Eastern Catholic and Orthodox vestments and vesting prayers

[5Loaves]

In a thread a while ago someone asked for information about Eastern Catholic and Orthodox vestments. I don’t remember what thread it was, but someone else might.

Anyway, Fr. Thomas Hopko has a series on Vesting for Liturgy in his “Worship in Spirit and Truth” podcasts on Ancient Faith Radio which has excellent teaching on vestments and vesting beginning with Part 1 December 21, 2011 through Part 7 Mar 21, 2012. I highly recommend this series. I’m thrilled to have discovered that I can listen to AFR poscasts on my smart phone. I’m afraid I often fall to sleep listening to them (not because they are boring!).

I’ve found our Latin seminarians are usually unfamiliar with vesting prayers of the Latin Church. I’m going to pass the series on to the two current seminarians in my Latin parish as I think there is much in what Fr Tom teaches that could be of real interest to a Latin Church priest as well.

 

[Phillip_Rolfes]

Unfortunately the vesting prayers have been removed from the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite. That being said, every Roman priest is free to take the vesting prayers from the Extraordinary Form and pray them while vesting for the Ordinary Form. I for one would encourage this. As an altar boy growing up, I took the vesting prayers for altar boys from the Extraordinary Form and prayed them while I was “suiting up” as we called it.

 

[5Loaves]

After finishing the seven “Vesting for Liturgy” reflections, as Father calls these teachings, I was so delighted in the series I went back to lecture one, Jan 10, 2011, of thus far 30 entries in this “Worship in Spirit and Truth: reflections on the Divine Liturgy”. I’ve now listened to maybe 3/4 of the 22 hours so far in this series.

I highly recommend this series. Fr. Tom starts with a particular topic each reflection, but he very profitably weaves in a great deal of material into the piece creating a very full context for the original element he intends to teach on in that section.

 

[newyorkcatholic]

Unfortunately the vesting prayers have been removed from the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite. That being said, every Roman priest is free to take the vesting prayers from the Extraordinary Form and pray them while vesting for the Ordinary Form. I for one would encourage this. As an altar boy growing up, I took the vesting prayers for altar boys from the Extraordinary Form and prayed them while I was “suiting up” as we called it.

Yes, it’s sad Roman Rite priests don’t know about these anymore. They are up in the sacristy of my parish church though, and I also say the server’s prayers when I put on my cassock and surplice to serve the TLM.