they may dress as clerics during the ceremony.

Anonymous said...

No, Anthony, that is wrong also in Australia. It has nothing to do with Roman tradition. The collar goes with the cassock. If one doesn't own a collar -- out of lack of resources -- it might be tolerated not to wear one but then one should at least wear a normal white shirt underneath so as not to make a scandal. The altar server stands in for a tonsured cleric and should wear the vestements that belong to the function of the cleric.
The non-cleric (i.e. someone who is not, at least, a seminarian) should out of longstanding tradition not wear a belt (the fascia) though.

Anonymous said...

anthony opl - the Roman practice is that lay-servers can wear the collar. Lay-servers automatically assume the rites of clerics when serving (though I think this has only been true since the late 19th century), and so can wear the cassock and cotta.
The 'Roman' collar is in fact only recently identified with clerics. It is the descendent of the white neck 'stock' which all gentlemen used to wear, and which dressage riders and fox-hunters continue to sport. In this picture from the 1920's you can see an Italian soldier in ceremonial dress with such a collar too. http://library.ucsc.edu/slides/decou/lanterns/full/dc1.474.0466r.jpg

Anonymous said...

Gracias por mantener viva esta liturgia que hace tan evidente el Misterio de la presencia de Cristo en la Eucaritía.

María Eliana de Chile

Anonymous said...

Nice picture of you and C.W.with Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos. I'm so jealous! However, I must say you two look like little Catholic schools boys being tickled by a feather! Too cute!