A couple of weeks ago we got a call from Peter (an acquaintance and a regular guest at our private Masses here) asking if it would be okay for Fr Michael (Latin Mass chaplain for Perth, W.A.) to say mass at our little devotional chapel on Friday, September 21 as the latter will be visiting Brisbane to officiate this year's Annual Family Retreat this weekend. We were naturally rapt to hear this and of course we said YES!
Checking the traditional calendar, we were doubly rapt to find that Friday was St Matthew's feastday. And because we have adopted St Matthew as our patron saint (for Mateo, our family name), it made us even more excited.
Early this week, to start preparing the chapel for Fr Michael's Mass, I had asked Webster to look into our vestment cabinet to check if all the liturgical vestments required for Friday were in good order. To my horror, Webster informed me that we did not have a red chasuble set at all; and come to think of it, Fr Hartley had taken his set back for his own use several months ago. And of course it had to be a red set as it was going to be a mass for St Matthew, a martyr. This meant we had to find one real soon as Friday was literally only a few days away! However, it quickly dawned on us that there was no other choice but for me to make the vestment set myself!
What an exciting but daunting prospect for me! Exciting because I have always wanted to get back into sewing and embroidering as this is one of my favourite things to do whenever I'd get the time and because traditional Catholic vestment making is one of my special interests; but daunting at the same time simply because of the time factor, and given my other duties at home!!
It has been a LONG time since I last visited my sewing and embroidery machines, my only hope was that they were still in working order, considering that they are both electronic, and the embroidery machine operates on computer chips!! When I got them started, though, I discovered straight away that my fears were unfounded, because both of them worked as smoothly as I last used them! Thank God.
As soon as I was able to establish which parts needed pre-embroidering, this was done initially before sewing. And as I always say about making anything, cutting is the longest part of the process, and once individual pieces have been cut, it is merely a matter of putting them together, to form each piece of the vestment set. Needless to say, before and during the course of this undertaking I was in constant prayer to Our Lady - for her guidance and assistance, and for the set to be finished in good time. As ever, she came through this time - as she always does without fail - because come Thursday night the vestment set was completed and ready for Fr Michael and the Mass for St Matthew the next day!
Gratias tibi ago, Mater Maria!
 |
| Beautiful latin crosses embroidered on, thanks to my Janome 300E! |
 |
| All pieces cut |
 |
| red vestment brocade, beautiful |
 |
| maniple, stole, burse, chalice veil - all completed and sewn |
 |
| finished Roman chasuble, front |
 |
| back of the chasuble, featuring antique motiff |
 |
| motiff featured in the middle of the back cross: antique Pie Pelicane applique |
 |
| St Matthew cake |
 |
| Fr Michael in action (the boys served) |
 |
| beautiful Mass in honour of our family patron saint, Sancte Mattheus |
 |
| sharing afterwards |
 |
| Fr Michael and P-nut |
