Well, you certainly responded to the invitation to Evensong last night in big numbers, didn’t you?
The cathedral was packed, with hundreds of voices from around the diocese and further afield – a lovely gathering. Lots of people went out the door asking whether we will be doing it again. The answer is yes – book the date in your diary now: 22 March 2009 at 6.30 pm.
The only sadness of yesterday was looking once more in vain in the vestment cupboard for rose coloured vestments for Refreshment Sunday.
Actually, we have several things missing from our set of vestments and several things need replacing. We need a purple high mass set, a black high mass set for the requiem and a rose set for days like yesterday. (And if anyone in Christendom has the right to wear rose (ie pink) vestments a couple of times a year, I think I have quite a good claim).
For the uninitiated a high mass set is a chasuble (the poncho like thing that the presiding priest wears at the Eucharist), a dalmatic (which is the squarer shaped poncho that the deacon wears – usually with two stripes on it called the orphreys), a tunicle (similar to a dalmatic but with one stripe for the sub-deacon) plus accompanying stoles and maniples.
One particuarly nice thing last night was that Rob Laws flew in with a pilgrimage group and they joined us at Evensong en route to Iona. It is lovely to meet a blog reader/writer after online communications going back many months.
Which reminds me somehow, we must try a flashmob evensong sometime, mustn’t we.
Flashmob evensong sounds brilliant!! Just give some of us time to cross borders!!
A friend has just phoned to tell me that all the clergy at Canterbury Cathedral yesterday were wearing pink. She thought that it was an amazing sight – pretty as a picture they were! I told her that you would be very envious indeed.
However, I am not offering to buy a set…….well not yet anyway.
I’d need an early warning!!
Well if you end up with more than one Rose set after this unashamed plea, you could always pass it on to me! It would be great with my complexion and perfect with my hair!
If we get pink vestments, does that mean we get a pink candle in Advent?
> does that mean we get a pink candle in Advent?
No, for reasons that I’ve explained elsewhere. Rose vestments (think pink copes!) are clearly classy and pink candles are clearly tacky. If we start offering pink candles, our reputation of being the denomination that offers salvation by good taste with wither and fade away.
While I admit that a pink cope would be the height of good tase (and might even challenge the current cope for the status of cope of glory), wouldn’t it clash horribly with red candles?
Whatever colour issues might arise from candles and copes, there is only one Cope of Glory.
I greatly enjoy your blog, Kelvin. If I may make a slight comment on your description of the dalmatic. The ornamentation (although often made of the same fabric as orphreys) are called “clavi” on the dalmatic and tunicle. I apologize for ecclesiastical trivia!!
WIlliam – many thanks for the comment. The correction is most welcome. Ecclesiastical trivia like that is not just tolerated here, it is positively encouraged.
Thanks Kelvin. It was a pleasure to be at St Mary’s with you all- what a lovely evening. Thanks for your hospitality.
Re the cope…. I am still trying to get my hands on a cope for my upcoming summer weddings…. but of course in a snake belly low diocese even the bishop doesn’t have one – shameful 😉
Delighted to discover that you are, in fact, a rose vestment fan Kelvin! 🙂