Preposterous Priest

The good Fr.Z first claims to walk on water, and the he claims that the biretta in this photograph is photo-shopped, then he claims here that the splendid ferriauolo in which I am pictured is ‘borrowed’!

This bird loving priest is a preposterous popinjay! It is obvious that his claim that I am wearing a borrowed ferraiuolo is absurd. Given the present state of the Catholic Church in the USA, what clerical garment would be more difficult to borrow than a ferraiuolo? Borrow a dralon day-glo chasuble by all means. Borrow an overlay polyester stole with amateur emroidery of rainbows and grapes yes, yes, yes! Borrow a cassock alb that looks like an overblown pillowcase? Of course. Borrow a mis-shapen polyester alb with velcro fasteners! No problem. Borrow a sheer, flowing robe with ephemeral sleeves for liturgical dance? They’re in every vestry cupboard.

But to borrow a genuine, tailor made ferraiuolo? This would be akin to borrowing some great and treasured family heirloom. They are as rare as maniples and tunicles. Even if you could find such a thing the priest who owns it would not let it out of his sight.

I’m sorry. The claim is simply too incredible to countenance.

PS: My step by step recipe for a lamb rogan gosht will be posted next week, along with instructions on how to plant and grow your own Indian herb garden…