Church Linens, Part 2

Chapter 7

This is a continuation from Chapter 6, Church Linens, Part 1.

Bear in mind that this was composed in 1939, well before the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council and some rubrics and requirements may have been modified...Other changes will be noted accordingly. Nevertheless, some may find the history fascinating.
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Questions answered in this chapter:

What weave of linen is most suitable for altar cloths? What is the rule regarding color? What is the advantage of finishing the altar cloth with a two-inch hem on all sides?

What is an amice? How is it made? How were amices ornamented during the Middle Ages? What ornamentation of the amice is prescribed by the rubrics?

What style of alb do most priests prefer? What other style is permissible and is most frequently used? What materials may be used for surplices? What seems to be the spirit of the liturgy in regard to pure linen? What is the attitude of liturgists in regard to lace?

What is the attitude of liturgists and of most priests in regard to the use of lace? Are there any positive rules against the use of lace?

Why is a discussion of the use of lace of interest to the laity? Why would priests be compelled to wear lace-trimmed linens?

How did Pope Pius XI recognize of the work of those who sew for the sanctuary? What two saints are often chosen as patronesses for sewing guilds?

What is St. Veronica's Veil and where is it venerated? Which two cities claim possession of the "Holy Coat"? What traditions are connected with it?

What facts have photographic studies of the Holy Shroud revealed? According to scientists, how were the figures produced? What facts do the pictures prove? What does Paul Vignon say about the Holy Shroud?
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The requirements of the liturgy in regard to altar coverings have been explained in a preceding chapter. The linen from which altar cloths are made should be of fairly heavy quality and of not too fine a weave. If the sides and ends of the cloth are finished with a two-inch hem, the front and back are changeable, and the wear caused by the rubbing of the chasuble can be distributed.

Since altars vary in size and height, no exact measurements can be given. Societies who sew for the missions follow fixed rules and measurements, which insure an economical use of material as well as a standard and uniform set of linens. Altar cloths are, perhaps, one of the greatest needs of the missions.

THE AMICE: The amice, which is the first vestment assumed by the priest when vesting for mass, is a square or oblong piece of linen. If it is oblong, it should be at least thirty-two inches long by twenty-four inches wide. Linen is the only permissible material, but for the sake of the convenience and comfort of the celebrant, a finer grade is often selected for the amice than is used for making an alb. A proper finish is a one-inch hem around the four sides. A linen tape about one-half inch wide and forty-five inches long should be sewn at each upper corner, so that the length of the garment goes across the shoulders.

In the Middle Ages, when the amice was worn back over the chasuble, it was sometimes embroidered in gold thread and pearls. The usual decoration consisted of oblong pieces of colored embroidery which were sewn upon it. These were called apparels. Today a narrow lace edging seems to be permitted for amices intended for use on festal occasions, and the strings may be of colored silk ribbon.

The rubrics mention only a cross which must be sewn to or worked upon the amice; and this the priest is directed to kiss when he puts it on and takes it off. The cross is usually worked in red thread in the center of the back about an inch below the top hem.

ALB AND SURPLICE: The alb and surplice are vestments and as such they will be discussed in the first chapter on the sacred vestments. Since they are frequently made by altar guilds for home churches and for the missions, a few words might be said in reference to materials and ornamentation. The alb may be made entirely of linen without lace trimming of any kind. This is the style which most priests prefer. It is permissible, though, to finish the skirt with a flounce of lace. Surplices may be made of linen, net, lace, or of sheer cotton fabrics. The spirit of the liturgy, however, would seem to indicate that pure linen is the ideal material for such vestments. Liturgists admit that good lace used in moderation is correct and desirable for festal occasions, especially when it is used on the surplices of prelates, but they insist that the essential character of the alb and the surplice is often lost sight of in the effort to make these garments more beautiful by the addition of lace.

LACE ON THE ALTAR: It may be difficult for some of us who have grown accustomed to seeing lace-trimmed altar cloths, albs, and surplices, to realize that liturgical writers as well as the majority of parish priests consider lace unnecessary, inappropriate, and even objectionable, when used in connection with the altar itself.

A story which appeared in the Ecclesiastical Review a number of years ago will serve to illustrate this fact. It is related of an old pastor, who, when he saw lace-trimming pinned to an altar cloth, was moved to ask the following questions: "Was there any lace on the Cross?" "No." "Was there any lace in the Holy Sepulchre?" "No." "Was there any lace at the Last Supper?" "No." "Why, then, is it here on this altar?" [Note 1] The wise priest used this means of teaching his congregation that the altar, in addition to being a banquet table, is also a place of sacrifice.

There are also a number of practical reasons for the elimination of lace on altar cloths and vestments. One liturgical writer points out the following advantages: " . . . if we dispensed with lace we might have linen of a better quality, we might have more of it, and we might be able to change it more frequently. A Carmelite father has very justly said: 'We may lay it down as a general rule that all ornamentation which is not necessary is therefore excessive, because it will always be to the detriment of the vestment itself:' And his words apply also to church linen. . . But let us hasten to add that there are no rules in these matters. Although we have alleged liturgical, aesthetic and economic reasons against lace, yet we have not said that all lace without distinction is to be banned." [Note 2]

PRESENT DAY TENDENCY: This discussion of the use of lace is of special interest to the laity since it brings out the fact that individual priests may not favor, lace-trimmed linens, but are compelled to use them for the reason that simpler ones are not provided.

The pastor's wishes in regard to such matters should always be respected. Then again, it reveals the present day tendency toward older and more artistic traditions which, although they have their roots in the past, are advancing toward a greater and more consistent degree of perfection.

SEWING FOR THE SANCTUARY: Persons who engage in making vestments and altar linens for their own parish churches or for the missions, were given special recognition by the late Holy Father, Pope Pius XI. On June 2, 1933, he granted an indulgence of three hundred days to all who without pay make vestments, linens, and other church furnishings, provided they recite the following prayer during their work: "Jesus, our way and our life, have mercy on us." The work may be done by individuals or by societies founded for the purpose.

St. Veronica, who, according to tradition, presented her veil to our Lord as he carried His cross to Calvary, and St. Martha, the sister of Mary and Lazarus, who entertained Him in her home, are frequently chosen as patrons for societies who sew for the sanctuary.

VENERATED RELICS: In our discussion of church linens we have mentioned their mystical relation to the linens in which our Lord's body was wrapped when it reposed in the tomb. In this connection we might call attention to certain relics which are venerated today because they are believed to have been connected with Christ's passion and death. Among them is St. Veronica's Veil, which is one of the major relics of St. Peter's in Rome. Wea re familiar with the Holy Face which appears thereon.

The cities of Treves in Germany and Argenteuil in France both claim possession of the "Holy Coat," Christ's seamless garment for which the soldiers cast lots at the crucifixion (John XIX, 23-24).

According to the Treves tradition, the coat was given to the city by St. Helena. The material is a reddish brown colored linen or cotton fabric. In 1891 Pope Leo XIII granted an indulgence to pilgrims who came to the exposition held that year. It attracted more than two million persons.

The inhabitants of Argenteuil believe that our Lord's seamless tunic was brought there by Charlemagne. They claim that the relic of Treves is not a tunic but a mantle, probably the purple robe in which Christ was mocked during His passion.

THE HOLY SHROUD: The Holy Shroud of Turin is a fourteen-foot length of linen cloth on which are figures thought to have been made by the imprint of Christ's body. Photographic studies reveal that the lights and shades of these figures are really a negative, and only in a photograph has it been possible to bring out a vivid, positive imprint. Scientists claim that the figures were produced by the chemical action of aloes and vapors given off a body that was put to death by torture, and that the stains on the cloth are particles of blood.

Investigations conducted over a period of forty years also prove that the body was crucified, scourged, wounded in the head by distinct punctures, and wounded in the side by the stroke of a lance.

"All conditions necessary to produce the imprints were fulfilled by Christ, and could not have been fulfilled by anyone else," says Professor Paul Vignon, secretary general of the Italian and French Commission on the Holy Shroud. "It was Christ who left His imprints on this cloth, with a vivid record of the drama of Calvary, and with His true likeness hidden in the stains till photography revealed it again to the world." [Note 3]

1. J. F. S., "Lace on the Altar" Ecclesiastical Review, Vol. LVII, Page 91.

2. Roulin, Vestments and Vesture. Pages 16-17.

3. Vignon, "The Problem of the Holy Shroud" Scientific American, March 1937, Page 164.
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Adapted from Altar and Sanctuary, An Exposition of the Externals of the Mass
by Angela A. Glendenin (© 1939)
Published by the Catholic Action Committee
The Catholic Action Series of Discussion Club Textbooks