Forthcoming Vestment Mending Workshops

The Guild of St Clare will be holding vestment mending workshops alongside server training with the Society of St Tarcisius on the following dates:

18 February 2023, Vestment Mending day at St Mary Moorfields, Eldon Street, London, 10.30am-3.30pm

22 April 2023 Vestment Mending day at St Dominic’s, Haverstock Hill, London, 10.30am-3.30pm

17 June 2023, Vestment Mending day at St Mary Moorfields, Eldon Street, London, 10.30am-3.30pm

For more information, contact Lucy at guildofstclare@lms.org.uk

Places available on February's Sewing Retreat

Our next Sewing Retreat is in three weeks, and we still have a few places available. The dates are 3rd-5th February 2023, and it will take place at Park Place Pastoral Centre, Fareham. 

For more information have a look at our website or watch this mini-documentary made by Peter Jones of One of Nine at last year's February retreat.

Reliquary Clasp at the Musée de Cluny, Paris

Lucy writes: I recently paid a visit to the Museum of the Middle Ages in Paris (known as the Musée de Cluny) and was very excited by one particular exhibit, a Reliquary Clasp from the mid-fourteenth century. Its origins are uncertain but it would have been used to fasten a ceremonial garment, quite likely a Cope.

It is very large, 18.5cm in diameter. The medallions around the outer rim of the clasp are in fact little philatories, transparent reliquaries which would once have contained relics. It's possible to see tiny labels inside, of the sort that generally accompany relics giving a description, but the relics themselves are absent.

I couldn't help thinking what a magnificent addition this would make to some of the Copes we are asked to repair. I'll definitely be having a look on Etsy to see if I can find anything similar!

Guild of St Clare mugs for sale

Exciting news from the Guild of St Clare: we now have our own merchandise! Our beautiful bone china mugs, which have the logo on them as well as the Guild of St Clare prayer, are available for sale from the Latin Mass Society shop. 

The perfect gift for the ecclesiastical stitcher

The Guild prayer, from the 1957 edition of the Enchiridion Indulgentiarum (the Raccolta), is Jesu, via, veritas et vita, miserere nobis (Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life, have mercy on us).

The Raccolta says of this prayer, that "The faithful who devote themselves without compensation to the making and repairing of church ornaments and liturgical vestments, either privately or in institutes founded for this purpose, as often as they devoutly recite the above invocation, while engaged in this work, that they may thus sanctify their labour still more, may gain an indulgence of 300 days." This specific indulgence was abolished in the reform of indulgences of 1967and replaced with a partial indulgence.

No vestment mending session would be complete without a cup of something: and what better vessel for it than this mug with its helpful reminder of the available indulgence on it? Our supply is limited so buy now before they're all gone!

Christmas Vestment Mending Party

 Lucy writes: Great fun was had by all at our annual Vestment Mending Christmas Party, held at the church hall of St Gregory & St Augustine on 17th December, thanks to the hospitality of Fr John Saward.

We absorbed quite a lot of mulled wine and mince pies.

Some of us even managed to do some sewing.

It was a treat to see members from all over the country: a party came from the London chapter, including the founder of their chapter, Susan Gollop. We also had guests from as far afield as Kent and Herefordshire, as well as a representative from the Birmingham & Black Country chapter.

Festive knitwear and accessories were very much encouraged.

No one is too young or too old to join in either the work or the fun!

Vreni, the leader the of the London chapter, had brought with her some of the mantillas which are their special interest: as you can see it is mounted on a hairband. They are for sale from the Guild of St Clare at St Bede's for £5.

A Guild of St Clare vestment mending session would be unthinkable without tea, and plenty of it.

Every guest took away a party bag with a Christmas present from the Guild of St Clare: one of our beautiful bone china mugs, now available for sale from the Latin Mass Society shop.

I'm so grateful to everyone who came for making the party a success: it was lovely to see Guild of St Clare members gathered from all corners of England, and the perfect curtain-raiser to Christmas. I'm already planning next year's!

London Vestment Mending Day

 This took place in St Mary Moorfields in the City, alongside a server training event organised by the Society of St Tarcisius.

Launch of the Birmingham & Black Country Chapter

 Lucy writes: It was a great pleasure to join the new Birmingham & Black Country Chapter at St Mary's on the Hill in Wednesbury last Saturday. I travelled up from Oxford with a fellow Oxford Chapter member, Clare Auty, so we could talk about our own experiences of the Guild of St Clare apostolate, and we were delighted to find such a committed and enthusiastic group. The Chapter Leader, Julie Roberts, is a talented and very experienced stitcher, with a particular interest in machine embroidery: this is a skill set which will greatly expand the range of projects they can undertake, and indeed enrich the whole Guild. They plan to meet monthly at St Mary's, on the last Saturdays of the month.

The Guild of St Clare now has five Chapters, spread over a good portion of England, and of course this means we are able to assist many more priests saying the Traditional Mass in maintaining and renewing their vestments. We are also able to welcome increasing numbers of laypeople from all over the country keen to serve the Church in this very special way.

The Guild of St Clare now has five Chapters, spread over a good portion of England, and of course this means we are able to assist many more priests saying the Traditional Mass in maintaining and renewing their vestments. We are also able to welcome increasing numbers of laypeople from all over the country keen to serve the Church in this very special way.

If you are interested in joining one of our Chapters, or would like help in setting up a new one, please don't hesitate to get in touch.