Some of you will remember the scuffle some years ago, when scarlet cassocks were declared to be the privilege of Chaplains to the Monarch here in the UK – and choirs of the Chapels Royal/ This caused a certain amount of consternation, for many churches had put their choirs and servers into red cassocks.
I remember at St Margaret’s Leytonstone, where I did my second curacy, that the servers wore red cassocks through the year, but changed into black for Advent and Lent. (And I think they had special cottas trimmed with crocheted lace for high festivals).
I have a set of postcards, published by Mowbrays in the 1930’s. The series is entitled Beyond the Veil and is a depiction of High Mass as celebrated in the approved Anglo-Catholic manner. The servers are in red cassocks with zuchetti or skullcaps. That I have never seen.
A friend of mine recently described me as a ‘Dearmer fundamentalist’ and it will be no surprise to readers of my blog that I still think that many of the insights of the early 20th century liturgist and Anglican priest Dr Percy Dearmer well worth considering.
Here is Dearmer on red cassocks: ” Black cassocks look far better than red ones, which play havoc with the general effect of colour, and besides, cannot be worn with albes (sic). Dr W Legg denies that red cassocks are sanctioned by English tradition at all, and so experienced an ecclesiastic as Cardinal Manning spoke gravely of their bad moral effect. “
Beat that!
About Scott Anderson
Formerly an Anglican priest (ordained 1975) received into the Catholic Church in February 2012, and ordained to the Diaconate on 27th July 2013. I took early retirement, and divide my time between London and northern France. I am deeply committed to the Ordinariate as a gift of the Holy Spirit in the search for unity. Like many Ordinariate members I feel a personal gratitude to Pope Emeritus Benedict, together with loyalty to our Holy Father, Pope Francis. My blog tries to make a small contribution to the growth of the Ordinariate by asking questions (and proposing some answers) about the 'Anglican Patrimony'.
I have always been fascinated by the whole issue of growth and decline, and therefore concerned for appropriate means of evangelisation in western Europe. I believe that the Holy Spirit is constantly renewing the People of God and that we must be open to him.
On Saturday 19th October 2013, I was ordained to the Priesthood at Most Precious Blood, Borough, by the Most Revd Peter Smith, Archbishop of Southwark, for the service of the Ordinariate of our Lady of Walsingham. I continued to serve the Ordinariate group and Parish at Most Precious Blood until the end of 2014. Subsequently, I helped in the care of the Ordinariate Groups at Hemel Hempstead and Croydon, and in the Archdiocese of Southwark, until the beginning of September 2015. With the agreement of my Ordinary, , the Bishop of Amiens appointed me Administrator of the Parish of Notre Dame des Etangs (Pont Remy) in Picardie, France.
After nine years as parish priest, with wonderful and supportive parishioners, I decided that the time had come to retire and return to the UK. A nasty accident four years ago and contracting COVID has left me physically rather feeble! I shall be ever grateful for the years in France, a wonderful ending to the years of parish ministry. So here I am back in the UK, taking a long rest, setting up home, coping with all the new Safeguarding procedures - and wondering what next.
Ordinariate Pilgrim 