Notre Dame de Rouen. The façade of the Gothic Church in France. Photographer: Hippo1947. Licence: SHUTTERSTOCK.

Saturday 13 August 2022

Saint Hippolytus And Saint Cassian. Martyrs. Feast Day 13 August.


Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless stated otherwise.

Saint Hippolytus And Saint Cassian.
   Martyrs.
   Feast Day 13 August.

Simple.

Red Vestments.


English: Stained-Glass Window depicting Saint Hippolytus,
Lassay-les-Chateaux, France.
Français: Vitrail de l'église Saint-Hippolyte
de Niort-la-Fontaine, France.
Photo: 9 July 2015.
Source: Own work.
Author: GO69
(Wikimedia Commons)

The legend in The Breviary tells us that Hippolytus, who was to guard Saint Laurence in his prison, was converted by the Saint.

He was Martyred in the 3rd-Century A.D. and was buried not far from the tomb of Saint Laurence, where a Church was built in his honour.

On the same day in 363 A.D., Cassian of Imola, a School-Master, was delivered, with his hands tied behind his back, to his young pagan pupils, who pierced him to death with their stilettos.

Mass: Salus autem.


Church of Saint Hippolytus,
Ryme Intrinseca, Dorset, England.
Photo: 18 April 2007.Source: From geograph.org.uk
Attribution: Mike Searle / Church of St Hippolyte,
Ryme Intrinseca / CC BY-SA 2.0
Author: Mike Searle.
(Wikimedia Commons)

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia.

Hippolytus of Rome (170 A.D. - 235 A.D.) was one of the most important 3rd-Century A.D. Theologians in The Church in Rome, where he was probably born. Photios I of Constantinople describes him in his Bibliotheca (Cod. 121) as a Disciple of Irenaeus, who was said to be a Disciple of Polycarp, and, from the context of this passage, it is supposed that he suggested that Hippolytus so styled himself. However, this assertion is doubtful.

He came into conflict with The Popes of his time and seems to have headed a schismatic group as a rival to The Bishop of Rome. He opposed The Roman Bishops who softened the Penitential System to accommodate the large number of new pagan converts. However, he was very probably reconciled to The Church when he died as a Martyr.

Starting in the 4th-Century A.D., various legends arose about him, identifying him as a Priest of the Novatianist schism or as a Soldier converted by Saint Lawrence. He has also been confused with another Martyr of the same name.

Pope Pius IV identifies him as "Saint Hippolytus, Bishop of Pontus", who was Martyred in the reign of Emperor Alexander Severus, through his inscription on a statue found at the Church of Saint Lawrence, in Rome, and kept at the Vatican, as photographed and published in Brunsen.


“Cassianus (Cassian) of Imola, killed by his students”.
From The Martyrs Mirror.
An etching by Jan Luyken (1649-1712).
Date: 17th-Century.
Source: http://raven.bethelks.edu/services/mla/
images/martyrsmirror/mm%20bk1%20p125.jpg
Author: Jan Luyken
(Wikimedia Commons)

Cassian, or Saint Cassian of Imola, or Cassius, was a Christian Saint of the 4th-Century A.D. He was The Bishop of Brescia.

His Traditional date of Martyrdom is 13 August 363 A.D., hence 13 August is his Feast Day on The Roman Calendar. Cassian is the Patron Saint of Mexico City, Imola, Italy, and of Parish Clerks. Comacchio Cathedral, Italy, is Dedicated to him. He is also the Patron Saint of the localities of San Casciano in Val di Pesa, Italy, and Las Galletas, Tenerife, Spain.

Little is known about his life, although the Traditional accounts converge on some of the details of his Martyrdom. He was a Schoolmaster at Imola, but rather than sacrifice to the Roman gods, as so ordered by the, then, current Emperor, Julian the Apostate, he was condemned to death and turned over to his own students (some authorities write that this event took place during the reign of Emperor Diocletian).

Since they were eager for revenge for the many punishments he had inflicted on them, they bound him to a stake and tortured him to death by stabbing him with their pointed iron styli, the devices then used to mark wooden or wax writing tablets.

Friday 12 August 2022

Missa Cantata In The Dominican Rite In Honour Of Blessed Michael McGivney. At The Church Of Saint Joseph, Raritan, New Jersey. This Saturday, 13 August 2022.





This Article is taken from, and can be read in full at,


By: GREGORY DIPIPPO.

The Sgt. John Basilone Knights of Columbus Council of Raritan, New Jersey, is sponsoring a Sung Mass in the Dominican Rite in honour of Blessed Michael McGivney, this Saturday, 13 August 2022, at the Church of Saint Joseph (details below) with Veneration of his First-Class Relic.

The Mass will begin at 9 a.m., followed by
the Veneration of a First-Class Relic of Fr. McGivney; 

Fr. Leo Camurati O.P. will then deliver a Reflection on
Fr. McGivney’s life and work in Founding
The Knights of Columbus.

The evening before (Friday, 12 August 2022), a Holy Hour Vigil will be held with Vespers and Benediction at Saint Joseph’s from 7-8 p.m., for those who wish to
Venerate the Relic, but cannot attend the Mass.

The Church is located at
16 E. Somerset Street, Raritan, New Jersey.

Time After Pentecost (Part One). Historical Note.




Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless stated otherwise.

Illustrations: Zephyrinus,
unless stated otherwise.

From the day of Pentecost, when her birth took place, The Church, down the ages, has reproduced the whole life of Christ Whose Mystical Body she is.

Our Lord, in His earliest infancy, was the object of persecution and had to flee into Egypt during the massacre of The Holy Innocents, and, in the same way, The Church, in the first years of her life, underwent the most violent persecutions, being often obliged to hide in the Catacombs or in the desert.


Again, as a growing boy, Jesus lived in retirement at Nazareth, where He passed the greater part of His life in recollection and Prayer. Similarly, The Church, from the time of Constantine, enjoyed an era of peace.


On all sides rose Cathedrals and Abbeys, resounding with the praises of God. Bishops, Abbots, Priests, and Religious, checked the assault of Heresy by dilegent study and untiring zeal.

Once more, Christ, The Divine Missionary, sent by The Father to the far off regions of this Earth, began His public ministry when He was thirty years old.


The Church, from the 16th-Century, has had to resist the attack of the neo-paganism, by spreading the Gospel in the newly-discovered parts of the globe, while she gives birth unceasingly, to new forces and boundless legions of apostles and missionaries, who proclaim The Good News throughout the World.


English: Saint Lawrence Chapel, Choir Stalls, 
Basilica of Saint Paul-outside-the-Walls, Rome.
Français : Basilique Saint-Paul-hors-les-Murs, Vatican,
située à Rome, Latium, Italie. Chapelle de Saint-Laurent.
Photo: 18 September 2010.
Source: Own work.
Author: Tango7174
(Wikimedia Commons)

Finally, as Our Lord finished His life by the sacrifice of The Calvary, soon to be followed by the triumph of His resurrection, so The Church, at the end of time, will seem to be conquered like her Divine Head upon The Cross, while yet it is she to whom the victory will belong.

“The Body of Christ, which is The Church”, says Saint Augustine, “like the human body, was at first young, but, at the end of the World, will have an appearance of decline”. [Editor: Explanations of Psalm xxvi.]


The Feasts of The Saints are expecially numerous in The Time After Pentecost, which is the longest of The Church’s seasons [Editor: It may extend from 10 May to 3 December], and which is also, in a special sense, The Cycle of The Saints.


Mention will be made here of The Feasts of all The Saints in the Calendar. Those marked with an asterisk are in The First List in The Canon of The Mass and those with two asterisks are in The Second List.

After calling to our minds **Saint John the Baptist, whose birth and martyrdom are commemorated on 24 June and 29 August, respectively, and **Saint Stephen, The First Martyr, 26 December; The Holy Innocents, 28 December, The Church, by keeping The Feasts of The Apostles, makes The Apostolic Age live again, year by year:

*Saint Peter, 29 June.
*Saint Paul, 29 June and 30 June.
*Saint Andrew, 30 November.
*Saint James the Great, 25 July.
*Saint John the Evangelist, 27 December.
*Saint Thomas, 21 December.
*Saint James the Less, 1 May.
*Saint Philip, 1 May.
*Saint Bartholomew, 24 August.
*Saint Matthew, 21 September.
*Saint Simon, 28 October.
*Saint Thaddeus (or Saint Jude), 28 October.


Next, The Feasts of those Saints whom The Holy Ghost, Himself, chose by lot, one to fill the place of Judas and the other to share in Saint Paul’s work:

**Saint Matthias, 24 February.
**Saint Barnabas, 11 June.

Part Two Follows.

The Cistercian Abbey Of Rievaulx, Yorkshire. Dissolved By King Henry VIII In 1538.



Rievaulx Abbey,
Yorkshire, England.
Photo: 8 September 2012.
Source: Own work.
Author: mattbuck (category)
(Wikimedia Commons)



Rievaulx Abbey.
Available on YouTube at


Rievaulx Abbey.
Photo: 8 September 2012.
Source: Own work.
Author: mattbuck (category)
(Wikimedia Commons)


Sacred Chant.
Available on YouTube at


Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia.
unless otherwise stated.

Rievaulx Abbey was a former Cistercian Abbey, headed by The Abbot of Rievaulx. It is located in Rievaulx, near Helmsley, in The North York Moors National Park, North Yorkshire, England.

Rievaulx Abbey was founded in 1132 by twelve Monks from Clairvaux Abbey, France, as a Mission for the colonisation of The North of England and Scotland. It was the first Cistercian Abbey in The North. With time, it became one of the great Cistercian Abbeys of Yorkshire, second only to Fountains Abbey in fame.


Mediæval Abbeys.
With Patrick Troughton.
Available on YouTube at


Rievaulx Abbey at Dawn.
The Presbytery, South Transept,
Chapter House foundations
and wall of The Infirmary.
Photo: 2011.
Author: Antony McCallum
Attribution: WyrdLight.com
(Wikimedia Commons)



Ruins of Rievaulx Abbey.
Photo: 23 August 2008.
Source: Own work.
Author: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)
Please attribute using name and website URL
(as per the author line above).
(Wikimedia Commons)


The remote location was ideal for The Cistercians, whose desire was to follow a Strict Life of Prayer and Self-Sufficiency, with little contact with the outside World.

It was one of the wealthiest Abbeys in England and was Dissolved by King Henry VIII of England in 1538. Its ruins are a tourist attraction.


Rievaulx Abbey,
Yorkshire, England.
Photo: 8 September 2012.
Source: Own work by mattbuck
Author: mattbuck (category)
(Wikimedia Commons)



Rievaulx Abbey.
Photo: 2007.
Source: Own work.
Author: Tilman2007
(Wikimedia Commons)


At that time (1538), there were said to be seventy-two buildings, occupied by an Abbot and twenty-one Monks, attended by one hundred and two servants [Editor: ? Lay Brothers ? In which case, they were not servants, but Religious], with an income of £351 a year [Editor: £350,000 in today's money].

It also had a prototype Blast Furnace at Laskill, producing Cast Iron as efficiently as a modern Blast Furnace. According to Gerry McDonnell (Archeo-Metallurgist of The University of Bradford), the closure of Rievaulx delayed The Industrial Revolution for two hundred and fifty years.

Henry ordered the buildings to be rendered uninhabitable and stripped of valuables such as Lead. The Abbey site was granted to The Earl of Rutland, one of Henry’s advisers, until it passed to The Duncombe Family.


The Kyrie Eleison
(Orbis Factor),
Mass Setting XI,
is used on many Sundays throughout The Liturgical Year.
The Monks at Rievaulx Abbey would have sung this.
Available on YouTube at

Saint Clare. Virgin. Feast Day 12 August.


Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless stated otherwise.

Saint Clare.
   Virgin.
   Feast Day 12 August.

Double.

White Vestments.




English: Saint Clare and Sisters of her Order,
San Damiano, Assisi, Italy.
Dansk: Den hellige Clara med ordenssøstre,
San Damiano, Assisi, Italy.
Photo: June 2007.
Source: Own work.
(Wikimedia Commons)


As God had raised at the side of Saint Benedict his sister, Saint Scholastica, so He placed by Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Clare, whom he made Superioress of The Second Order, Founded by him.

[Saint Francis Founded three Orders:

The Franciscans, or First Order;

The Poor Clares, or Second Order;

and, lastly, for The Laity, his Third Order.

The Second Order numbered, in 1935, 13,600 Members. It gave to The Church five Saints and seventeen Beatified.]


Saint Clare of Assist.
Available on YouTube at


Saint Clare was born at Assisi, at the end of the 12th-Century. On a visit to The Patriarch Saint Francis, she expressed to him her desire of becoming The Spouse of Christ (Epistle). As he had not yet instituted Nuns of his Order, he sent the young Virgin to The Benedictine Nuns of Saint Paul, and, later on, to The Benedictine Monastery of Saint Angelo de Panso, in the neighbourhood of Assisi.

Her sister, Agnes, having joined her, Saint Francis placed them in a small house adjacent to the Church of Saint Damian. Very soon, their mother and many other persons joined them. Their Rule entailed austerities unknown until then in Monasteries for women.

They walked bare-footed, slept on the ground, observed perpetual abstinence, and made poverty the basis of their lives, so that, by detachment, they might give themselves more to God.


The extraordinary devotion of Saint Clare to The Blessed Sacrament, was rewarded by a Miracle. On the day when the Saracens, who were besieging Assist, tried to enter the Convent of Saint Damian, she held up The Ciborium and put them to flight.

On 11 August 1253, she was visited by a Choir of Virgins, in White Robes, among whom was one who surpassed in beauty all the others (Offertory), and she went to meet her Spouse (Communion).

Two years later, she was Canonised by Pope Alexander IV.

Mass: Dilexísti.

Thursday 11 August 2022

Cassocks. Cottas. Surplices. Amaranth Red. Simar. Rochet. Zimarra. Greca. Douillette. Manto. Watered Silk. Mozzetta. Pellegrina. Soutane. Sarum Cassock. “Vestis Talaris”. “Cassock” Means “Long Coat”. “Cotta” Means “Cut Off”.




in White Cassock (sometimes, though unofficially, 
called a Simarwith Pellegrina and Fringed-White Fascia.
Português: Papa Bento XVI visita a “Fazenda Esperança”,
local de recuperação de dependentes químicos localizado
na zona rural de GuaratinguetáSão PauloBrasil.
Photo: 12 May 2007.
Source: Agência Brasil.
Author: Valter Campanato/ABr.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless otherwise stated.

The Cassock, or Soutane, is an item of Christian Clerical Clothing used by the Clergy of Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican and Reformed Churches, among others. "Ankle-Length Garment" is the literal meaning of the corresponding Latin term “Vestis Talaris”. It is related to Habit, traditionally worn by Nuns, Monks, and Friars.

The Cassock derives historically from the Tunic, that in Ancient Rome was worn underneath the Toga, and the Chiton, that was worn beneath the Himation, in Ancient Greece. In Religious Services, it has traditionally been worn underneath Vestments, such as the Alb.


In The West, the Cassock is little used [Editor: Who says so ?] today, except for Religious Services; but, in many Countries, it was the normal every day wear of The Clergy until the second half of the 20th-Century, when it was replaced even in those Countries by a conventional Suit, distinguished from Lay Dress by being generally Black and by incorporating a Clerical Collar.

The word "Cassock" comes from Middle French “Casaque”, meaning a Long Coat. In turn, the Old French word may come ultimately from Turkish "Quzzak" (Nomad, Adventurer – the source of the word "Cossack"), an allusion to their typical Riding Coat, or from Persian کژاغند "kazhāgand" (Padded Garment) – کژ "kazh" (Raw Silk) + آغند "āgand" (Stuffed).


English: Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, wearing a 
Tropical White Cassock, trimmed in Cardinalatial Scarlet,
Italiano: Missione genovese del Guaricano - Santo Domingo
(Dominican Republic), l'arcivescovo di Genova cardinale
Tarcisio Bertone in visita alla missione - Foto di Donpaolo
Source: Own work.
Author: di Donpaolo
This File: 28 February 2006.
User: Twice25
(Wikimedia Commons)

The name was originally specially applied to the Service Dress worn by Soldiers and Horsemen, and later to the long garment worn in Civil Life by both men and women. As an Ecclesiastical term, the word "Cassock" came into use somewhat late (as a translation of the old names of “Subtanea”, “Vestis Talaris”, “Toga Talaris”, or “Tunica Talaris”), being mentioned in Canon 74 of 1604; and it is in this sense alone that it now survives.

The word "Soutane" is a French-derived word, coming from Italian “Sottana”, derived in turn from Latin “Subtana”, the adjectival form of “Subtus” (beneath).


The Cassock (or “Soutane”) comes in a number of Styles or Cuts, though no particular symbolism attaches to these. A Roman Cassock often has a series of buttons down the front – sometimes thirty-three (symbolic of the years of The Life of Jesus). In some English-speaking countries, these buttons may be merely ornamental, with a concealed fly-front buttoning, known as a Chesterfield Front, used to fasten the garment.

A French Cassock also has buttons sewn to the sleeves, after the manner of a Suit, and a slightly broader skirt. An Ambrosian Cassock has a series of only five buttons under the neck, with a Sash on the waist. A Jesuit Cassock, in lieu of buttons, has a fly fastened with hooks at the collar, and is bound at the waist with a Cincture, knotted on the Right Side.


English: Priest wearing Roman Cassock.
Note the thirty-three buttons, symbolising the thirty-three years of the Earthly life of Jesus Christ. First Native Roman Catholic Parish Priest from The Belgian Congo (Zaire).
Français: Premier prêtre indigène de l'église catholique romain au Congo belge. Lingála: Sángó moíndo ya libosó ya Eklesya Katolike na Kongó ya Bɛ́lɛjika.
Date: Early-1900s.
Source: Gazet van Antwerpen, 2 September 1906
“First Native Parish Priest”.
Author: Unknown.
(Wikimedia Commons)

The ordinary Roman Cassock worn by Catholic Clerics (as distinct from that worn as Choir Dress) is Black, except in Tropical Countries, where, because of the heat, it is White, and usually without Shoulder Cape (Pellegrina). Coloured Piping and buttons are added, in accordance with Rank: Purple for Chaplains of His Holiness; Amaranth Red for Bishops, Protonotaries Apostolic and Honorary Prelates; and Scarlet Red for Cardinals.

The 1969 Instruction, on the Dress of Prelates, stated that, for all of them, even Cardinals, the Dress for ordinary use may be a simple Black Cassock without coloured trim.


A Band Cincture, or, Sash, known also as a Fascia, may be worn with the Cassock. The Instruction on the Dress of Prelates specifies that the two ends, that hang down by the side, have Silk Fringes, abolishing the Sash with Tassels.

A Black Faille Fascia is worn by Priests, Deacons, and Major Seminarians, while a Purple Faille Fascia is used by Bishops, Protonotaries Apostolic, Honorary Prelates, and Chaplains of His Holiness, when wearing a Cassock with coloured trim.


An Anglican Priest
wearing the standard Double-Breasted Sarum Cassock.
This File: 8 January 2007.
User: Fishhead64
Wikipedia.

A Black Watered-Silk Fascia is permitted for Priests attached to The Papal Household, a Purple Watered-Silk Fascia for Bishops attached to The Papal Household (for example, Apostolic Nuncios), and a Scarlet Watered-Silk Fascia for Cardinals. The Pope wears a White Watered-Silk Fascia, with his Coat-of-Arms on the ends.

In Choir Dress, Chaplains of His Holiness wear their Purple-Trimmed Black Cassocks with a Cotta, but Bishops, Protonotaries Apostolic, and Honorary Prelates use (with a Cotta or, in the case of Bishops, a Rochet and Mozzetta) Cassocks that are fully Purple (this Purple corresponds more closely with a Roman Purple and is approximated as Fuchsia) with Scarlet trim, while those of Cardinals are fully Scarlet with Scarlet trim.

Cardinals have the additional distinction of having both Choir Cassock Sleeves, and the Fascia, made of Scarlet Watered-Silk. The cut of the Choir Cassock is still a Roman-cut or French-cut Roman Cassock.


In the past, a Cardinal’s Cassock was made entirely of Watered Silk, with a Train that could be fastened at the back of the Cassock. This Train was abolished by the Motu Proprio “Valde Solliciti” of Pope Pius XII, with effect from 1 January 1953.

With the same “Motu Proprio”, the Pope ordered that the Violet Cassock (then used in Penitential periods and in mourning) be made of wool, not silk, and, in February 1965, under Pope Paul VI, a Circular of The Sacred Ceremonial Congregation abolished the use of Watered Silk also for the Red Cassock.

An elbow-length Shoulder Cape, open in front, is sometimes worn with the Cassock, either fixed to it or detachable. It is known as a “Pellegrina”. It is distinct from the “Mozzetta”, which is buttoned in front and is worn over a “Rochet”.


Alvaro del PortilloOpus Dei Prelate, Bishop (1982-1994),
wearing a Black, Amaranth-Piped Cassock, with “Pellegrina”,
a Purple Fascia, and a Gold, or Gilt, Pectoral Cross.
Date: Unknown.
Source: Opus Dei official website.
Author: Unknown.
(Wikimedia Commons)

The General Rule of The Roman Catholic Church is that the “Pellegrina” may be worn with the Cassock by Cardinals and Bishops. In 1850, the year in which he restored The Catholic Hierarchy in England and Wales, Blessed Pope Pius IX was understood to grant to all Priests, in England and Wales, the privilege of wearing a replica, in Black, of his own White Caped Cassock. Since then, the wearing of the “Pellegrina” with the Cassock has been a sign of a Catholic Priest in England and Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.

In his 1909 book, Costume of Prelates of The Catholic Church, John Abel Felix Prosper Nainfa proposed the use of the English word “Simar”, instead of the word “Cassock”, for the garment with Shoulder Cape, which he treated as distinct from the Cassock proper.


Others, too, have made the same distinction between the “Simar” (with “Pellegrina”) and the “Cassock” (without “Pellegrina”), but many scholars disagree with Nainfa’s distinction.

More particularly, documents of The Holy See make no such distinction, using the term “Cassock” or “Vestis Talaris”, whether a “Pellegrina” is attached or not. Thus, the 1969 Instruction states that, for Cardinals and Bishops, "the elbow-length Cape, trimmed in the same manner as this Cassock, may be worn over it". “Cassock”, rather than “Simar” is the term that is usually applied to the Dress of Popes and other Catholic Ecclesiastics.

The Instruction also gives no support to Nainfa's claim that the Cassock, with Shoulder Cape, should not be worn in Church Services, which moreover would be of difficult application, since the Cassock, with “Pellegrina”, is generally made as a single garment, with a non-detachable “Pellegrina”.


Greek Orthodox Clergyman,
wearing Outer Cassock (“exorason”) and (“kalimavkion”).
Date: 24 December 2007.
Source: Own work.
Author: David Shankbone.
(Wikimedia Commons)

Nainfa wrote that, at that time, the garment with Shoulder Cape was, in Italian, called a “Zimarra”, a term, however, that, in that language, is today used rather of a historical loose-fitting “Over-Gown”, quite unlike the close-fitting “Cassock”, with “Pellegrina”, worn by Catholic Clergy, and similar to the fur-lined “Schaube” that was used in Northern Europe. Images of the historical “Zimarra”, as worn by women, can be seen at Dressing the Italian Way and The Italian Showcase.

In cold weather, the “Manto”, an ankle-length Cape, with or without Shoulder Cape, or the “Greca”, also known as the “Douillette”, an ankle-length Double-Breasted Overcoat, is traditionally worn over the Cassock. For Bishops and Priests, both the “Manto” and “Greca” are Solid Black in colour, while, for the Pope, the “Manto” is Red and the “Greca” is White.

Cassocks are sometimes worn by Seminarians studying for the Priesthood, by Religious Brothers, by Lay People, when assisting with the Liturgy in Church, such as Altar Servers, and by members of Choirs (frequently with Cotta, or, more usually in Anglican Churches, Surplice).


Seminarian, vested in a pleated Roman-style Surplice with lace inserts, holding a Thuribleat the First Annual Eucharistic Congress, Charlotte, North Carolina.
This File: 1 October 2005.
User: Fennec
(Wikimedia Commons)

A Surplice (Late Latin “superpelliceum”, from “super” (over) and “pellis” (fur) is a Liturgical Vestment of the Western Christian Church. The Surplice is in the form of a Tunic of white linen or cotton fabric, reaching to the knees or to the ankles, with wide or moderately wide sleeves.

It was originally a long garment with open sleeves reaching nearly to the ground, as it remains in the Anglican tradition, but in the Catholic tradition, the Surplice often has shorter, closed sleeves and square shoulders. Anglicans typically refer to a Roman-style Surplice with the Mediæval Latin term “Cotta” [meaning “cut-off”, in Italian], as it is derived from the cut-off Alb.

It seems most probable that the Surplice first appeared in France or England, whence its use gradually spread to Italy. It is possible that there is a connection between the Surplice and the Gallican or Celtic Alb, an un-girdled Liturgical Tunic of the old Gallican Rite, which was superseded during the Carolingian era by the Roman Rite.


Anglican Priest, in Choir Habit 
Cassock, Surplice, Academic Hood
(University of Wales BD) and Tippet.
Photo: 21 October 2005.
Source: Own work.
Author: Gareth Hughes
(Wikimedia Commons)

The founding of The Augustinian Canons, in the second half of the 11th-Century, may have had a special influence upon the spread of the Surplice. Among The Augustinian Canons, the Surplice was not only the Choir Vestment, but also a part of the Habit of The Order.

The Surplice originally reached to the feet, but, as early as the 13th-Century, it began to shorten, though, as late as the 15th-Century, it still fell to the middle of the shin, and only in the 17th- and 18th-Centuries in Continental Europe did it become considerably shorter.


In several localities it underwent more drastic modifications in the course of time, which led to the appearance of various subsidiary forms alongside the original type.

For example: the sleeveless Surplice, which featured holes at the sides to put the arms through; the Surplice with slit arms or lappets (so-called "wings") instead of sleeves, often worn by Organists today, due to the ease of manœuvring the arms; the Surplice with, not only the sleeves, but the body of the garment itself slit up the sides, precisely like the modern Dalmatic; a sort of Surplice in the form of a bell-shaped Mantle, with a hole for the head, which necessitated the arms sticking out under the hem.



The Death of St. Bede, the Monastic Clergy are wearing Surplices over their Cowls (original painting at Saint Cuthbert's CollegeUshaw, Durham, England). Death of Saint Bede - Project Gutenberg eText 16785. From The Project Gutenberg EBook of Our Catholic Heritage in English Literature of Pre-Conquest Days, by Emily Hickey.
(Wikimedia Commons)

In the Roman tradition, the Surplice (or “Cotta”) sometimes features lace decoration or embroidered bordures, but is most typically plainly hemmed. The lace or embroidery, if present, will often be in the form of inserts set a few inches above the edge of the hem or sleeves.

The Surplice is meant to be a miniature Alb, the Alb itself being the symbol of the white garment received at Baptism. As such, it is appropriately worn by any Cleric, by Lectors and Acolytes, or indeed by Altar Servers who are technically standing in for instituted Acolytes for any Liturgical Service. It is often worn, for instance, by Seminarians when attending Mass and by non-Clerical Choirs. It is usually worn over a Cassock and never alone, nor is it ever gathered by a belt or Cincture.


It may be worn under a Stole by Deacons and Priests for Liturgical ceremonies or the celebration of Sacraments outside of Mass. On occasion, a Cope is worn over the Cassock, Surplice and Stole.

As part of the Choir Dress of the Clergy, it is normally not worn by Prelates (the Pope, Cardinals, Bishops, Monsignori, and some Canons) - instead, these Clerics wear the Rochet, which is in fact a variant of the Surplice.

The Surplice belongs to the “Vestes Sacræ” (Sacred Vestments), though it requires no Benediction before it is worn.
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