South African vestments at General Convention

Among our array of vestments for altar and priest is the South African set, made by Gail Mzimela’s sister, Margaret deCosta, out of Kente cloth that Gail brought back from South Africa.

And just about the time we were using these vestments for the South African Freedom Day Eucharist on April 30, a letter came to Rebecca informing her that they had been chosen to be part of the Unity in Diversity exhibit at General Convention. Perfect timing! At the South African Eucharist (you remember – the one with the drums), the altar was decked out in Kente cloth and Sipo wore the colorful chasuble. And then Rebecca quickly packed it all up for UPS to cart off to Columbus, Ohio.

The Unity in Diversity exhibit is sponsored by the National Altar Guild Association, which will be meeting in Columbus at the same time as General Convention – June 14-20.

I guess we could think of all our vestments – from Advent blue to festive red, from the now-mothballed Peacock set to the new Jubilee – as our own rainbow of colors symbolizing St. Bartholomew’s ever-sought-after goal of true inclusivity. And our annual South African Freedom Day Eucharist seems a manifestation of that inclusivity. ~John Y