Students Receive a Guided Tour of the Sacristy

The purpose of the existence of the Society is "the priesthood and all that pertains to it." The first of these things is, of course, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. They exist for each other and one cannot exist without the other.

This purpose is extended to the schools of the SSPX as well: in teaching our students, we strive to give them a focus to their lives, an instinct to turn their eyes again and again to the Mass, so central in our Catholic Faith.

To this end, the students in the 3rd and 4th grades were given a tour of the sacristy by Fr. Kimball. The sacristy is the part of the church where the priest vests for Mass, and where most of the sacred vessels and vestments are stored.

The children were able to see the vestments they studied in class, and had a chance to show Father that they remembered the names of each of these sacred articles. They learned the symbolism of some of these vestments, symbolism which helps us to see more and more that the priest is another Christ. They saw the different colored vestments up close, rather than from the usual distance of the pew. 

The sacred vessels, they learned, since they are composed of the best materials that the earth has to offer, reveal the greatness of the One who rests therein.

Behind the doors of the tall safe, they saw all the vessels stored, protected from curious eyes and grasping fingers. They were able to see a real altar stone, upon which every Mass is said, containing the precious relics of martyrs, those who followed the Lamb even to the point of sacrificing their lives.

And in one corner of the room they saw the vessel which contains the sacred baptismal water, yet containing the oils mixed with it on Holy Saturday.

They left appreciating, even if just a little bit more, the sacredness of the house of God, and the greatness of the tremendous prayer that Christ offers to His Father in that place.