In a church steeped in history and symbolism, it should come as no surprise that church vestments often tell a story. The garments on these pages have been skilfully crafted to represent clergy's past and present, a Scriptural passage or the world beyond the doors of the church. Maple leaves, mountains, tongues of fire, Celtic knots, even NoahÂ?s Ark Â? these are just a sampling of the dozens of submissions sent in by Anglican Journal readers after we asked Â?Tell us about your favourite vestments.Â?

The blue of the vast Canadian sky is the background for the design of the Canada vestments worn by the primate, Archbishop Michael Peers. The stole is decorated with the 12 provincial and territorial flowers. The cope bears the eastern and western oceans at its base, the forests and mountains at its sides, the prairie fields on hood and orphreys, and the aurora borealis on the back. The clasp displays maple leaves. The mitre bears on the front the cross, red (from the church's coat of arms), Winchester shape for the work of women, with green maple leaves of the coat of arms, four for the ecclesiastical provinces and one for the General Synod; on the back of the mitre is an eagle in the Mohawk tradition. The vestments were made in 1997 by Betty McLeod, artist in residence at St. Paul's Cathedral, London, Ont., as a celebration of the place in which God has placed us. Ms. McLeod was 79 when she crafted the vestments.

Rev. David Mullin wears a red and white Celtic stole in front of Holy Trinity Church, Hawkesbury, Ont. The stole was woven for him by Catherine Barr to thank him for the care he gave her mother while she was dying. The Celtic design was inspired by a trip to Durham Cathedral, where Ms. Barr took her mother not long before she died. - Photo by Catherine Barr

Rev. David Mullin's red and white Celtic design stole and matching fall for the pulpit, pictured here at Holy Trinity Church, Hawkesbury, Ont., were made for him by Catherine Barr to thank him for the care he gave her mother while she was dying. -- Photo by Catherine Barr

This Celtic stole was created using a wool base and raw silk accents. The rising sun is a common symbol in celtic iconography. The promise of a rising sun reminds us of the cyclical nature of our lives while inspiring us with new hope at the beginning of each new day. The base liturgical colours of white and gold integrate classic liturgical design (colours for the Eucharist and other festivals) with a contemporary understanding. -- Ann Turner, The River Collective

The blue advent stole was designed and crafted by Diana Scott of Guelph, Ont. The dark blue represents the night sky. The star and cresent moon are symbols of Mary, mother of Jesus, as well as the infinite nature of God's creation. The light fabric above the moon and stars represents moonlight and starlight, signaling the coming light of Christ -- Rev. Amy Cousineau

This stole was designed and crafted by the artisans of the River Collective of Oakville, Ont. It represents the wonder and beauty of God's creation. The birds are hand painted onto silk. The cardinal is beautiful to look at and to hear. - Rev. Amy Cousineau

My favourite vestment has to do with a special friend. Robert Okine was a student studying at Huron College. He is now primate of West Africa. This photo was taken when Robert and I shared a wedding in St. Luke's (Broughdale). -- Rev. Bill Craven

"I wanted to get a cope and mitre made that would include all the elements of the landscape of the diocese of Kelowna – the mountains, rivers, the brown earth and the snow. The blue band around the base represents the ocean. The cope is cotton twill, silk screened and with printing ink, with overlaid layers of ink – in some cases eight or ten layers." -- Archbishop David Crawley

Close up detail of the back of the mitre -- Archbishop David Crawley

Full back view -- Archbishop David Crawley

The Banner Guild of St. Martin's-in-the-Woods, Shediac Cape, N.B., made a cope for our rector, Archdeacon Malcolm D. Berry, when he was made Archdeacon of Moncton. The design was based on the description of a vestment made for Aaron in Old Testament days and features bells and pomegranates. The cord used for the stems of these items curls around like a fiddlehead (representing a special New Brunswick delicacy) at each shoulder. The red velvet used in the front panels is the same fabric that was used for the back hood (these days represented by the shape of a shield) and the leaves on the front panel are green. The seeds inside the pomegranates are tiny black beads. The pomegranates, leaves and bells were appliquéd onto the velvet panels as was the design on the hood. The cope is lined with gold satin. --Eileen Gallant

"My husband, Rev. Raymond Hutchinson, had a beautiful set of festal

vestments – cream satin with an orphrey of multi-coloured Victorian

embroidery – which he always wore on special celebratory occasions. The

original satin came from my wedding-dress. I wore it when we were married

in June 1961 and my sister-in-law wore it when she married my brother in

April 1964. At that time we had a friend who was a member of the Guild of

Embroiderers in the diocese of Oxford and she converted the dress into

these gorgeous vestments. So when my sister was married in August 1969 it

was Ray who wore the dress, in its new form, to celebrate the nuptial

eucharist!

Sadly Ray died last summer – he took ill just after General Synod and was

in and out of hospital for more than a year. So we buried him in the

festal vestments – I told him we would a few days before he died and he was

evidently very pleased. I don't think I have a photograph of him wearing

them."

– Elizabeth Hutchinson

Back view of Archdeacon Malcolm Berry's cope. -- Eileen Gallant

Created by Cynthia Simonds of Newcastle, Maine, this stole contains all the colors of the church year blended into each other with the skill of a fine artist. People compare the intricate work to quilting or stain glass. To stop the stole from tangling in the wheels of the owner's wheelchair, there are strips of removable velcro which fasten to the back of the stole and matching strips on the alb. -- Rev. Jim Golding, Saint John N.B.

This stole was created by Gwen Perkins, a family friend, for her husband, Rev. Handley Perkins of Ajax, Ont. It was passed on to me upon his death. -- Rev. Michael Holman, Salmon Arm, B.C.

"My 'ordination buddy' and I were fortunate enough to be able to borrow these dalmatics from St. John's Abbey in Collegeville, MN, for our ordination to the diaconate at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in Minneapolis last October. The set, known 'at home as 'the red dragon,' was made in Germany -- I don't know how long ago, but I'm told the chasuble is a fiddleback, so they must be of a certain age. Both of us felt we'll never look that good again!" -- Rev. Linda Maloney

"During the fall of 1998 Lakefield College School welcomed ecclesiastical fabric artist Eleanor Laurie Richardson as an artist-in-residence. Her primary responsibility was to create the Lakefield College School Cope with the assistance of some of our senior students. This cope depicts the lovely changing seasons we experience at the school and images of the sunset at our waterfront. It is hand crafted in silk and bears our school colours red, white and green. This cope is especially meaningful because our students were involved in creating a beautiful piece of work, while getting to know one of our nations premier fabric artists." -- John Runza, Chaplain, Lakefield College School

"The design and embroidery work of the passion flower was done by our Sister Joanna, SSJD, for use in the St. John's Convent Chapel. It has been in continual use for Lent since the early 60's." -- Sr. Elizabeth Ann Eckert, Sisters of St. John the Divine

An altar frontal showing the Virgin and Child on gold cloth utilizing much gold thread. This piece is over 100 years old, worked on by some of the Sisterhood's earliest sisters. This altar frontal now adorns the altar in the Lady Chapel at St. John's Convent which is used for quiet meditation and spiritual direction. -- Sr. Elizabeth Ann Eckert, Sisters of St. John the Divine

Canon Keith Whittingham (seen here with children from Vacation Bible School) wears the Sarnum Red Cope. -- St. Barnabas, St. Catharines, Ont.

Chasuble – St. Barnabas, St. Catharines, Ont.

Advent cope – St. Barnabas, St. Catharines, Ont.

White chasuble for Low Mass -- St. Barnabas, St. Catharines, Ont.

Canon David Blackwell at St. Lukes, Hamilton, Ont. -- Courtesy, St. Barnabas, St. Catharines, Ont.

I had been a deacon at St. Peter's, Calgary, and upon my ordination to the priesthood, I left there to become the incumbent at St. George's-in-the-Pines, Banff. Mandy (Gravells) created a beautiful overlay stole for me, depicting the Canadian Rockies and screen printed using fabric paint. -- Rev. Carmen Stansbury, Calgary, Alta.

(Created by Mandy Gravells) When I returned from Colorado to St. Peter's, Calgary, I stayed a year with Bishop Gary Woolsey as rector. I was then called to be rector at St. Paul's, Calgary. My farewell gift from St. Peter's was a wonderful Noah's Ark scapular which, as Bishop Gary has said, has within it at least 1,000 children?s stories. Mandy hand painted it with fabric reactive dyes. The young and young-at-heart love it as well -- every last monkey and aardvark. -- Rev. Carmen Stansberry, Calgary, Alta.

My favourite stole shows 12 angels with various instruments, based on Psalm 150. It was created by my wife, Jette, and comes from a cross-stitch design in Danish Flower Thread by Ida Winckler. The postures of the angels are based on a frontal dating from the 1300s and displayed in Winchester Cathedral, U.K. In this stole, both figure and background are cross-stitched on fine linen with 27 threads per inch, making over 250,000 stitches on the stole. It is used on high feasts and holidays, weddings, and funerals, and never ceases to draw admiring comments. -- Canon William C. Thomas, diocese of Niagara

Closeup of one angel on stole -- submitted by Canon William C. Thomas

Treasured vestments belonging to Trinity Memorial Church, Montreal. -- Kyren Skinner

Treasured vestments belonging to Trinity Memorial Church, Montreal. -- Kyren Skinner

My favorite vestment is the stole that was made for me when I was priested by Bishop Christopher Williams, then diocesan bishop of the Arctic, on Feb. 11,2001, in St. David's Church, Ft.Simpson, NWT. During the Consecration of the Priest, the stole was presented to me by the members of my congregation at the vesting according to the order of priest. It is a beautiful green felt stole decorated in gold beading. The beading work goes the full length of the stole on both sides with strings of gold beads hanging from the ends. The front design just below the shoulders is of a cross representing the cross of Christ and the cross we are all called to pick up in following Jesus. There are tears drops all around the cross representing the many emotional tears I shed leading up to my ordination. All the beads represent tears of joy, love, the waters of baptism and cleansing. This beautiful piece of work was designed and made by wonderful kind and loving Dena women, one of whom is paralyzed and has only one hand to work with. By tucking material under the elbow of her paralyzed arm she is able to sew and bead with the other. It was for me the greatest honour of my life to be presented with such a piece of work and even more greater honour to give communion to that woman on the day. I became to the congregation "Zhahtia" which means "the minister" in Slavey, the language of the Dena people. -- Rev. Carol Vatcher

To celebrate my 50th birthday, my family commissioned Mandy Gravells of St. Peter's, Calgary, to create a stole for me which would represent the ministries and people with whom I have had the privilege of serving since my ordination to the diaconate and priesthood in 1967. Around the neck are colours to represent the northern lights. The eagle represents the strength of the Lord (Isaiah 40:30-31), and also symbolizes the gift of love and friendship of native people in the dioceses of Keewatin, Athabasca and Calgary where I served as a priest-pilot. The sky, mountains, forest and water bring to mind the creation scenes in Northern Ontario, Northern Manitoba and Alberta. The beauty of God's creation is a constant reminder that God is all powerful and the author of this wonderful world and that we need to pause and be mindful of the gift of creation to all people. -- Bishop Gary Woolsey, (ret.)

Rev. K. Exham (in a photo taken at Christmas, 1966) wears a chasuble made by the women of Old Crow, Whitehorse, Yukon. The garment was made from two caribou hides (needed because the priest was six feet, five inches tall) and decorated front and back with 4-inch-wide bands of tiny red and gold beads which were sewn onto pieces of felt and then attached with a tiny stitch between every 2 beads. -- Old Log Church Museum, Whitehorse.

Back view of the chasuble, which is now the property of the Old Log Church Museum in Whitehorse, Yukon

Bishop Don Phillips of the diocese of Rupert's Land wears a stole made by his mother-in-law, Lois Stewart. The stole shows a representation of praire wheat. -- Photo courtesy of Irv Kroeker.

This cope, designed for Ralph Spence, Bishop of Niagara, bears the diocesan coat of arms. The landscape shows the Niagara escarpment with an embroidered grape vine. The back features a gold cross and sunburst. -- Ann Turner, The River Collective

Created by Laurie Richardson, this chasuble belongs to Rev. Judy Walton of All Saints, Collingwood, Ont. The vestment is made of two tone white and cream silk. Surrounding the bottom of the chasuble are red, pink and blue tongues of fire with white doves made of cotton. -- Rev. Judy Walton