Inside the Vestry – The Liturgical Vestments

Handwoven silk vestments designed by Katreen Bettencourt

Charles Shipley takes the large ring of keys off the clip on his belt, deftly selects one, and turns it in the lock of the ornately carved door. We are entering the Vestry, which Charles, the Assistant Verger, describes as “the Green Room” for the services at the cathedral. All of the different robes and vestments for the clergy and participants, are kept in closets and cabinets that line the room. He leads me over to a plain, dark wood set of drawers, pulls out a vibrant mass of coral and magenta, and lays it out on the table.

“These vestments are incredible. We received them recently from a parish church in Kansas City. They were made by a famous textile artist, named Katreen Bettencourt, who lived in San Francisco, and they’re handwoven silk.” (Ms. Bettencourt designed the vestments for Pope John Paul II’s visit to San Francisco in 1987.)

Charles then opens a closet where robes are hung. He pulls a deep blue piece that shimmers in the light.

“Something that people never see is right here,” he says as he lifts the hood up. He exposes an ornately quilted and embroidered dedication on the underside of the hood, a signature touch by designer Anna Crossley.

There are some pieces that are worn more often than others. Some are thirty years old and are affectionately referred to as “the 1970’s flower power robes”—that are stunning works of textile art, even though they've gone out of fashion. Still, the impact of seeing one vibrant robe after another during the Sunday morning procession is a glorious sight to behold. The wide array of exquisite vestments in the collection help to make the services at Grace Cathedral very special events.

Next time: In the Sacristy

Storage drawers within the Vestry

Inside the hood of a robe designed by Anna Crossley