Powder Blue

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking they've excelled themselves with this one. And you'd be right. We've revisited the biretta of the Superior of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, with a watered silk outer and silk lining, but topped with the extraordinary plumage of a Gamarelli silk pom-pom. Sometimes when all the sisters are asleep, we like to sit, quietly, just marvelling at it.

Best be going. Mother Prioress has hired in a pre-lenten devotional coach who used to be a chaplain to the Royal Marines. She's stood at the door brandishing the convent's arctic fire hose and claims she can smell pride in here...

It’s been a while…

…has it not, dear readers? Our sincere apologies for frankly being a bit slapdash with our blog entries, we hope this delightful royal blue watered silk biretta will make up for it. It is worn by some Episcopalian Clergy in the United States in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

We’d say get your orders in for Candlemass now, but we shan’t for fear of the excoriating anathemas of Mother Prioress, denouncing us as she is wont to do as usurers and simonists of the worst sort. 

Indigo

Ahoy! We have wantonly leapt, as sometimes we wickedly do, from the Barque of St Peter, to swim the tepid waters of religious esoterica, and present to you the aptly blue hat of the Aquarian Catholic Community (made in this instance for an Archdeacon). Nautical but nice for some, but we had better scarper as Mother Prioress is gaining on us fast and she’s got her best fishing rod out...

Blue Murder

Please excuse the rather dramatic headline for this one, but we couldn’t resist. A completely blue biretta struck us as taking things to the extreme, literally getting away with blue murder, and naturally we say this not with horror and disdain but in fact our sincerest and heartfelt approbation. As you can no doubt see, it is watered silk and completely blue all over. It has a distant cousin in West London somewhere, of which more later, but in this instance it is the biretta of the superior of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, a society which we admire greatly.

Blue Blood

Back we go, to the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. Here we present the biretta of a Monsignor of that Society, piped and lined in sky blue with a sky blue tassel.

Blue Monday

A brief sojourn into Anglican Waters and we find this example, a simple biretta similar to the ICKSP Biretta previously shown, save for its black watered silk outer. It belongs to the superior of the College of Our Lady of Hanworth, West London, to be worn on occasions of mourning, and feasts and Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary during Lent and Advent.

Mother superior has just looked at us askance with the cautionary words that lying is a grievous sin. So ok, we made up the things about mourning and Lent. We were only speculating, but we’ve a run of OLH Birettas coming up and frankly it’s the best explanation we or any of the sisters can manage for this modest example (it was an early prototype).

Sky Blue Thinking

So here we proudly give you the Biretta of the priest of the Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest. A blue lined standard black biretta with a sky-blue pompom and matching lining.

The ICKSP in their own words:

“The Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest is a Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right whose goal is the honor of God and the sanctification of priests in the service of the Church and souls. Its specific aim is missionary: to spread the reign of our Lord Jesus Christ in all spheres of human life. Our work is carried out under the patronage of the Immaculate Conception, to Whom the Institute is consecrated.”

Which basically means that whilst about the Lord’s work in His Vineyard, they also get to set their own rules about what colour hat they wear whilst they do it; naturally, we approve.

More soberly, information regarding the excellent work of this august society can be found here:

http://www.institute-christ-king.org/home/