Sometimes the liturgical life of nuns is overlooked. Many orders of nuns participate daily in the recitation of the Mass and Office. Some convents in the monastic tradition have a daily sung conventual Mass and they sing the Breviary. Alternatively, others have historica…
The Liturgical Life of Nuns: the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Sometimes the liturgical life of nuns is overlooked. Many orders of nuns participate daily in the recitation of the Mass and Office. Some convents in the monastic tradition have a daily sung conventual Mass and they sing the Breviary. Alternatively, others have historica…
St. John Cantius in Chicago: Longtime Centre for Liturgical Arts
St. John Cantius (they also operate Biretta Books , suppliers of everything from books to vestments) is one of the most impressive parishes in the United States and reputedly has one of the finest sacred music programs in North America. Every time I have found myself in Chi…
The Painted Antependia of George James Cutajar Zahra
Antependia are most frequently seen in textile form of course, but they also take other forms including metallic frontals as well as painted. We were recently contacted by a Maltese artist, George James Cutajar Zahra , about two antependia he was recently commissioned to pai…
Clear Creek Abbey Revisited: A Triumph of Modern Classicism in the Romanesque Footprint
In the history of the Church the Benedictines have always played a key role in the formation and preservation of Christendom. Since the time of St. Benedict each Benedictine monastery has been a little self-contained world, a "school of the service of the Lord," …
Pentecost as Depicted in the Art of Liturgical Books
The liturgical books of old were frequently characterized by their beauty, not only in the ornamentality of their binding, but also within in their art. What is well enough known to many is, of course, the full page crucifixion plate that sits opposite the Canon Missae / Ca…
A Sicilian Pontifical Set for Pentecost
As we are within the octave of Pentecost, we wanted to continue our tradition of sharing some Pentecost themed vestments around this time of the liturgical year and today we turn our attention to a set coming out of a Sicily. The set in question is made from red silk taffet…
The Abbey of Our Lady of Ephesus
The Rule of St. Benedict is, in many respects, one of the most significant documents in the history of the Church. Little wonder that from this Holy Rule grew in the ensuing centuries thousands of monasteries which became in time not only centers of religious life but also…
Rome and the Barberini Bees
Rome is a city filled with buildings where the symbol of the papal tiara and keys are nearly omnipresent. It would seem as though every other building sees its presence. But if the papal tiara and keys in general are first and foremost in this regard, it is closely followed…
New Altarpiece for the Dominican Church of Vittoriosa, Malta: "The Glory of St. Dominic" by Manuel Farrugia
We are pleased to present a painting representing "The Glory of St. Dominic" that was recently installed within the Dominican church of the Annunciation in Vittoriosa, Malta. The artist is a Maltesian named Manuel Farrugia and the painting itself depicts St. Domin…
The New Carmel in Wyoming: the Monks of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel
Yellowstone National Park and its surrounding national forests is a vacationland that is world renowned, where untouched lands and alpine vistas dip down to sheltered fjords, rock-walled gorges and flower-decked mountain fields. Located in the hinterlands near the edge is …
Liturgical Notes on Ceremonial Variations in the Use of the Paten in the Latin Liturgical Rites
The paten is a Eucharistic vessel that comes in the form of small circular disc, or plate, upon which the unleavened bread that the priest will consecrate sits. This vessel may well seem like an unlikely subject for discussion but for those interested in the Western liturgi…
Discalced Carmelite Monastery of Our Mother of Mercy and Saint Joseph
The liturgical arts are alive and well at the Carmel in Alexandria, South Dakota. Each year Our Lord leads various Catholic women here on the road to discernment, while others perhaps stumble upon it while on a road trip to see nearby Mt. Rushmore, a national memorial in t…
Liturgical Arts in South Dakota (Diocese of Rapid City)
Each year the famous backdrop of Mt. Rushmore National Memorial in the beautiful Black Hills and the nearby Badlands National Park of South Dakota attract many thousands of tourists to Rapid City from across the nation and world. These people make the journey to the untame…
New Statue of Our Lady for Oslo by Granda
The St John the Evangelist Parish in Groruddalen was established in 2013 to serve the growing Catholic community in Oslo. During the last few months Granda's workshop has produced this precious statue of Our Lady with the Child Jesus that has recently been installed in …
The Bronze Snake of Moses in the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio, Milan
The Basilica of Saint Ambrose in Milan is surely one of the most interesting and spectacular churches of that venerable primatial See. It is filled with numerous treasures, not least of which the relics of St. Ambrose himself, located in the crypt church beneath the high al…
Newly Carved Reliquary Busts from King Richard's
Reliquary busts are something we have shown here before, usually originating in places such as Italy from the 15th through 19th centuries. While many find them of interest, it can be very easy to assume that these items are themselves consigned to be relics to the past, no …
Dedication of the Abbey Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, St Michael's Abbey
Last Tuesday, May 4th, I had the great joy of attending the dedication of the new St Michaels’ Abbey Church, dedicated to our Lady of the Assumption in Silverado, California. The ceremony was presided over by Bishop Kevin Vann of Orange, who was accompanied by Cardinal Burk…
The Ordination Card: In Memoriam Sacrae Ordinationis
The ordination card is an item that is customarily handed out to the faithful by altar boys as newly ordained priests give their first blessings in the churchyard. It makes an excellent memento and a perfect keepsake. It also serves as a reminder to pray for the ordinandi .…
Other Anthropomorphic Forms of Reliquaries
Reliquaries come in various shapes and sizes, ranging from the more common floral-like form to those which are more anthropomorphized in their designs. Regarding the latter, in the past we have featured here reliquaries that come in the form of busts and full figures -- for…
Liturgical Notes on the Mozarabic Rite (or Visigothic Rite)
The Mozarabic rite is one of those distinctive western rites that generally receives a fair amount of interest from liturgical enthusiasts -- perhaps because of its relative obscurity. Strictly speaking, the Mozarabic liturgy from the modern, post-medieval period is more pr…
The Paleochristian Sarcophagi of the Basilica of Sant'Apollinaire in Classe
The sixth century basilica of Sant'Apollinaire in Classe, located in Ravenna, Italy, is surely one of the most recognizable churches in the world. The church in question presents us with a classic paleo-Christian model rooted in the tradition of the antique Roman basili…
