Thursday, June 14, 2007

Fr. Z finds himself in serious violation


Father Z over at WDTPRS finds a rather obscure reference to the types of shoes that are supposed to be worn while offering/assisting at Mass. From his blog:

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Some time ago I reported the publication of the reissue of Ludovico Trimeboni’s Compendio di Liturgia Pratica (Milano: Marietti 1829, 2007). If you want to know how to do something traddy, look in this book.I said that I would from time to time share interesting points, as I did here.I have just found out that I am in grave violation of a seriously important point when celebrating the "Tridentine Mass". This is so huge… folks, well… what to say… I think… I just don’t know if I can go on….


In the section on "Ceremonies of Mass, ch. I, "The Read Mass", I. "The Celebrant" §1 – Ordinary Ceremonies – 421 – "In the sacristy" ([. 397) I have just now read (my translation):


Use the footware that clerics of the place are used to wearing publicly and wear the cassock.


Well… this part isn’t so hard, though I am not sure I can find either matching flip flops or golf shoes for my cassock. Maybe a different color cassock… hmmm… but I digress. What follows is what upset me so much, and, of course, it is in a footnote: the good stuff always is:

D. 3268, 3. [Cf. Naifa, Costume of the Prelates of the Catholic Church, Balitmore, 1925:


"According to the Roman ceremonial, all clerics and those who serve in church, as cantors, sacristans, etc., ought to wear shoes with buckles (It. fibbie). The buckle is of shiny steel for members of the inferior clergy and servers, in silver for priests, monks and prelates belonging to religious orders. Gold and guilded silver are reserved for secular prelates."


All this time…. do you hear??? .... all this time I have been out of bounds, perhaps my immortal sole… er… soul in danger.I am caught in a real aporia here. On the one hand, how to deal with wearing shoes like clergy wear around here. I mean, how to you clip buckles on flipflops, anyway? I guess you can work more easy with golf shoes. But where to get silver buckles these days?

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Read all about it at his blog : http://wdtprs.com/blog/2007/06/buckle-up/

8 comments:

a thorn in the pew said...

Teehee....those are funny. I've seen priestly sandals and they are a sight to behold. There was a priest in Northern OH that was known for wearing Birks for Mass. I guess when the church is full of sleevelessness and shorts and tube tops, anything goes. I wonder if buckles will come back?

Unknown said...

Birks have bukles.

Unknown said...

Ooops - buckles.

Paul Nichols said...

I knew one who wore sandals, but he was the most austere priest I'd ever met. On a visit to the rectory, his bedroom was near the front and when I caught sight of it (it was hard to miss), I noticed he slept on a matress on the floor.

He wasn't one for putting on airs. I think the "spirit" in which they're worn makes a difference.

Anonymous said...

if he is not going to wear the buckles why is he so concerned with latin, birettas and roman vestments?

paul vi reformed all this for a reason....

Anonymous said...

Anon is correct.

Ze Pere Zee is a cafeteria Catholic!!!!

Sanctus Belle said...

Many Franciscans were only sandals and don't the Discalced Carmelites? Doesn't Discalced mean without shoes?

Anyway the thought of buckles on black dress shoes nowadays is rather hilarious. I wonder, if the penny in your penny loafers would pass?? :)

Paul Nichols said...

Penny Loafers!

Hehehe - I was explaining to my kids about penny loafers. Now, I'm only 43, but I wore them when I was in my 20's and was an up-and-coming clerk back in the 80's.

They looked at me like I was describing something from Outer Space.