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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Vesting Prayers • Part 8 of 9

Fr. David Friel · August 23, 2015

HIS WEEK concludes our look at the vesting prayers, which accompany each of the priestly vestments worn at Holy Mass. Today we turn our attention to the chasuble.

This vestment, which is worn over the alb, cincture, & stole, has a long history. Like many other vestments, the chasuble is closely linked with the garb of ancient Rome. It is the most visible, and often the most ornate, of the priestly vestments.

Chasubles are worn only for the celebration of Mass, not during other Sacraments or devotions. In some places, it is common for concelebrating priests to forgo wearing a chasuble; if a chasuble is available, however, it should always be worn. Moreover, wherever concelebration occurs frequently or with large numbers of priests, it is laudable that an adequate supply of chasubles should be maintained.

Here follows the prayer to be offered as the priest vests with the chasuble:

Domine, qui dixisti: Iugum meum suave est et onus meum leve: fac, ut istud portare sic valeam, quod consequar tuam gratiam.

O Lord, Who said: My yoke is easy and My burden light; make me so able to bear it that I may obtain Thy favor.

This beautiful, short prayer is a direct reference to the Letter to the Colossians, wherein St. Paul exhorts us: “Above all these things, put on charity, which is the bond of perfection” (Colossians 3:14). Thus, the symbolism of the chasuble is the virtue of charity, which is literally “put on” over all the other vestments. Like the maniple, the chasuble is also a reminder to the one who wears it of the hardship entailed by the Gospel (cf., 2 Timothy 1:8).

There are, of course, many different styles of chasubles. The two major styles are the Roman and the Gothic. Roman chasubles, sometimes called “fiddlebacks” because of their shape, closely resemble the yoke worn by animals and alluded to in the above vesting prayer. Gothic chasubles, meanwhile, are said to symbolize the overflowing charity to which the prayer alludes. Both charity and the bearing of the yoke of Christ are requirements of authentic Christian life.

N CONCLUSION, the vesting prayers are a gift to us from the tradition of the Church. Their recitation is a pious practice which I highly recommend to all my brother priests. In these prayers, I have found a rich source for meditation and worthy preparation for the sacred liturgy.

Fr. Mauro Gagliardi, consultor to the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, says it well:

While it is possible to use different prayers, or simply to lift one’s mind up to God, nevertheless the texts of the vesting prayers are brief, precise in their language, inspired by a biblical spirituality and have been prayed for centuries by countless sacred ministers. These prayers thus recommend themselves still today for the preparation for the liturgical celebration, even for the liturgy according to the ordinary form of the Roman Rite.

I have witnessed the powerful effect of a priest who sets the tone by silently praying his vesting prayers. While visiting a priest friend some time ago, I had the opportunity to watch him prepare for daily Mass in his parish’s sacristy. It was a memorable experience for me, because I was confronted with the thought of how much more calm and prayerful his sacristy was than my own. The lectors, servers, and sacristan in his parish knew that Father was praying, and they instinctually decided that they should follow suit. Since that time, I have tried to set a similar example in my preparation for Holy Mass.

Too often, sacristies are places of hustling, bustling, and distraction. The sacristy should instead be a place of silence, focus, and prayerful preparation. As the GIRM states:

Even before the celebration itself, it is commendable that silence to be observed in the church, in the sacristy, in the vesting room, and in adjacent areas, so that all may dispose themselves to carry out the sacred action in a devout and fitting manner. (GIRM #45)

Similar advice comes to us from a sermon of Saint Charles Borromeo:

A priest complains that as soon as he comes into church to pray the office or to celebrate Mass, a thousand thoughts fill his mind and distract him from God. But what was he doing in the sacristy before he came out for the office or for Mass? How did he prepare? What means did he use to collect his thoughts and to remain recollected?

What better means could a priest use to prepare for the sacrifice of Calvary than to offer these vesting prayers, handed down to us through the tradition of the Church?

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

    Why A “Fugue” Here?
    I believe I know why this plainsong harmonizer created a tiny fugue as the INTRODUCTION to his accompaniment. Take a look (PDF) and tell me your thoughts about what he did on the feast of the Flight of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Egypt (17 February). And now I must go because “tempus fugit” as they say!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Did they simplify these hymn harmonies?
    Choirs love to sing the famous & splendid tune called “INNSBRUCK.” Looking through a (Roman Catholic) German hymnal printed in 1952, I discovered what appears to be a simplified version of that hymn. In other words, their harmonization is much less complex than the version found in the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal (which is suitable for singing by SATB choir). Please download their 1952 harmonization (PDF) and let me know your thoughts. I really like the groovy Germanic INTRODUCTION they added.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

It is known that the “mora vocis” is part of the compulsory rules of recital of the “Vaticana” and is indicated in the Editio typica and its reprints by a somewhat larger spacing of the neume (one space-line) within one group of neuma.

— 1953 Schwann Edition (PREFACE)

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