During this period, for many seminarians, the day of their ordination approaches, a special day for the entire community that will benefit from one more pastor and guide. Being close to our brother who accepts the Lord’s call by participating in the Holy Mass of Priestly Ordination or at his first Mass is certainly one of the greatest gifts we can give him. However, if in addition to this you are looking for a gift that he can use during his priestly life and that remains as a sign of your friendship, then below you can find three gift ideas that are certainly appreciated by priests. These are gift ideas that can also be added to wish gift registry.
1) The priestly stole
The stole is the characteristic symbol of the ordained minister. It is a strip of fabric that the priest wears around his neck and falls vertically in front. Often the stoles have at least one decorated cross on the back and in many cases two other decorated crosses on the two front strips. Priests wear it over the alb and secure it with the cincture around the waist, then put on the chasuble. It is therefore easier for the faithful to see the parish priest with the stole in moments when he is not wearing the chasuble, such as during confession, or in cases of concelebration. Precisely because it is worn around the neck, it is symbolically likened to a “sweet yoke” that the priest must bear, namely the obligations of priesthood. Beyond this, the stole symbolizes above all priestly authority and dignity.
During the ordination rite, after the prayer of consecration, the now-priest wears the stole for the first time in the presbyteral manner and no longer in the diaconal way. The stole is among the most frequently used vestments by the priest and therefore a very welcome gift. The color of the stole is always matched with that of the chasuble and changes according to the liturgical season, so it can be white, red, green, and purple. The type of embroidery and fabric that make up the stole also determine its style. You can therefore opt for an elegant silk stole with gold embroidery for a more solemn appearance but which can still be used every Sunday, or a linen/polyester stole with hemstitch or cutwork embroidery, which is also practical to carry in a bag.
Find out more in the stoles section or contact us to add our stole to your priest ordination gift registry.
2) The altar linen set
The altar linen set is part of the linens used on the altar and is composed of 4 pieces: chalice pall, purificator, corporal, and finger towel. The chalice pall is placed on the chalice to prevent foreign objects from entering it, the purificator, as the name suggests, is used to “purify” the chalice and paten, the corporal serves to collect any fragments of the host and wine that might fall on the altar, and finally the finger towel is used after the liturgical ablutions to dry the fingers. To learn more about the history and meaning of the Mass set, we invite you to read our blog article dedicated to the history and significance of each piece.
We think that the altar linen set can be a gift for priestly ordination given its daily use. These are the linens that serve to prepare the table to receive the blood and body of Christ, so they have a very important meaning and role. It is a gift that the priest can use immediately on the day of his first Mass and that he will take with him on the day he must change parishes.
The four pieces are made of pure linen and share the same design. Some of our altar linen sets are complete with the amice, the linen cloth that the priest wraps around his neck, which is also decorated with the same pattern as the other pieces. So if you are looking for a more significant gift, you can opt for the 5-piece Mass set. The decorations recall the classic motifs related to the Eucharistic banquet. It is the hand embroidery and the quality of the white linen that make the Mass set a refined and special gift.
3) The chalice pall
The chalice pall is a square piece of fabric that is placed on the chalice to prevent foreign elements from contaminating the Blood of Christ. As we have seen, the chalice pall is one of the elements of the Mass set when it is made of the same fabric as the other pieces and also features the same design. However, there is also another type of chalice pall, which is well suited as a gift for priestly ordination, and that is the rigid pall with insert. This is a fabric pall that is reinforced and made non-deformable.
For chalice palls, we create two types of models: the pure silk pall hand-embroidered with gold or silver, and the linen pall with cutwork embroidered motifs. If the future priest is a lover of hand embroidery, our chalice pall is certainly a suitable gift because in the small details, the beauty and uniqueness of a piece made exclusively by hand emerges more than ever.
In this case the embroidered motif may reflect that of the chasuble or chasuble worn by the priest or it may also be a different design. We have Marian chalice palls, lamb chalice palls, chalice palls with the representation of the sacred heart and many other designs.
If you want to give a special gift you can also opt for a personalized chalice pall with a design dear to the priest or with his coat of arms.
All the gift ideas for priestly ordination that we have proposed are sold in the appropriate elegant box that the future priest can also use later to preserve your gift in the best way. And now the choice is yours! And don’t forget to ask our retailers for advice who will surely be able to guide you in purchasing the most suitable gift.
For information about products or to find your nearest dealer, please write to us at info@artericamiliturgico.it or FB paramentisacri.artericami or IN paramenti.artericami
