Coming soon to the USA…the latest in ecclesiastical raiment…
The Telegraph is reporting a thoroughly modernizing event nicknamed “The Ideal Church Show.” It’s part of a two-day confab, the Christian Resources Exhibition, an annual church suppliers convention.
More important than the church lighting displays, the parish computer systems, and coffins is the “Righteous Runway”. It features models (seven of whom are ministers)—called “Clergy on the Catwalk—revealing the latest in haute couture for ministers designed by Juliet Hemingray, Hayes and Finch, Cross Designs and J&M Sewing.
Anticipating the event, the Bishop of Middleton, the Right Reverend Mark Davies, said:
It will be interesting to see the variety of clergy robes produced by contemporary designers.
The church has modernised so much in the past 20 years and what clergy wear reflects that change.
Gone are the 50 shades of grey and in has come a spectrum of colour and design which can be seen in everything from a Church of England royal wedding to the humblest Christening in one of our smaller churches.
To wit:
One of the ministers participating in the event, Taffy Davies of Macclesfield, said:
I have always longed to be a model cleric but I guess I’ll just have to settle for being a clerical model.
According to the Telegraph, it’s expected that the new ecclesiastical raiment will communicate that the traditional, stodgy Anglican church is modernizing and will be effective in attracting “younger audiences.”
To read the article in the Telegraph, click on the following link:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9593812/More-teal-vicar-Colourful-clergy-show-off-new-robes-on-catwalk.html
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I thought this was more of The Larry D’s humor. But it’s not!
“According to the Telegraph, it’s expected that the new ecclesiastical raiment will communicate that the traditional, stodgy Anglican church is modernizing and will be effective in attracting “younger audiences.””
The Anglicans have been singing that song as they are sinking in the La Brea tarpits for some time. People want from religion Truth not a slavish following of the fads and prejudices of their time. An excellent resource for viewing the twitchings of the ecclesiastical corpse of Henry VIII’s Church is Christopher Johnson’s, whom I have designated defender of our Faith, Midwest Conservative Journal:
http://themcj.com/
Priestess Barbie thinks the fashion show is absolutely divine!
http://the-american-catholic.com/2010/04/07/priestess-barbie/
“I’m a model and you know what I mean, and I do my little turn on the cat walk. On the cat walk, on the cat walk yeah, and I do some priest-like things on the cat walk.”
I imagine the social justice/VotF crowd are as happy as witches in a broom factory.
Years ago, the pseudonymous Diogenes distributed to his readers a video manufactured from still shots of a monk doing interpretive dance at the general chapter of the Order of Preachers. The original producer was a Catholic humor blogger whose name I have forgotten. (It wasn’t Dale Price). I think he called it the “Domini-Can-Can”. Although it was pretty funny, Diogenes offered it as a graphic indication of corruption in the Church. Are we all just chuckling at this now?
I think giving the horselaugh Art to corruption and evil in general is generally a healthy reaction. There is an old maxim that the Devil can’t stand laughter and I think there is a lot of truth in it.
Two questions: 1. Where is Diogenes? I miss him. 2. The devil is not the only one who can’t stand laughter. We are seeing the meltdown of the present occupier of the people’s house as we speak.
The only thing I can say about the printed roman collars is “thank God it covers the cleavage.” When all you have is the preacher, then he/she better dress to get the attention. When all you have is Jesus, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, then any old ancient treasure will do for raiment. Nothing more beautiful than a priest wearing the golden threads of yesterday and dissolving into Persona Christi while presenting us with the Lord.
the whole huge misunderstanding of the theological and catechetical nature of all the signs and symbols of the Church jumped out at me in one word:
“audience”
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Why is it that “younger audiences are always blamed? This sort of stuff is what “older audiences” want. It is the same with “Youth Masses” in which older, formerly hippie, elders are the musicans and are justifying it by saying this is what atracks young people. Most young people are too embarassed to be part of all of this. What normal young man would want to be seen in the silly chasuble that was shown. If you need to relive your children when you are 50+, at least be honest enough to admit it.
The ‘Bishop Mark Davies’ quoted in the Telegraph article is an Anglican suffragan and should not be confused with the excellent Bishop Mark Davies of Shrewsbury, whose appointment two years ago was a breath of fresh air (he has already become a hate-figure for the liberal Tabletistas) and who would not be seen dead in such get-up but had no qualms about being photograhed earlier this year in a (very) tall Roman mitre at a Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form.