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Liturgical Vestments   When vesting for the liturgy, the cleric first washes his hands, praying: Give virtue to my hands, O Lord, that being cleansed from all stain I might serve you with purity of mind and body. Latin version:Da, Domine, virtutem manibus meis ad abstergendum omnem maculam ut sine pollutione mentis et corporis valeam tibi servire.     Then he puts on his:   AmiceSymbol of the helmet of salvationThe amice is a rectangular piece of white linen with two strings at the upper corners which a cleric uses underneath his alb to cover the neck so that the Roman...

Jubilee Medal of St. Benedict  The medal of St. Benedict is a very powerful sacramental with exorcizing properties; the exorcism is written right on it. First a little history: St. Benedict of Nursia, Italy (A.D. 480-543), the twin brother of St. Scholastica, is considered to be the Father of Western monasticism, and his "Rule of St. Benedict" came to be the basis of organization for many religious orders (his own Order has its cradle at Monte Cassino, Italy, about 80 miles South of Rome). At any rate, in order to understand the symbology of the Medal, you must know of...

'Holy Things To The Holy': Sacred Things, Places, and Times Issue: What does the Church call sacred and why? What is the proper use of the sacred? Response: According to the Code of Canon Law (Codex Iuris Canonici [CIC], c. 12-5), a place is said to be sacred if it is designated for divine worship. Such things must be used according to their purpose in divine worship to the exclusion of any common or ordinary usage. Sacred times are those times set apart in which “the astonishing actions of the Savior God” are commemorated in order to give God thanks and...