S
SnorterLuster
Guest
At Vitoria in Spain on September 9th, 1933, they wore honest English surplices over their red cassocks. Violet cassocks, so popular in our London suburbs, are rather rare abroad, but I saw them twice at Parma on August 24th, 1923, as well as at Chambery on September 8th, 1927. Light blue cassocks I have only noted once–at Biarritz on July 22nd, 1924. But at Alençon on September 7th, 1919, the server wore a laced cotta over a bright blue cassock heavily adorned with yellow embroidery. At Warsaw on September 1st, 1913, the server wore a laced cotta but no cassock at all, with an amusing effect. So also at Florence on April 24th, 1904, the boy wore a cotton alb directly over his grey trousers, and kept pulling it up with his hand to reach the treasures in his trousers pocket! At a later Mass in Florence on the same day the server wore a white cassock and cape, all in one piece.
Winged rochets are common substitutes for cottas, as at Blois on March 12th, 1908; and cottas are often goffered instead of being trimmed with lace, as at Amiens Cathedral on September 11th, 1927. But the attire of all the serving-men at Modena Cathedral on August 25th, 1923, I have never met elsewhere. It was a peculiar girded rochet, heavily goffered and barely reaching to the knees, folded in a special way where crossed by the girdle, and with a long linen “pig-tail” attached, which hung down behind from the neck of the garment, something like the queue of an old-fashioned wig.
It is, of course, quite common to serve the altar in one’s outdoor clothes, as at Solsona in Spain on July 12th, 1926, and at Syracuse in Sicily on August 22nd, 1927. So also did an old man with a long beard at Caltanissetta on August 26th, 1927, and a small boy in a sailor-suit of striped blue and white galatea at Moulins on June 30th, 1928.
The priest who served the Mass at Lugano on April 16th, 1929, wore only his black cassock and cincture, but the priest he was serving wore no cassock at all, and as I knelt behind him I could see his trousers to well above his knees, as well as the inside of the front of his alb! At Lucerne on May 2nd, 1904, I heard several Masses in different churches, but all the servers wore over their cottas a kind of amice, looking much like a broad Eton collar, but of black or blue or red material, occasionally with a border of red braid. The same day also I heard a Mass at Lucerne, served by a man in a black gown. At Cordova Cathedral on September 3rd, 1933, I heard the Chapter Mass at 9.30 a.m. The crucifer and servers wore tunicles of a very brilliant green, of the same suit as the three ministers, but made in a rather plainer style. It was a very hot morning and throughout the Mass one of the servers fanned himself steadily with the front skirt of his green tunicle, while the deacon fanned himself with his maniple, and the Master of Ceremonies did so with his biretta. On July 15th, 1928, the 8 a.m. Mass at the High Altar of Lyons Cathedral was served by boys in cottas and black rabats, a thing I have; not seen elsewhere.
As for the number of servers at Mass, it varies enormously. Three is quite a common number, like the three lads in outdoor clothes at Sisteron on July 8th, 1928. But at the Cathedral of Beziers on July 3rd, 1932, the Grand 'Messe at 10 a.m. was served by fourteen boys in red and lace, of whom four took charge of the incense. Two unlighted candles were carried in procession, two more unlighted candles in silver candlesticks were brought in for the Gospel, and two large lighted torches without candlesticks were brought in for the Consecration. In January 1909 the Cathedral of Treves (or Trier) celebrated the Kaiser’s birthday. On January 27th we had six ministers at the altar in Cloth of Gold, and the canons wore lace cottas interwoven with gold threads. I counted the fifty boys in red and lace who were serving–in squads–and very well, too; and also I counted the two hundred clerics in surplices, and carrying birettas, who sang the most glorious polyphonic Plainsong I have ever heard. They sat in a great circular gallery above the High Altar. I do not for a moment suppose they do anything like that in Doom to-day!
Winged rochets are common substitutes for cottas, as at Blois on March 12th, 1908; and cottas are often goffered instead of being trimmed with lace, as at Amiens Cathedral on September 11th, 1927. But the attire of all the serving-men at Modena Cathedral on August 25th, 1923, I have never met elsewhere. It was a peculiar girded rochet, heavily goffered and barely reaching to the knees, folded in a special way where crossed by the girdle, and with a long linen “pig-tail” attached, which hung down behind from the neck of the garment, something like the queue of an old-fashioned wig.
It is, of course, quite common to serve the altar in one’s outdoor clothes, as at Solsona in Spain on July 12th, 1926, and at Syracuse in Sicily on August 22nd, 1927. So also did an old man with a long beard at Caltanissetta on August 26th, 1927, and a small boy in a sailor-suit of striped blue and white galatea at Moulins on June 30th, 1928.
The priest who served the Mass at Lugano on April 16th, 1929, wore only his black cassock and cincture, but the priest he was serving wore no cassock at all, and as I knelt behind him I could see his trousers to well above his knees, as well as the inside of the front of his alb! At Lucerne on May 2nd, 1904, I heard several Masses in different churches, but all the servers wore over their cottas a kind of amice, looking much like a broad Eton collar, but of black or blue or red material, occasionally with a border of red braid. The same day also I heard a Mass at Lucerne, served by a man in a black gown. At Cordova Cathedral on September 3rd, 1933, I heard the Chapter Mass at 9.30 a.m. The crucifer and servers wore tunicles of a very brilliant green, of the same suit as the three ministers, but made in a rather plainer style. It was a very hot morning and throughout the Mass one of the servers fanned himself steadily with the front skirt of his green tunicle, while the deacon fanned himself with his maniple, and the Master of Ceremonies did so with his biretta. On July 15th, 1928, the 8 a.m. Mass at the High Altar of Lyons Cathedral was served by boys in cottas and black rabats, a thing I have; not seen elsewhere.
As for the number of servers at Mass, it varies enormously. Three is quite a common number, like the three lads in outdoor clothes at Sisteron on July 8th, 1928. But at the Cathedral of Beziers on July 3rd, 1932, the Grand 'Messe at 10 a.m. was served by fourteen boys in red and lace, of whom four took charge of the incense. Two unlighted candles were carried in procession, two more unlighted candles in silver candlesticks were brought in for the Gospel, and two large lighted torches without candlesticks were brought in for the Consecration. In January 1909 the Cathedral of Treves (or Trier) celebrated the Kaiser’s birthday. On January 27th we had six ministers at the altar in Cloth of Gold, and the canons wore lace cottas interwoven with gold threads. I counted the fifty boys in red and lace who were serving–in squads–and very well, too; and also I counted the two hundred clerics in surplices, and carrying birettas, who sang the most glorious polyphonic Plainsong I have ever heard. They sat in a great circular gallery above the High Altar. I do not for a moment suppose they do anything like that in Doom to-day!
With the grace of God, maybe we can get a few priestly vocations from all those altar boys.
