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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 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

    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

“Iconographic tradition has theologically interpreted the manger and the swaddling cloths in terms of the theology of the Fathers. The child stiffly wrapped in bandages is seen as prefiguring the hour of his death: from the outset, he is the sacrificial victim, as we shall see more closely when we examine the reference to the first-born. The manger, then, was seen as a kind of altar.”

— Pope Benedict XVI (2012)

Recent Posts

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  • “Puzzling Comment” • By A Respected FSSP Priest
  • New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
  • “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)

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