High school students create liturgical clothes

An unprecedented educational and spiritual project at the heart of Notre-Dame

These ornaments – we say “paramentical” for religious clothes – were imagined, created, then manufactured by the students of the private vocational and technological high school Albert de Mun, in Paris and his school of styling, Ecamod.

“At the start,” explains its director Patrice Hauchard, in 2022, we proposed the idea to the rector, Mgr Ribadeau-Dumas, who really liked this project where young people had to discover and be interested in this type of clothing. Then very free workshops, bringing together large groups made it possible to bring out all kinds of ideas.

The rector came to comment on the projects and specify the choices of the clergy. The choice was therefore gradually tightened on this elegant ensemble in wool sheet, where embroidery add a touch of modernity.

A complete set (screed, chasuble, stolen and miter) was made for the archbishop, twelve chasubles and twelve stoles on the different pattern will take the priests, while two dalmatic (tunic) with their stoles are provided for the two deacons which frames the archbishop.

From design to mass: 250 students mobilized to enhance the liturgy

Students were supported in their work by professionals and in particular the Alexandra Latour workshop with regard to the different types of embroidery, including pearls that have been applied to chasubles. By the way, they had to immerse themselves in research on the history of liturgical clothes, on the symbolism of colors and understand, for example, at Easter and other major Christian festivals, the celebrants are dressed in white.

This project has opened many questions in some students, many of whom are not Catholics, or even believers, “on the meaning of their work, on religion, spirituality, rites …”, testifies the person responsible for the pastoral of high school. “I even see a convergence between this project which highlights the know-how and the fact that we are going to baptize eight adults and four adolescents this year,” concludes Father Guillaume Normand, vice-rector of the cathedral: in both cases, it is a question of trusting youth, the transmission of values. And two hundred and fifty students from Albert de Mun will be present at Easter Mass to see their achievements take full meaning.