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“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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Views from the Choir Loft

Vesting Prayers • Part 3 of 9

Fr. David Friel · July 19, 2015

HE AMICE is a vestment that garners little attention while holding magnificent significance. An amice is simply a rectangular piece of white cloth with long strings attached at two corners. It is worn about the shoulders and used to cover the priest’s clerical garb so that it cannot be seen after he dons the alb. The strings are tied around the waist to secure the placement of the vestment.

Before the priest wraps the amice around his shoulders and over his collar, he first touches the linen to the top of his head, while reciting this prayer:

Impone, Domine, capiti meo galeam salutis, ad expugnandos diabolicos incursus.

Place, O Lord, upon my head the helmet of salvation, that I may repel the assaults of the enemy.

The text of this prayer elucidates the beauty that motivates the wearing of the garment. It draws upon a text of St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians (Eph 6:17), which speaks about the “helmet of salvation.” This passage comes in the context of a larger description of the armor of God, which is to be put on by every faithful Christian. That this prayer asks God to place the helmet, Himself, is especially beautiful.

The helmet, of course, is a protective garment, meant to shield its wearer from outside forces. At Mass, the most prevalent outside forces are likely not spears or bullets, but profane distractions. Too often, we live under the false assumption that clergymen are immune from such distractions. What types of thoughts could possibly distract a priest celebrant during the Holy Sacrifice? Many things:

A fainting altar boy Frustration with the cantor/organist/deacon/lector Last-minute mental rehearsal of the homily Parish business brought to mind by seeing a certain parishioner in the pews Ugh . . . the music is soooo slow! Did I remember to lock the rectory door? Wondering what’s for lunch/dinner

These mundane thoughts, among many others, afflict priests as much as they do the lay faithful. We would all benefit from offering a prayer before Mass that asks for the grace to overcome the devil’s attempts to distract us.

So many priests do not bother to wear the amice, either because they deem it frivolous or because they wear a style of alb that fully covers their clerical garb. Priests who do wear the amice, in fact, are often written off as “conservative” or “traditional.”

I wear the amice, and I do so not out of nostalgia nor to appear somehow pious or traditional or conservative. I wear the amice because of the rich symbolism it holds. Until my preparation for diaconate ordination, when I memorized the brilliant vesting prayer that accompanies the amice, I was unaware of this symbolism. Now that I am aware, why would I want to offer Mass without the benefit of the helmet of salvation?

Part 1 • Introduction

Part 2 • The Hand Washing

Part 3 • The Amice

Part 4 • The Alb

Part 5 • The Cincture

Part 6 • The Maniple

Part 7 • The Stole

Part 8 • The Chasuble

Part 9 • The Dalmatic

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Traditional Catholic Vestments, Vesting Prayers Last Updated: March 29, 2021

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
    Our readers will be interested in this job offering for Music Director at Saint Adalbert’s Basilica, located 40 minutes from where I live. My pastor was recently elevated to this basilica. He is offering $80,000 per year, plus benefits. I’m told Saint Adalbert’s Basilica is utterly gorgeous and contains one of America’s most magnificent pipe organs. It would be fantastic to have a colleague nearby!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

Thus the priest-celebrant, putting on the person of Christ, alone offers sacrifice, and not the people, nor clerics, nor even priests who reverently assist. All, however, can and should take an active part in the Sacrifice. “The Christian people, though participating in the Eucharistic Sacrifice, do not thereby possess a priestly power,” We stated in the Encyclical Mediator Dei (AAS, vol 39, 1947, p. 553).

— Pope Pius XII (2 November 1954)

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