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Views from the Choir Loft

Vesting Prayers • Part 7 of 9

Fr. David Friel · August 16, 2015

UR CONSIDERATION of the priestly vesting prayers continues this week with the stole, one of the most important vestments worn during the sacred liturgy. The stole is the distinctive garment of ordained clergymen, symbolizing the role & authority of the minister who wears it. In form, a stole is a long, narrow band of embroidered material worn around the neck that matches the color of the chasuble.

The vesting prayer that accompanies the stole is as follows:

Redde mihi, Domine, stolam immortalitatis, quam perdidi in praevaricatione primi parentis; et, quamvis indignus accedo ad tuum sacrum mysterium, merear tamen gaudium sempiternum.

Restore to me, O Lord, the stole of immortality, which I lost by the transgression of our first parents. Grant that, although I am unworthy to approach Thy sacred mysteries, I may be made worthy of everlasting joys.

I love the fact that, as the priest dons his stole—the very symbol of his priestly authority—he acknowledges his unworthiness to approach the sacred mysteries. No one is worthy to attend Holy Mass, much less offer it. Jean-Marie Vianney, himself, was not worthy to celebrate Mass, and he would be the first to admit it. Nevertheless, the Lord extends the invitation to us to share in the sacrifice of His Son. It is wholly fitting that we priests, especially, should acknowledge our unworthiness before every Mass, so that our approach to ministry might never become casual.

In addressing the maniple last week, we drew attention to the manner in which that vestment symbolizes the toils of priestly life. Similar symbolism applies also to the stole, which is worn like a yoke, around the neck. To some extent, this significance of the stole has been increasingly underscored since the abrogation of the maniple.

Yet another aspect of the stole’s symbolism comes out in the vesting prayer, which refers to the vestment as the “stole of immortality.” The stole, indeed, refers to the everlasting life in which we hope to share.

Traditionally, the manner in which the stole is worn has been used to distinguish the degrees of Holy Orders. For instance, a deacon has always worn the stole draped over his left shoulder down to his right hip. Bishops have always worn the stole around their necks, with the two ends hanging straight down in front. Priests, meanwhile, formerly wore the stole around their necks, with the two ends crossed over in front. Since the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, however, presbyters no longer wear the stole crossed; instead, the stole is worn in the same manner by both bishops and presbyters, without differentiation.

The stole has always been a symbol of authority, and we should not be afraid to admit that. The rationale for the former crossing of the stole was to acknowledge the distinction between the full authority of the bishop and the lesser authority of the priest. According to Fr. Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University: “In the light of the Second Vatican Council’s call for an overall simplification of the rites and rubrics, this distinction in the way of donning the stole was abolished.”

Fifty years on, it is worth asking whether the liturgical reform constituted an “overall simplification” or an “over-simplification.”

Let me share, in closing, a short anecdote to illustrate the importance of the stole as a sacred vestment. I never once put a stole around my neck until the day I was ordained a priest. From the time I was a young student in Catholic grade school, I had been taught that the stole was a symbol of priestly identity and authority. For this reason, I always had a profound respect for the stole, and I chose not even to “try on” privately the stole I planned to wear for my first Mass of Thanksgiving. The result has been that, as a priest, the donning of the stole has been especially meaningful. It is a daily reminder of the extraordinary calling I have received.

May the stole be for all ordained ministers a reminder of the sacred responsibilities with which we have been charged!

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

“In my capacity as the prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, I continue to remind all that the celebration toward the East (versus orientem) is authorized by the rubrics of the missal, which specify the moments when the celebrant must turn toward the people. A particular authorization is, therefore, not needed to celebrate Mass facing the Lord.”

— ‘Robert Cardinal Sarah, 23 May 2016’

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