I assume by “fiddleback” you mean true fiddleback and not Roman chasuble (incidentally, more a fiddlefront, for it isn’t a fiddleback at all). Most people call Roman chasubles fiddlebacks, which they are not. =p So you are making the differentiation here, yes?
I agree, I find fiddlebacks hideous while I find well-proportioned Roman chasubles in good fabrics gorgeous. I generally hate what passes for “Gothic” chasubles now since they are enormous balloons more like trashbags that reach the floor, but when they are sized correctly, and especially in something heavy like Pope Benedict’s velvet for Pentecost this year, they are quite beautiful as well.
I’m talking about the actual fiddleback. I think those are a distraction, because they’re so ugly. I was teasing Brother. When we were talking about celebrating the EF once in a while, we had to get what we needed, but we had to keep it Franciscan too. We were looking at vestments and he showed me the fiddleback. My immediate thought was, “I wouldn’t be caught dead standing next to your in that thing. Is distracting as heck, because it’s so ugly.” But I didn’t say it that way. I just looked at it and said, “You asked me for permission to celebrate the EF on occasions and I said, yes. Don’t push your luck.”
Then he found the Roman, with in my opinion looks more like a guitar, but people call it a fiddle. I don’t like it’s shape either, but what the heck. Even a superior has to detach once in a while. I drew the line at the brocade, angels, biblical scenes stuff like that. He’s a brother who is serving his brothers as a priest. He’s not a wall in the Sistine Chapel. We can do without the fresco. We got some really nice ones without anything, just a simple gold cross and the seasonal colors.
The poor salesman didn’t know what to think of me. Then he wanted to sell us albs and amise I kept explaining that we don’t wear an amise. It’s not required. You can wear an alb with a hood or just leave the cowl over the vestment. Besides, I thought we had alb with a hood. We did. It’s just a little long. That’s easy to deal with.
The large chasubles that you call balloon are the ones that I purchased for the OF. I love them. Their very austere looking.
This was the problem with the vestments for the EF. The old Franciscans had their vestments made for them. They were regulation, but very simple. Today, you have to get them through company. I know people who sew, but they ask for a pattern and I couldn’t find one. The companies that produce these vestments produce vestments that are very heavy, elaborate, fancy, expensive and even regal. That’s another place where I drew the line. No lace with albs. An alb is a white tunic of muslin with no lace, not designs, nothing. It should look like a nightgown. The older friars wore the lacy ones, because the sisters made them. They were practically free.
Brother looks pretty good. We invited a few friends over for the EF on the Feast of St. Bonaventure. One lady was a little upset because the priest was not wearing shoes and his feet were dirty.
If the man never wears shoes, of course his feet are going to dirty. :doh2:
The one one who wears shoes it me, because I’m diabetic. The guys wear flip flops outside of the house and are bare inside the house.
I expected to hear a screech because the brothers receive CITH. But no one said anything.
The mass was beautiful. Of course, there was no Gregorian chant, but we sang some of the oldies but goodies in Latin. The grandfather of one of the brothers has an old hymnal with the oldies but goodies. It even has the plain chant for the parts of the mass.
We had to cheat, because in the EF calendar, Bonaventure is not a major feast. In the Franciscan calendar, it is. We did the high mass for Bonnie.
We have to see when we do the next one. We have three solemnities coming up in August: St. Clare, St. Maximilian and the Dormition of Mary. One of those we’ll do in EF. Probably the Dormition. The missal has a mass for the Assumption. Same difference… It doesn’t have St. Maximilian and St. Clare is a minor feast for Catholics. What’s wrong with people?
Reduced Anthony, Bonaventure and Clare to minor feasts. Don’t even mention Maximilian. Four of the greatest Franciscans that ever lived. C’mon folks. Step it up. They should all have a high mass with all the bells and whistles. I won’t even mention the fact that St. Francis is a third class feast and celebrated only one day, not three like the Triduum. Be still my heart. :bighanky:
Fraternally,
Br. JR, FFV
Besides, it looks horrible with a grey cowl sticking over it. We don’t wear an amice. The amice has always been optional for friars and monks.
