An FSSP Inspired Solemn Mass Set

Recently, Altarworthy completed a new Solemn Mass Set that was commissioned by benefactors for (soon to be Father) Thomas Sofatzis, FSSP -- who will be ordained to the priesthood this Saturday in Sydney, Australia.

The folks at Altarworthy offered LAJ a few comments on their recently completed work:

This set is [is] very unusual visually -- a marriage of Greek-Brit-Roman... The blue insets under the hand embroidered goldwork are St. Margaret Mary damask from M. Perkins (crowns and Tudor roses). The color scheme is the FSSP gold and deep blue. The extensive embroideries were beautifully planned out by an FSSP seminarian and fully realized by our team.

For those interested in seeing this set in liturgical use, they note that both the Ordination and the First Mass of Fr. Sofatzis will be live-streamed this Friday and Saturday here: 

Ordination Mass:  (Friday, Aug. 7th, 8:30pm EST / 5:30pm PST)

First Mass of Thanksgiving:  (Saturday, Aug. 8th, 9:00pm EST / 6:00pm PST)

Now, let's take a look at the vestments themselves. 

The shape of the chasuble itself has something of an early gothic revival feel to it, specifically some of the early work of Pugin, though it also has some echoes of the 17th century "Neri" shape as well. 

The colours, as noted, symbolically relate to the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) -- and as I like to note, gold and blue always make for a very striking combination. Within the cross on the back of the chasuble are found images the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Chaste Heart of St. Joseph. 

The three hearts have a three dimensional quality to them, picking up on some of the techniques of the 19th century, particularly seen within the French tradition. 

Detail of the Immaculate Heart

The shield of the cope, which has Austrian influences within it (see the shape of the shield) includes the heraldic emblem of the FSSP, the crossed keys of St. Peter:

Seen here as well are the dalmatic and tunicle which have some Spanish influences in their design:

Finally, the humeral veil includes the symbolic emblem of the Holy Spirit, the dove:

Some further details from the set:

A spectacular set all around with some very nice textural qualities, utilizing a very pleasing combination of colours. 

For more information, please see Altarworthy's website or visit them on social media.