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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 served as Parochial Vicar at Saint Anselm Church in Northeast Philly before earning a doctorate in liturgical theology at The Catholic University of America. He presently serves as Vocation Director for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

19 May 2022 • “Trochee Trouble”

I’m still trying to decide how to visually present the “pure” Editio Vaticana scores, using what is (technically) the official rhythm of the Church. You can download my latest attempt, for this coming Sunday. Notice the “trochee trouble” as well as the old issue of neumes before the quilisma.

—Jeff Ostrowski
16 May 2022 • Harmonized Chant?

This year’s upcoming Sacred Music Symposium will demonstrate several ways to sing the CREDO at Mass. This is because—for many parishes—to sing a full-length polyphonic CREDO by Victoria or Palestrina is out of the question. Therefore, we show options that are halfway between plainsong and polyphony. You can hear my choir rehearsing a section that sounds like harmonized plainsong.

—Jeff Ostrowski
14 May 2022 • “Pure” Vatican Edition

As readers know, my choir has been singing from the “pure” Editio Vaticana. That is to say, the official rhythm which—technically—is the only rhythm allowed by the Church. I haven’t figured out how I want the scores to look, so in the meantime we’ve been using temporary scores that look like this. Stay tuned!

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Our Christian people regard with great joy everything that contributes to the splendor of the ceremonies. Jesus—who was poor in His private life—received ointment on His feet. See Thomas Aquinas (Prima Secundae, q. 102, art. 5, ad 10) and the holy Curé of Ars. The Church has always loved beautiful churches, and so forth. We must preserve our sacred patrimony and make sure sacred objects do not become secular possessions.”

— Abbot & Council Father denouncing “noble simplicity” during Vatican II

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