This is a Father of the Holy Cross during the 9:30am Mass on May 14, 2006. The back of the chasuble reads: Soli Deo, or to God alone. The front reads, "Sanctus + Sanctus + Sanctus+", which is the prayer of the holy Angels we sing at holy Mass.I was at the 9:30 Mass after already taking in the 4:00pm Vigil on Saturday because I was going to take pictures aftwards of the May Crowning. I decided, however, to use the rare opportunity I was not singing with the choir, to take pictures of the Mass from a closer pew. I was pleasantly surprised to see this most beautiful chasuble and my picture doesn't do it justice. Unfortunately, my camera has been malfunctioning and did so in a big way just as Mass ended. I think its days are numbered. These photos should not be so grainy either.
Seeing this chasuble today, I can't help but think of the apostolate, "Opus Sanctorum Angelorum" or "Work of the Holy Angels. While it is a juridically separate entity from the Order of Canons Regular of the Holy Cross, the apostolate is entrusted to the "Canons". It is not uncommon for priests from this order to draw our attention to the holy angels in homilies and talks using scripture to point out the reality of their existence, and how they are there to help us. I never really thought about the angels and find myself amazed at just how much they are referred to in scripture.
The website for the apostolate is one of the finest "watering holes" for spiritual reading that I have run across on the web, and it is why I have placed it in my sidebar. Click through what is on this page just to see what is available and bookmark it for future reference. I found even the Youth Circulars interesting. And, it is where I first read about Devotion to the Sacred Heart after the Novena at Assumption Grotto peaked my interest last year. My dad was in to this devotion, but it was never covered in my catechism or in parishes to which I frequented. Let's just say, the write-up won my heart and I found it very spiritually moving. The Feast of the Sacred Heart is coming soon so it is a good time to read this circular.
I'm going to be profiling more about this apostolate, including their emphasis on praying for priests, which is something we should all be doing. Each priest, seminarian or bishop we help through our prayers and sacrifices, ultimately helps many, many people.