Vestments
Photos representative of the style of vestments Dcn. Joseph desires to purchase can be seen below.
Final styles and manufacturer still being decided upon.
Pictured above is fabric used in the production of Dcn. Joseph’s first Mass vestments, sewen by Corpus Christi Liturgical Sewing of North Dakota.
Pictured below are photos from Korbik in Poland.
Why consider Poland or local vestment makers? There are numerous reasons. First, the quality of liturgical fabrics and craftmanship is superior to more mass-produced vestments from countries like India, while at the same time being reasonably priced. This noted, you might find vestments that look similar at a lesser price from India, but, ‘the devil is in the details’ —or maybe the lack thereof—as small things such as how a vestment’s seams come together or the general weave of the fabric all lend to the longevity and beauty of a vestment. Secondly, over my years of seminary education, I have become a firm believer that we must keep liturgical craftmanship alive and well by supporting the countries and people who carry on these age-old arts. Pope Saint John Paul II even wrote a letter to artists in 1999 encouraging us to, “…rediscover the depth of the spiritual and religious dimension which has been typical of art in its noblest forms in every age.” Third, Poland hearkens back to my ancestral heritage and local vestment makers, who do their best to keep competitive prices, support the art and craft of vestment making.
Pricing:
A full set of Chasubles, what the priest wears at Mass, would include six different colors, including, Green, White, Violate, Rose, & Red. An additional vestment often used in liturgy, specifically processions and Benediction is a Cope and Humeral Veil set in white (or gold).
The cost of a vestment is highly dependent upon the materials and craftmanship. The old saying, “You get what you pay for” essentially rings true.
Natural fabrics that drape, hold pattern their pattern, and are known to withstand the test of time, such as silk, are more expensive than synthetic fabrics. In some theological sense, the items that are natural are preferred—we return the best of what God has given to us after working with our hands—and not a creation of our own. Polyester fabrics are also used in beautiful garmets and often reduce the price point. For a vestment made with natural fabrics a chasuable often costs $1000 or more, for vestments made with quality synthetics are often $600 or so.
In general, each chasuble I am looking at will cost about $650 USD plus shipping.
Additionally, other matching items can be added on, such as the burse & chalice veil set for each color.
Beyond the chasubles, matching dalmatics could be purchased; they are about the same price per piece as a chasuble. As a transitional deacon I was able to borrow plain dalmatics for the year. I quickly came to realize that they rarely matched the chasuble the priest had and most parishes did not have coordinating vestments. If resources provide, I would also like to purchase coordinating dalmatics along with the chasubles, not that I would be wearing the dalmatics as a priest, but it would provide the opportunity for a deacon assisting at Mass to wear a coordinating dalmatic, rather than having varying shades and styles of green, red, or even white.
While $600 may seem expensive for one vestment, one need only search the internet to find inferior vestments made in India can be as little as $200 USD and premium vestments made by smaller companies, such as altarworthy or Watts & Co., that exceed $3,000 USD per vestment! In essence, the Polish vestment industry hits the ‘middle of the road’ mark, so-to-say, even though a full set will run about on average $5,000 USD. Similarly, smaller companies, such as Corpus Christi Liturgical Sewing seek to carry on the tradition and craft of vestment making here in America, their price is dependent largely on fabric and time spent on the creation of each vestment, so prices vary more than a manufacturer.
With these points in mind, as well as many theological and liturgical considerations not discussed here, much thought and consideration goes into choosing where vestments come from as well as the style, fabric, banding, etc.