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| L.A. Archbishop John J. Cantwell and a cadre of other priests preside at the Benediction liturgy dedicating Mary Chapel on May 2, 1940. |
If one had the honor of being an altar server as a school kid, one will know what this means. Sacristy, from the Latin word for holy or sacred, is where the priest suits up before mass, known as vesting. It is a little liturgy in its own rite (sorry, that's a pun) with its own prayers. Other sacred objects are kept there for use during various celebrations in the church.
Since Mass is no longer celebrated daily at the Mount, the Mary Chapel sacristy has also evolved into something of a storage closet. From a historical standpoint, we're glad! One of the Campus Ministry student workers, nursing senior Chris Lorenzo '19, volunteered to clean it out. We helped with identification and in the process picked up some Mount history along the way. Check out the photos and captions below.
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| A set of candlesticks in two sizes, which originally number six of each size. The complete array is visible on the altar behind Cantwell in the picture at the top. |
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| The picture above also shows Archbishop Cantwell holding this monstrance at the dedication of Mary Chapel in 1940. It's missing the luna, the part that holds the sacred Host. |
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| Detail of the 1940 monstrance showing St. Peter carved in ivory. Its size and weight suggest it might have been intended for a permanent location in a side chapel. |
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| A lighter monstrance of classic sunburst design shows up in photos starting in the 1940s and was probably used for regular Benediction liturgies. |
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| The sacristy revealed a number of old altar cloths, like this one made of linen with a handmade lace border. |
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| Priest's amice, a small cloth wrapped around the shoulders beneath the white alb and secured with ties around the chest. This one probably hasn't been worn in more than 50 years. |
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| Official church permission to have a Stations of the Cross in Mary Chapel, signed by Archbishop Cantwell, the president and chaplain of the Mount, and members of the Franciscan Order in 1932. It actually pertains to the original tiny chapel in Brady Hall. |