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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 5 of 9

Fr. David Friel · August 2, 2015

HE CINCTURE is a very meaningful vestment, with a spiritual significance that is much deeper than its practical purpose of gathering the alb close to the body. In this post, we continue our series delving into the prayers offered by the priest as he vests for Mass.

This is the prayer that accompanies the tying of the cincture:

Praecinge me, Domine, cingulo puritatis, et exstingue in lumbis meis humorem libidinis; ut maneat in me virtus continentia et castitatis.

Gird me, O Lord, with the cincture of purity, and extinguish in my loins the desires of lust, that the virtue of continence and chastity may ever abide within me.

This prayer makes clear that the cincture is to be understood in a twofold manner. It is both a guard against the temptations of the flesh and a symbol of purity in mind, body, and heart. In other words, the cincture symbolizes self-mastery, which St. Paul praises as a Fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22).

The text of the prayer also beautifully evokes the many Scripture passages in which the encouragement is given to gird up one’s loins. In particular, St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians includes a symbolic description of the armor of God, in which he encourages us: “Stand fast with your loins girded in truth” (Ephesians 6:14). The most direct source material for the prayer, however, comes from the First Letter of St. Peter: “Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, live soberly, and set your hopes completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13).

The wearing of cinctures has a noteworthy precedent. Our Lady of Guadalupe, herself, appears on the tilma of Juan Diego wearing a black band about her waist. In the local culture, such a band was worn only by expectant mothers.

There is another story about St. Monica, who watched the young Augustine go down the wrong path, causing her great distress. One day, as Monica was praying for the conversion of her wayward son, the Blessed Mother appeared to her. During the vision, Mary wore black mourning clothes and a leather cincture around her waist. Mary then took the leather cincture and gave it to Monica as a sign of care & compassion. Thus began the devotion to Our Mother of Consolation, which has been the primary title used for Mary among the Augustinian order for hundreds of years. To this day, the Augustinian habit is all black and includes a leather cincture, in honor of this apparition of Our Lady.

The cincture, like the amice, is a vestment that is often disregarded or overlooked. Some albs have “built-in” cinctures, while others are designed to be so ample that the wearing of a cincture would be nearly impossible. Tying the cincture each time I offer Mass has been an opportunity to entrust myself quietly to the strength of God, which preserves & protects us from every evil.

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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President’s Corner

    “What Martin Luther Said…”
    My pastor asked me to write little columns for the bulletin each week. The article for 20 July 2025 has been posted, and it’s called: “What Luther Said…” Martin Luther (an ex-priest and apostate) was an infamous heretic whose ignorance of JESUS CHRIST was only exceeded by his filthy and disgusting vulgarity.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    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

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

“Another cathedral functionary, a compañero named (coincidentally!) Francisco Guerrero, departs for the New World sometime before June 8, on which date the benefice held by him comes up for a split among three former choirboys whose voices have changed.”

— Chapter Resolution: 14 February 1562

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