"The existence of everything comes from Divine Beauty."
- St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church
- St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church
Mission Statement
After the example of Mary, Mother of the Eternal High Priest, Mater Cleri exercises an apostolate of evangelization
through beauty and spiritual maternity for priests through providing dignified, beautiful and reverential vestments and liturgical goods
for the magnification of Jesus Christ through the service of His priests and the Church’s holy liturgies.
through beauty and spiritual maternity for priests through providing dignified, beautiful and reverential vestments and liturgical goods
for the magnification of Jesus Christ through the service of His priests and the Church’s holy liturgies.
Philosophy
Mater Cleri is built, after the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary, upon the two pillars of beauty and spiritual maternity for priests. In the first: it is the desire of our Holy Mother, the Church, that her ceremonies and liturgies reflect, insomuch as possible, the heavenly liturgy; as well as to dispose the faithful and the celebrating clergy to enter into the mystery of the Life, Death and Resurrection of Christ as much as possible. It is this which forms the foundation of our work of evangelization through beauty. On the second point of spiritual maternity: confiding every work to the maternal care of the Mother of the Eternal High Priest, Mater Cleri seeks to exercise spiritual maternity for the sacred priesthood in serving Christ’s priests by providing vestments worthy of the liturgy, and the high office to which Christ’s priests are called.
The Creator
Based out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Mater Cleri produces bespoke vestments and other liturgical goods.
My name is Katie Richard, the owner and creator of Mater Cleri, and I seek through this work to show forth the beauty, goodness and truth of God through the service of His Church, particularly by offering my skills as a seamstress, embroiderer and designer at the service of the liturgy and Christ’s holy priesthood. I believe that true beauty breaks through all barriers, and guides the heart to love of goodness, recognition of truth, and ultimately to the One Who Is beauty, goodness and truth itself.
I love working with priests to customize exactly what they want–giving them options of all possible available materials to create a beautiful vestment. Combining this with their personal devotions serves to create a vestment worthy of Christ’s priesthood which also expresses the uniqueness of their individuality as a beloved Son of Almighty God, called to serve Christ in the ministerial priesthood.
Inspired by the Marian Consecration spirituality of To Jesus Through Mary, I take a personal motto and rule of life Pro Christum Sacerdotem per Mariam - For Christ the Priest through Mary.
My name is Katie Richard, the owner and creator of Mater Cleri, and I seek through this work to show forth the beauty, goodness and truth of God through the service of His Church, particularly by offering my skills as a seamstress, embroiderer and designer at the service of the liturgy and Christ’s holy priesthood. I believe that true beauty breaks through all barriers, and guides the heart to love of goodness, recognition of truth, and ultimately to the One Who Is beauty, goodness and truth itself.
I love working with priests to customize exactly what they want–giving them options of all possible available materials to create a beautiful vestment. Combining this with their personal devotions serves to create a vestment worthy of Christ’s priesthood which also expresses the uniqueness of their individuality as a beloved Son of Almighty God, called to serve Christ in the ministerial priesthood.
Inspired by the Marian Consecration spirituality of To Jesus Through Mary, I take a personal motto and rule of life Pro Christum Sacerdotem per Mariam - For Christ the Priest through Mary.
The Work
The end of Mater Cleri’s mission is to magnify Jesus Christ through the beautification and restoration of the sacred in the liturgy; as well as to emphasize, through beautiful vestments and adornments for the church building and the Church’s ministers, the goodness of the Church and the dignity of her ministers. To this end, Mater Cleri uses high quality materials to make beautiful products for the service of the liturgy. Items are made with the greatest care, and attention paid to the smallest details in order to make of every product a meditation on the beauty of the One Who is Beauty itself.
In order to be at the service of showing forth the dignity of the priesthood and the beauty and sacrality of the liturgies and ceremonies of the Church, Mater Cleri offers full vestment sets as well as individual pieces including stoles, maniples, chalice veils, burses, and palls. Additionally Mater Cleri offers custom maniturgiums. All items are custom-made to order.
In order to be at the service of showing forth the dignity of the priesthood and the beauty and sacrality of the liturgies and ceremonies of the Church, Mater Cleri offers full vestment sets as well as individual pieces including stoles, maniples, chalice veils, burses, and palls. Additionally Mater Cleri offers custom maniturgiums. All items are custom-made to order.
The Heraldry
The Anchor - St. Philomena: Wonderworker, Friend and Protectress of Priests
The anchor is depicted in honor of St. Philomena. The anchor, a mark of St. Philomena’s martyrdom, is also a symbol of hope in Christ and His holy Mother. The anchor, therefore, represents the persevering hope of all who seek to restore beauty and sacrality in the liturgies, ceremonies and adornments of our Holy Faith and its expression.
St. Philomena was the special heavenly friend of the patron saint of parish priests: the famous Curé d'Ars, St. John Marie Vianney. St. Philomena was everything to this humble priest. To her he credited every miracle and through her intercession he was himself miraculously cured. The love St. John Vianney has for St. Philomena is most tangibly expressed in the Shrine at Ars, where the architecture speaks more of her than of him. St. Philomena returned the affection of the Curé in every way, as expressed in great part by her tender attention to his intercessions. It is with this love, the love St. Philomena had for the Curé, that every vestment and linen is made for the priest. Behind every priest there is a powerful intercessor, praying for his spiritual protection, his zeal, constancy, perseverance, chastity, and growth in divine love. Every design, cut, and stitch is made as an act of love for the priest.
The “M” - Our Lady: Queen of the Clergy and Mother of the Eternal High Priest
The Marian “M”, a classic image to invoke the intercession of the Mother of God, the Mother of the Eternal High Priest and all priests. The "M", is linked with the anchor to show that our hope in Christ is intimately linked with our confidence in the Queen of Heaven, His Mother and ours.
Following the pattern of St. Louis Marie de Montfort’s total consecration of all that one is and has to the Virgin Mary, this company and all its endeavors are given trustingly into the hands of Mary, Mother of Priests. Both the outcome of our labors and the sanctification of our priests, we entrust to this best of mothers - Pro Christum Sacerdotem per Mariam
The anchor is depicted in honor of St. Philomena. The anchor, a mark of St. Philomena’s martyrdom, is also a symbol of hope in Christ and His holy Mother. The anchor, therefore, represents the persevering hope of all who seek to restore beauty and sacrality in the liturgies, ceremonies and adornments of our Holy Faith and its expression.
St. Philomena was the special heavenly friend of the patron saint of parish priests: the famous Curé d'Ars, St. John Marie Vianney. St. Philomena was everything to this humble priest. To her he credited every miracle and through her intercession he was himself miraculously cured. The love St. John Vianney has for St. Philomena is most tangibly expressed in the Shrine at Ars, where the architecture speaks more of her than of him. St. Philomena returned the affection of the Curé in every way, as expressed in great part by her tender attention to his intercessions. It is with this love, the love St. Philomena had for the Curé, that every vestment and linen is made for the priest. Behind every priest there is a powerful intercessor, praying for his spiritual protection, his zeal, constancy, perseverance, chastity, and growth in divine love. Every design, cut, and stitch is made as an act of love for the priest.
The “M” - Our Lady: Queen of the Clergy and Mother of the Eternal High Priest
The Marian “M”, a classic image to invoke the intercession of the Mother of God, the Mother of the Eternal High Priest and all priests. The "M", is linked with the anchor to show that our hope in Christ is intimately linked with our confidence in the Queen of Heaven, His Mother and ours.
Following the pattern of St. Louis Marie de Montfort’s total consecration of all that one is and has to the Virgin Mary, this company and all its endeavors are given trustingly into the hands of Mary, Mother of Priests. Both the outcome of our labors and the sanctification of our priests, we entrust to this best of mothers - Pro Christum Sacerdotem per Mariam
The priest continues the work of redemption on earth. If we really understood the priest on earth, we'd die not of fright, but of love. The Priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus." - St. John Marie Vianney
