A Visit to the Rectory of Vancouver Cathedral

On a trip last fall to give lectures in Vancouver, I was kindly hosted by the staff of the rectory of the cathedral. During my stay, I took a few photos of some items that will be of interest to many readers of NLM. First, the rectory from the street:

In the hallway at the top of the stairs on the way to the small private chapel is found a rather beautiful alcove with a statue of the Sacred Heart (click to enlarge any image):

The small chapel itself is well appointed for the offering of the traditional Mass, a regular occurrence there:

A parlor nearby features one of the finest statues I’ve ever seen of St. Peter Julian Eymard:

Hanging on the wall, a portrait of Christ, with the inscription “I desire mercy.”

Next, several items of papal memorabilia. First, a skullcap that belonged to Blessed Pius IX, with a letter from Cardinal Mercier testifying to its origin:

A signed portrait of St. Pius X:

The priest with whom I was staying had the privilege of receiving, from a now-deceased collector, a chasuble that belonged to and was worn by St. Pius X. He had the gold threadwork on the chasuble completely repaired by an expert in Italy, and occasionally wears it for Holy Mass:

Worn at a low Mass:

A charming illustration and caption from The Illustrated London News of October 12, 1907:

Here is a rabat or clerical collar that belonged to Cardinal Merry del Val, Pius X’s Secretary of State, famous for the Litany of Humility. (Roberto de Mattei has just published a biography of him, incidentally.)

Moving to Pius X’s successor, hanging on the downstairs wall is a letter from Pius XI to Archbishop William Duke (1879-1971, r. 1931-1964):

Other miscellaneous items in a cabinet in the rectory, including an Ethiopian blessing cross:

A crucifix sometimes used for the veneration on Good Friday, with its stand:

Another gorgeous old chasuble:

Detail from a chasuble for the feast of Christ the King:

A beautiful altar missal from 1912, in pristine condition:

An exquisite set of altar cards from the cathedral sacristy (and still in use, thankfully):

In the same sacristy, high on a cabinet, stood a set of requiem candlesticks and crucifix (that is, in silver rather than gold), with special altar cards for the requiem Mass. These, too, are used in November.

Finally, some exceptional first-class relics kept in the rectory and venerated on appropriate occasions:

From a vertebra of St John Vianney

Blood of St. Philip Neri

St. Benedict, Abbot

Read more of Dr. Kwasniewski’s writing at Tradition & Sanity on Pelican+, and visit his personal website, his composer page, or Os Justi Press.