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| Photo courtesy of the Home Oratory |
For centuries this practice has been followed. The veiling takes place from the first Vespers of Passion Sunday until the singing of the Gloria during the Easter Vigil. The veiling takes place on the Saturday afternoon before Passion Sunday (the Sunday that proceeds Palm Sunday).
In many parishes, this is usually a designated day when volunteers are asked to come and clean the church and help iron the veils and put them in place.
Crucifixes and other holy images and statues on and near the altar are veiled in violet. This includes images of Our Lady and the saints. Also, the tabernacle is veiled in matching violet material, per usual.
The exception is for the Mass on Holy Thursday, when the color of the veil over the altar cross is changed to white. Also, in some places there is a custom for the Mass of the Presanctified on Good Friday for the color of this same altar cross veil to be black, although this is rarely seen today.
Nuns who taught in parochial schools sometimes explained the tradition in a language that children could understand, stating that Jesus was "hiding" before the resurrection on Easter morning. Actually, this is taken from John 8:59, "But Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple." Indeed, our yearning hearts ache to see Christ when the images are veiled and churches are locked the morning of Good Friday, with tabernacles empty.
Below is the custom of the veiling of images, taken from the book, Matters Liturgical, published in 1956 (pp. 280-281).
"Every crucifix and every other image of Our Lord in a church or oratory, as well as every image of Our Lady and of the Saints on the altars, must be covered with a violet veil from the first Vespers of Passion Sunday until the intoning of the Gloria on Holy Saturday, with the exception of all crucifixes which are unveiled at the Adoration of the Cross on Good Friday; it is not allowed to postpone the veiling until after the Gospel at the solemn Mass on Passion Sunday.
If an image of Our Lady or of a Saint in a church or oratory is not on an altar, its veiling is not strictly prescribed. Hence, a procession with an unveiled image during Passiontide is permissible, provided that the procession is customary; it can also be tolerated to leave a statue of St. Joseph unveiled during the month of March occurring tin Passiontide, provided that the statue is not on an altar. At the same time it is clear from the wording of these concessions that the veiling of all images of Our Lady and of the Saints in a church or oratory during Passiontide is to be considered at least fitting and proper, if not strictly prescribed.
It is permitted to leave the image of the Stations of the Cross unveiled during the whole of Passiontide; this is by way of exception to the law that all images of Our Lord in a church or oratory are to be veiled during this time.
On Holy Thursday the crucifix on the main altar must be veiled in white instead of violet, but only during the Mass. For the Mass of the Pre-sanctified on Good Friday the crucifix on the main altar may be veiled in black instead of violet where this is the usual practice.
The occurrence of the titular feast of a church or the anniversary of its consecration during Passiontide is not in itself a sufficient reason for unveiling any image that should normally be veiled.
If an image cannot conveniently be unveiled at the Gloria on Holy Saturday, this may be postponed until after the services.
During the Devotion of the Forty Hours all sacred pictures and statues on or in the vicinity of the altar of Exposition must be removed if possible or be at least covered with a white veil; but statues of angels for decorative purposes are not included.
Outside the time of the Devotion of the Forty Hours a sacred picture or statue may not be brought out and placed temporarily on an altar to be exposed there together with the Blessed Sacrament. If a sacred picture or state is placed on an altar permanently, it need not be veiled during Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament at the altar unless the Exposition is perpetual; sacred pictures and statues in the vicinity of an altar where the Blessed Sacrament is exposed need not be veiled, especially if they are difficult to reach or if such is not the practice."
Lastly, we laud this venerable custom and thank so many generous priests for helping to keep this tradition alive. It is one custom that children will take with them in their memory for the rest of their lives. It helps to enliven the Faith and guide our hearts to be expectant for Christ when He reveals Himself on Easter Sunday.
To order veils for your parish, Beau Veste makes them, available HERE.
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