Amice, Alb, and Cincture

Chapter 13

This is a continuation from Chapter 12. Vestments of the Liturgy.

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 may be noted accordingly. Nevertheless, some may find the history fascinating.
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XIII - Amice, Alb, and Cincture

Before a priest or a bishop begins to vest for the celebration of the Mass, he washes his hands and asks God for the grace of purity with the prayer:

"Give virtue, O Lord, unto my hands, that every stain may be wiped away: that I may be enabled to serve Thee without defilement of mind or body."

Then making the sign of the cross he takes the white linen vestment called the amice, kisses it, puts it on his head and lets it drop to his shoulders with the words:

"Place, O Lord, the helmet of salvation upon my head, that I may overcome the assaults of the devil."

THE AMICE: In our second lesson on church linens we learned that the amice is a square or oblong piece of linen which is provided with strings and ornamented with a cross. The name "amictus" from "amicire" suggests a garment, a covering, or the literal idea of "wrapping around."

Its utilitarian purpose is rather difficult to determine. Some writers believe that it was introduced as a covering to hide the bare throat of the celebrant, or as a kerchief to protect the fabric of the chasuble from perspiration. There is evidence, too, that it originated as a muffler to be worn by those, who, in the interest of Church music, found it necessary to protect their throats against cold and drafts, so that their voices might be clear for the singing of chants and antiphons. In this connection it is regarded as a symbol of "due restraint of the voice" and self-control over speech. The amice did not develop into a liturgical vestment until the year 800.

WEARING THE AMICE: By the twelfth century the amice was worn not only around the neck and shoulders but also over the head. At the beginning of the Mass, however, it was allowed to fall back on the shoulders so as to form a collar for the protection of the chasuble.

In many of the older religious orders whose members wear a religious habit with a cowl or hood, the amice is still worn after the fashion of the Middle Ages. It is put on over the hood and worn until after the priest reaches the altar. On leaving the sanctuary the hood is again pulled up over the head; thus in coming and going the amice serves as a head covering. Such priests use the hood and amice where the secular priests wear a biretta.

A ceremonial survival of this practice remains in the manner in which the priest puts on the amice, which according to rubrical directions is first placed on the head before it is adjusted about the neck and shoulders. The rite is carried out still further in the vesting prayer in which the vestment is called a "helmet of salvation" which protects against the attacks of the devil. Commenting on the amice as a "protective garment" one writer says:

"As soon, therefore, as the priest has put the amice on his head, neck and shoulders, he should close up all entrance to everything foreign, preserve a holy silence and a profound recollection, carefully guard his eyes, with a reverent deportment approach the altar, and perform his sacred functions, as the mystical language of the amice admonishes him to do." *

THE ALB: The alb takes its name from the Latin word "albus," meaning white. It is a liturgical garment which from the beginning was a wide, white linen robe, full of folds, reaching to the feet and covering the entire body.

It corresponds to the white linen tunic which was part of the ordinary attire of the Romans during the time of the apostles. The soldiers and the working men wore a short tunic that came only to the knees, but the philosophers, the professional and richer classes, the kings, magistrates, and priests, wore the "tunica talaris," a long gown which lent grace and dignity to their bearing. Its use by these classes gave the long tunic a certain sacredness and majesty, and it was only natural that this robe of honor found its place in the liturgy. The tunic is the parent garment of the alb, the rochet, and the surplice.

USE AND SYMBOLISM: It is impossible to determine just when the alb began to be considered as a strictly liturgical vestment. Formerly it was worn at all religious functions, but since the twelfth century the alb is little used outside the time of Mass. The cotta or surplice has been substituted for Benediction, the administering of the sacraments, the giving of blessings, and for other functions.

The symbolical meaning of the aib is based on its color and material, and is expressed by the prayer which the priest recites when putting it on:

"Cleanse me, O Lord, and purify my heart, that being made white in the blood of the Lamb, I may have the fruition of everlasting joys."

Linen acquires its purity and brilliant whiteness by repeated washings and bleaching in the sun and rain. The same is true in regard to the whiteness and brilliancy of the purity of life. It is only by labor, mortification, and the overcoming of self that we may hope to make our souls pleasing in the sight of God.

The alb should be a reminder of the words of Christ: "He that shall overcome, shall thus be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels" (Apoc. III, 5).

ORNAMENTATION OF THE ALB: The ornamentation of the early albs consisted of a deep border near the bottom of the skirt and a similar decoration at the neck and on the bottom of the sleeves. During the Middle Ages oblong patches of colored embroidery, called "apparels," were sewn on the bottom of the alb at the front and back and also at the wrists.

Lace-trimmed albs began to appear during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The Church was the first patron of the lace industry in Europe and many of the finest examples of tne lace of that period are in the form of decorated albs. The lace-worked linen alb of St. Francis of Assisi, which is said to have been made by St. Clare and her nuns, is now preserved in the convent of St. Clare at Assisi.

The famous lace and linen alb worn by Pope Boniface VIII is one of the treasures of the Sistine Chapel. It should be borne in mind that many lace-trimmed articles made for church use in these early times and much admired for their historic and artistic interest, would not be approved for use in the sanctuary today. The present tendency is towards the all-linen alb, ornamented with a band of colored embroidery somewhat after the fashion of the Middle Ages.

THE CINCTURE: The cincture, so named from the Latin "cingulum," has come down to us with the alb and is the proper name for the girdle with which it is drawn up and held in place at the waist. The cincture is merely a simple cord decorated at the ends with tassels.

It was adopted as an article of liturgical dress during the ninth century. There is no ruling in regard to the material of the cincture. It may be of silk, wool, or cotton, but pure linen is preferable. The color is usually white, but the cincture may follow the color of the vestments, except that black may not be used.

The cincture or girdle has been an accessory to dress since the earliest times. Since it was customary to wear loose garments, either short or long, it was necessary to draw or "girt" them about the waist in order to have greater freedom of movement. A rapid traveler was referred to as "a well girt-up traveler." To "girt up the loins," an expression which is frequently found in the Scriptures, meant to "prepare for work," "to be on the watch," or "to be ready for combat." It was also a symbol of strength. The absence or removal of the girdle indicated ease or the unwillingness or inability to work. Ovid, the Roman poet, refers to himself as having been "born to ungirt ease."

When a priest puts on the cincture he is, in reality, making ready for combat against a foe. The foe is sin. In order to fight sin, he must be pure and strong. The girdle typifies priestly chastity. This meaning is clearly suggested in the vesting prayer:

"Gird me, O Lord, with the girdle of purity and extinguish in my loins the desire of lust: so that the virtue of continence and chastity may ever abide within me."

* Gihr. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Page 277.
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Questions

What ceremony does a priest or a bishop perform before vesting for Mass? How does he put on the amice? What is the vesting prayer? What is the amice? What does its name suggest? What explanations are given as to its original purpose?

How was the amice worn in the twelfth century? How do members of some religious orders wear the amice today? What do secular priests wear on their heads on entering and leaving the sanctuary? How do the rubrics and the vesting prayer suggest that the amice is a head covering? How does a writer comment on the symbolism of the amice?

From what Latin word does the alb take its name? Describe the tunic. How was it worn by the Romans of the lower and upper classes? Why did it find a place in the liturgy? What other vestments developed from the Roman tunic?

To what ceremony has the use of the alb been confined since the twelfth century? In what ceremonies is the surplice used? On what is the symbolism of the alb based? What is the vesting prayer? How is linen bleached and purified? What promise did Christ make to those "clothed in white garments"?

How were the early albs ornamented? What were the "apparels"? When did lace-trimmed albs first appear? Name two historic lace-trimmed albs. What is the present-day tendency toward the decoration of the alb?

With what vestment is the cincture associated? Describe the cincture. Of what materials may it be made and what are the rules in regard to colors? Why was the girdle so necessary in the dress of ancient times? What was meant by the expression "to girt up the loins"? What virtues does the cincture symbolize? What is the vesting prayer for the cincture?

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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