Advent First Vespers

Fr. Gonzales at Overheard in the Sacristy posted this picture of the Holy Father at Advent First Vespers. It is a beautiful photo of the Holy Father with his new ferula (Pastoral Staff).



Description:

On the front side of the new ferula is depicted in the centre the Lamb of God, and on the four points of the cross, the symbols of the four Evangelists. The arms of the cross are decorated in a net-like pattern which evokes the fisherman whose successor Pope Benedict is. On the backside there is in the centre the Chi-Rho, the monogram of Christ, and on the four points of the cross, four Fathers of Occident and Orient, Augustine and Ambrose, Athanasius and John Chrysostom, the same who also carry Bernini's cathedra. On the top of the shaft is the coat of arms of Pope Benedict XVI. Source: http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/



Also the mitre that the Holy Father is wearing is form Pope Pius IX. This mitre is referred to as the Immaculate conception mitre.On the front is an image of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and on the back is a image of Jesus the Good Shepherd. For those wondering, on December 8th, 1854 Blessed Pope Pius IX wrote the Apostolic Constitution INEFFABILIS DEUS which defined for us the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception.