Why is the stole worn under the chasuble?

Someone asked me in a course about this, as sometimes priests wear the stole outside the chasuble. Is this incorrect? Why must it be worn under?

I shared the joke that a priest friend told me that wearing the stole on the outside of the chasuble is like wearing your underwear outside your pants, but last weekend I learned a better reason.

The priest who was teaching his congregation about vesting prayers and the vestments taught that the stole represents the authority of the priest/bishop. The chasuble is final garment donned and is worn only at Eucharistic celebrations. The chasuble represents LOVE. Over all of these things (and especially the exercise of authority represented by the stole), we "put on love" (cf: Colossians 3:4). The deacon wears the stole over his shoulder (like a waiter with a towel on his shoulder) to represent his service.

This does not mean that you need to change your album page, but for your information!

So there you go!

Practical Life

Several friends have completed their 3-6 Montessori training and I'm told that practical life takes up about a week of their formation program. Since we barely have a full day of practical life background and examples in a Level I course, it is definitely a place to spend more time learning how to do it well in your atrium.

I found this playlist that gives some good examples. We don't need to be Montessorians, of course, but I think that a catechist with a good grasp of this area of formation has better tools to meet the needs of various children and leads to happier and more peaceful children in our atria.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7n8-uJamB0e14qzv0Fil_xT4Jeo2IARp

A catechist told me recently that the children were "done" with practical life by January, but she found that the children were restless in her atrium. Remember that practical life needs to grow with the children (so take it out when they are just "playing" and not working. It shows they've grown out of it!) Especially if you have a 2 hour atrium session, you will need more advanced practical life to help the children shift and reset after a preliminary work period. 

Keeping You Posted!

I've been thinking for a while now about starting a newsletter of sorts to keep you all updated on CGS happenings and continued developments in my own understanding of CGS (read: to correct stuff I may have told you wrong!) Then I realized that a blog might be the easiest way to answer questions quickly, organize them by labels so that you can find answers you need again, and be accessible to everyone (not just those on Facebook!)

So! Here's my go at it! I'm excited to find a way to keep in touch with you all. I am starting a FB page, too, called Forever in Formation and you can ask questions there. I told you that I am your formation leader forever and that I will always be there for you. I hope this will help me keep that promise!