Remember when little girls all wore simple cheesecloth veils for first communion? I found a large box of these in a sacristy closet in Newport a few years ago. Now the little girls are dressed like miniature brides and dripping rhinestone tiaras, full length white formal gowns and stockings. I must be getting old, for I long for those simpler days when the focus was on making the First Communion and not so much on fashions. Everyone looked the same and there was always a family “time” back at the home for the first-time communicant with cake and punch. Up until very recently, altar guild members wore small lace “poufs” on combs in the hair and smocks while working in the sacristy and church. I tried introducing these to my last altar guild- without success! Personally, I like the idea. But then again, I am a hatwearer and hopelessly traditional.
One of my first jobs as a new altar guild directress was to restore an old baldicchino which I found ripped and musty in a box in the choir room. Pronounce the double “ccs” like a “k”. I had seen many Corpus Christi processions in my day, but did not know the term for the canopy-like affair which was carried above the sacrament. Usually four tall men each take one of the corner poles. It is quite a trick for all four to stay in step, spaced properly to keep the baldicchino taunt. It was also quite a trick to re-line that canopy- it all had to be done by hand with numerous yards of white silk. The baldicchino had been given to St. John’s many years before from St. Stephen’s in Providence. If your parish has one-I’d love to have a photo of it. St. John’s also makes use of it on Maundy Thursday when the sacrament makes the journey to the Chapel of Repose-very beautiful to observe. 
Baldicchino is also an architectural term most are familiar with in connection with the twisted pillar baldicchino by Bernini at St. Peter’s in Rome. Europe is full of altars covered by this type of structure. At one point altars need to be protected from stone dust and debris falling from ceilings. Sometimes a miniature baldicchino of fabric or wood or metal may be observed over wall shrines, statues or wall aumbrys. A hanging pyx may have a metal canopy -somewhere I have a photograph of the hanging pyx with canopy in St. Columba’s Chapel in Middletown. RI which is magnificent.
St. Columba’s must surely be one of the loveliest chapels in the state- and well worth a visit to admire the pyx, the stained glass, the cenotaph to Edwin Booth (actor brother of John Wilkes Booth) -and the lychgate.
No room for humerals and gremials today! Stay tuned.
The hardest part of floral decoration is usually finding the proper mechanic which will hold a block of wet Oasis flower foam where you want to put it. It is a custom in the UK and America to decorate the Paschal candle for Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday morning. ideally the candle should continue to be decorated for a full forty days, but two weeks is good to aim for at the least. The photo at the left shows the mechanic in place- a lowly jello mold ring! These can be found almost anywhere for very little money and they work beautifully. The center hole comes in a variety of diameters- if the one you find is too large, a cuff of aluminum foil can contour around the candle with no difficulty. Plastic molds or bundt cake tins will also work although metal pans seem to have a better weight and sit firmly on the candle socket. The Paschal candle in the photo below was done for Christmas at Church of the Epiphany in East Providence using the jello ring. This demonstration was done in a workshop in November. Fine fern, baby’s breath and small white roses are used.
Hard to believe but Palm Sunday is fast approaching. Stop and Shop grocery chain has bunches of silvery pussy willow stems for sale at $4.99 per bunch and also bunches of cut forsythia . These two items make wonderful additions to the green palms on the altar behind the cross and in vases on Palm Sunday. This is the weekend to cut your forsythia for forcing. Cut long stems, put in room temperature water and store in the garage or porch by Monday. If the florettes are not opening fast enough by next Wednesday, bring them into the warm house and they should be open for Sunday morning. Home Depot and Walmart have fabulous Majestic palms reasonably priced at the moment- these look great in natural wicker baskets. Our palms arrived from Egan’s yesterday-the new Eco Palms. They are staying wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator. A cool cellar or garage will also do for palm storage. Keep the moisture in by keeping the heavy plastic bags closed tight. This is also a good week for checking your Paschal candle to make sure it is not broken in shipping and that your incense nails are in the shipping box. The annual Easter flower appeal should begin this Sunday in the Sunday bulletin, with envelopes or donation forms in handy places around the church hall and at the back of the church. Remember, Easter flowers may not only be memorials, but may be given in honor of someone, or in thanksgiving for blessings received. In some parishes the Paschal candle may be sponsored by a church group or individuals. Orders for flowers and potted plants should be given to nurseries and florists as soon as possible to guarantee receiving the best service, delivery and quality plants and flowers.
As each parish must make arrangements according to its worship space, each Garden of Repose will be unique. Still, we can all aim for a beautiful and meditative place where care and thought have gone into creating a haven for contemplation. Sadly, few photographs exist of Maundy chapels. I have seen everything from paving stones, fountains, beach glass and sand, shells, pebbles,elaborate canopies, and even a live canary in a small wicker cage hidden in the greenery with tiny, realistic silk butterflies perched on shrubberies. That which evokes nature seems most successful. Adequate seating, some reading material relevant to the day, and candlelight are all important. I have always used a linen cloth to fit the altar top over the fair linen which will catch wax from dripping candles and falling flowerets and leaves. It is a great precaution to take in protecting the fair linen. It is good to remember that the priest and procession must be able to get into the space during the transfer of the sacrament. Common sense is always a useful commodity in all endeavors in church decoration. Please share photographs of YOUR Garden of Repose this year.
