Who cares what libs think? Boldly recover and use great traditional items and vesture of yore.

At the newish blog LAJ, Shawn Tribe has a good post about boldness in regard to some traditional vesture and other items of yore.

In the 60s Paul VI abolished quite a lot of good things. That was a mistake. However, with the rise of Summorum Pontificum, and with the slow but steady demise of the aging-hippy tyrants brainwashed in the halcyon days of Vatican II, some of our riches are returning to use.

Tribe mentions, among other things, the tufted fascia, buckled clerical shoes, the mantelletta, etc.

He touches on the ridicule heaped by libs on those who enjoy traditional things.

He doesn’t not avoid that there are some who get way too involved with the ecclesiastical gizmos and tat.

However, he also rightly observes that younger people who are discovering our rich traditions, the patrimony that was cruelly kept from them, don’t have the baggage still lugged about by the aging-hippies and their kind.  They like and want this old stuff.

Who cares what libs think?   They are always wrong.

Here is his peroration:

If there were advice to be given to clergy in the light of all this, it would seem to be this:

Don’t politicize these things of course but don’t shy away from them either. Stop feeling sheepish about them — you may as well feel sheepish about all Catholic traditions and teachings if so. There’s no need and it’s certainly not how many of your younger flock tend to look at these things, not to mention many others besides. Keep things in perspective of course, making the sacred liturgy your first priority, but be confident in our Catholic patrimony.

Will some mock? Yes, you can absolutely count on it. Christ didn’t shy away from mocking however. [NB] The reality is that ideologues and enemies will always find one way or another to mock and deride and if it is not one thing, then it’s another. If anything, acceding to their mockery only invites more derision, demonstrating weakness, and that doesn’t invite respect. You can also be assured, however, that many others, even those outside the Church, find these things of interest and appeal.

In short, we beg you, please stop ‘blinking.’ Instead, be bold and confident in our patrimony and start to lead the conversation again.

I agree.

A few notes.

It can be argued that the vesture used by prelates in 1962 can and should be used when they participate in Masses in the traditional Roman Rite.  I wrote a post about this: HERE.

Paul VI changed a bunch of things in 1969.  For example, he “abolished” the mantelletta, the sash with “fiochi” (I have those in black and in paonazza for when I’m MC in Pontifical Masses), the red tabarro, galero and plush hat, the colored stockings and shoe buckles for lesser prelates, the red pom on the birettas of prelates of honor, the mantellone for lesser prelates, etc.

Frankly, I think that suppression of articles of clothing is, how to put it… lana caprina.

Moreover, I think that in the context of the use of the 1962 liturgical books they can be used.  When in choir monsignors can and should dress as monsignors dressed in 1962.  Must they?  Are they obliged to?  No. I won’t go that far.

Another thing… shoe buckles.

Since we Unreconstructed Ossified Manualists like manuals, we consult Trimeloni, (US HERE – UK HERE).

In the section on “Ceremonies of Mass, ch. I, “The Read Mass”, I. “The Celebrant”-  “In the sacristy” (p. 397 – my translation):

Use the footwear that clerics of the place are used to wearing publicly and wear the cassock.

I can’t bring myself to wear flip flops, golf shoes or crocs.   Sorry.

But wait!  There’s more.

In a footnote:

D. 3268, 3. [Cf. Naifa, Costume of the Prelates of the Catholic Church, Balitmore, 1925: “According to the Roman ceremonial, all clerics and those who serve in church, as cantors, sacristans, etc., ought to wear shoes with buckles (It. fibbie).  The buckle is of shiny steel for members of the inferior clergy and servers, in silver for priests, monks and prelates belonging to religious orders.  Gold and gilded silver are reserved for secular prelates.”

That means that I really should have shoes with buckles.  Right?

If someone wants to get me clerical shoes with silver buckles – silver, mind you, not just polished silver colored metal – I’m open to using them.   Maybe we should start a fund at Gammarelli: “For Use By Fr. Z”.  (They really need to update and offer gift cards, etc.)

I don’t feel obliged to use buckles.

However, I think that Tribe is right.

Let’s use our traditional items, as they were properly used back when.

Let’s just do it.  After all, in this age of mercy where laws don’t have meaning and all can discern for themselves what their state is (I’ve discerned in the internal forum that I’m now an Internal Forum Monsignor)… who is anyone to judge?

So, maybe I could put the detachable silver buckles on my normal winter footwear for Mass.

Silver buckles might spiff up my cadillacs.