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Thursday, December 16, 2010

GULP Alert: "Black?! AHHHHH!!!!!"

No, that's not me screaming.

I know the "expert liturgists" who publicly deride the liturgical reforms of Pope Benedict XVI would cringe at seeing these wonderful photos of the Installation of the Altar Servers at the Cathedral Shrine of the Good Shepherd of the Diocese of Novaliches.

They would be the ones screaming, I suppose, not me.

I LOVE BLACK CASSOCK!

In fact, I would love to see our priests wearing black cassocks with fringed fascia!  Haha!

Anywho...

The Mass was held during Gaudete Sunday and the Ordinary, the Most Rev. Antonio Tobias, DD offered the Holy Sacrifice and installed the new altar servers and received their commitment of service.  I am beginning to be a liturgical fan of the good bishop.  Remember that he is the first sitting bishop to celebrate a Solemn Pontifical High Mass after the issuance of Summorum Pontificum!

Take note that ALL Altar Servers are wearing BLACK!  Huzzah!!!

Here are some wonderful photos of the Mass.

The entrance procession.  
Look!  Real candles, not kerosene lamps disguised as candles!  HA!
 Some of the new altar servers before the formal investiture

Bishop Tobias showing a curt smile while blessing the surplices of the newly installed altar servers.

A view of the Benedictine altar arrangement.  
It has 7 candles.  The two are standing at the sides of the altar.
The crucifix is in the reredos.

The altar servers, now vested, making their pledge.


I wonder if they were installed as acolytes as well.  

I know liturgists who would and hate black cassocks for altar servers.  For whatever reason they hate black cassocks, I bet you a dollar and a dime who these liturgists are.  Two letters, A and G.  And their fans in surrounding dioceses in the NCR.

Two many letters eh?

18 comments:

  1. i wonder how they do it in our diocese where lay servers where barong tagalogs.

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  2. The Bishop of Novaliches I was informed is symphatetic to Anglicanorum Coetibus

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  3. Good day!

    I've been skimming through your blog the past hour when I saw this post. As Vice President of the Ministry of Altar Servers of the Cathedral Shrine and Parish of the Good Shepherd(I'm the one in the second to the last photo), I express my sincerest gratitude for featuring our humble installation here.

    Our parish is by no means a traditional one,and sometimes, innovations occur, but at least some of us try to advocate tradition. For instance, during Episcopal Masses, we do try our best to put seven candles on or near the altar. We've been working on having a set of seven candles on the altar itself, and I hope the Liturgical Commission finally gets rid of those two candles not on the altar (which are actually lamps, I must add). This adherence to tradition is hard work though, because we are rarely listened to.

    I'm glad that you're beginning to like our Bishop. From time to time, he even says the Canon instead of the ever popular Eucharistic Prayer II. He once even recited the collect during Benediction in Latin from pure memory! All in all, he's quite nice, and I'm really glad to assist him at his Masses.

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  4. Long Live Bishop Tobias!
    Long live our shepherd in Novaliches!

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  5. yes... I'm just wondering if what's the meaning of that.
    _____________________________________________
    I'm quite interested about serving the altar since I'm an acolyte in our institution. Black cassocks are quite nice to look at. In our diocese I ask a certain priest why most of them don't prefer black the reason is; "mainit daw" and to my fellow altar server say; "Pang Patay" In my opinion wearing black cassocks during mass should be emphasized since it's really a tradition to all Roman Catholic altar servers to wear that kind of vestment.

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  6. Black is hot? Really?

    Pinoy cassocks are white. Why are our priests still not wearing them.

    Black is hot?

    Tell that to the marines!

    Black IS THE NORM! White is an indult, therefore an exception to the NORM.

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  7. I can't say that it's hot because I haven't tried wearing it, my cassock is always white, since I started serving the mass. So I tried to propose to our institution to make Black Cassocks for the acolytes instead of white but somehow they refused.
    And I don't know why our Diocesan Liturgist and some of our priests don't want it including our bishop.

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  8. if you'd ask me, I would love to be wearing a black cassock! I am a former seminarian, minor seminarian (well, naudlot po dahil kailangang mangibang bansa)i was used to the "indult", white cassock which i also love because of its purity and beauty. Black symbolizes our poverty- for Christ is our true treasure. it symbolizes our disfigurement in the sight of the world- Christ is our beauty. it symbolizes our identity-Nothing without Christ.

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  9. @Sir Pinoy Catholic

    Our Chaplian had granted us to wear black cassocks last holy week and until now, because it is a formal color and also I said to him is also a norm :)...
    But
    The new campus ministry director of my alma mater criticizes us in wearing black, and she even consulted the new school chaplain and even said that black cassocks are ONLY USED IN ROME AND NOT HERE IN THE PHIL... What can I do to defend against her criticism? Thanks...

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  10. Keb, ask the new campus ministry director where she got the rule that Black is only used in the US and not the Philippines.

    Actually the GIRM states that the alb is worn by the altar servers.

    Black cassocks actually are more economical than white albs since white is more prone to getting dirty.

    And most liturgists prefer the black cassock since the alb is used by ordained minnisters and not the laity who most of the time serve at Mass. Why the hatred for black, I still wonder.

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  11. @Sir Pinoy Catholic

    Many Thanks :)
    I will tell her regarding this if me and my fellow altar servers could have time to meet her.
    The CBCP and even the Pope also didn't stated that it is only in Rome and US. As long as I can recall, Father Abe said to me in his blog, "Kung ano ang pwede sa iba pwede rin sa atin"
    I can sense that this new campus ministry director thrives in her own modernistic opinion. According to sources she is also a professor at John Paul II institute of Marriage and Family in our place, and a religious education teacher of my alma mater.

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  12. I think the reason Fr. Abe gave you is open to a lot of misinterpretation. "Kung ano ang pwede sa iba pwede rin sa atin"

    We follow what the books says, not what we see. Black has always been the color of the cassock of the servers. Nobody questioned this, only until now.

    You ask her, what is wrong with black. There are no legal prohibitions against the use of black cassocks for servers.

    And tell her also that is is easier to maintain black cassocks than white ones. :)

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  13. @Sir Pinoy Catholic

    ah I see, Thanks a lot :)
    And that's true Black cassock are easily maintained..And you will not need to wash it from time to time.
    By the way what about cassocks that are colored pink, red and even blue?

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  14. Cassocks are only colored black and the indult white. Religious orders who have a different color of cassock do not call it a cassock but rather a religious habit or choir dress.

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