Check Under the Hood

In the serene world of monastic life where tradition and ritual weave the fabric of daily existence, every vestment and habit holds profound significance . Within this context we joyfully introduce our exquisitely hand-crafted Monastic Amice, meticulously tailored to meet the unique liturgical needs of monks and religious priests. Like most of our handmade products, the development of our Monastic Amice came through a customer request and we were delighted to oblige.  There is not a huge demand for monastic amices out there but, until now, it was nearly impossible to find one. We had been in conversation for a nearly a year with a friend, who happens to be a Benedictine priest, about making a pattern from a monastic amice he particularly likes. He was generous enough to send his amice so we could reverse engineer the design and adjust it to our specifications. Happily it all worked out perfectly and hopefully this will make it easier for monks and religious priests to find what they need.

Designed to cover both the shoulders and the cowl (hood), our Monastic Amice offers a comfortable and traditional fit, ensuring ease of movement. Each Via Providence monastic amice is crafted by hand using 100% linen fabric.

ABOUT THE MONASTIC AMICE: Monks and certain religious priests require an amice that not only covers their chest and shoulders but also their cowl (hood). It is made (preferably) with linen and is worn with the purpose of covering the top of his religious habit, including his hood. An amice is a vital part of the Armor of God (Eph. 6.). Though a simple piece of white cloth it represents the Helmet of Salvation. And, like any helmet when engaging in battle, the amice is essential in the spiritual battle a priest must face when approaching the altar to say Holy Mass. Before the priest places the amice on he recites the following vesting prayer:  Latin: Impone, Domine, capiti meo galeam salutis, ad expugnandos diabolicos incursus.  English: Place, O Lord, upon my head the helmet of salvation, that I may repel the assaults of the enemy.