Father Augustine Zenzel SDB: 60th Anniversary of Ordination

Firstly, as a spiritual gift, we presented to Father Augustine 208 prayers of the Holy Rosary, which were prayed for his intentions by the parishioners of our community, members of the Society, as well as priests and laity from Moscow and other cities and countries on his patron saint’s day St. Augustine of Canterbury, May 28. These prayers were collected both personally, before the Mass, and through our newsletter The Russian Traditional Bulletin (you can subscribe here). Our partners, Una Voce Russia, also joined this promotion.

And secondly, the material component of the gift was a complete set of gold vestments, which was independently sewn by our server, artist and restorer, Dmitry Sukhoverkov. The full set of vestments included a traditional Roman ornate (of 6 parts), pluvial and tabernacle curtains. For the decor of the golden tabernacle curtains, a pattern of Italian fabrics from the 15th century was borrowed. The pluvial and some details of the ornate are also decorated with a pattern of Italian origin, but of the 17th century. In preparing this Feast day set, we tried to ensure that his artistic style follows the majestic beauty of the Mass of All Time. Therefore, it was very important to turn to the centuries-old legacy of European art, tightly connected with Western Catholic tradition.

From the day after his ordination according to the traditional rite, Father Augustine retained a white ornate, and now, after 60 years, we have handed over the golden vestments with joy and gratitude for his selfless service. Father Augustine is an example of a true good shepherd. Despite the many responsibilities in the parish, he works hard for the benefit of our community and the Mass, and he is also always sensitive and attentive to every person.

God bless him!