On the fifth day of Christmas, ARCAT stored for me…

...five golden rings,

Artifacts Special Collection, AF.362, AF.103, AF.354, 2014-004, AF.095

We decided not to get too creative with the lyrics today!

Bishops' rings are considered collective property of the Church. ARCAT stores episcopal rings for the current archbishop, who inherits the previous ordinary's ring collection, in trust, on behalf of the Church. Clockwise from top:

• Cardinal’s ring, belonged to G. Emmett Cardinal Carter.  Crucifixion scene, with the Madonna and St. John depicted at the foot of the Cross.  When a bishop is elevated to the Sacred College of Cardinals, he receives a Cardinal's ring from the Pope, which replaces his Bishop's ring.  All cardinals elevated under the same pontificate receive identical rings; this is the design issued by Pope John Paul II.
• Second Vatican Council ring, given to Most. Rev. Philip Pocock while he was Co-adjutor Archbishop of Toronto. Gift from Pope Paul VI in 1965 to all the prelates who had attended the ecumenical council.  The ring is pointed at the top like a mitre. Depicted are three arched niches: Christ in the centre; St. Peter on the left; St. Paul on the right.
• Episcopal ring, belonged to James Cardinal McGuigan. This large amethyst ring was given to the Cardinal by the Basilian Fathers after he was elevated to the Sacred College of Cardinals in 1946. His coat of arms can be seen on the side, in rose gold.
• Bishop's ring, belonged to Aloysius Cardinal Ambrozic.  The stone is a garnet. Engraved and enameled around the stone are the Greek words "ΚΥΡΙΟΣ ΙΗΣΟΥΣ" meaning Jesus is Lord. This is considered one of the earliest professions of faith in Jesus Christ and was adopted as Cardinal Ambrozic's personal motto. The Latin translation, Jesus est Dominus, appears on his coat of arms.
• Bishop's ring, belonged to Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto, Pearse Lacey, and Bishop Kidd of London before him.  It is unusual because it has a shell cameo of the Madonna rather than a gem stone. We received this ring after Bishop Lacey died in April of this year. The ring's history was described in a previous post.  

four photographs,

three 

two maniples,

and a pen used to vote at Conclave.

Record of the Week: "the famous cameo ring"

Today marks one month since the death of Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus M. Pearse Lacey.  In lieu of a Month's Mind Mass, we offer a story about his episcopal ring:

Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Lacey photographed wearing his episcopal ring
at the 50th anniversary celebration of Transfiguration of Our Lord Parish, Etobicoke, July 2009.
Bishop Lacey was pastor of the parish when it opened.
Photo courtesy of Emanuel Pires for the Archdiocese of Toronto

A Roman Catholic bishop receives an episcopal ring when he is consecrated.  They are typically large, gold, stone-set rings. Aside from those personally purchased or gifted, bishops' rings belong to the Church. The ordinary of a See inherits the previous bishop's ring collection, which is held in trust. A bishop may be buried with a ring that he owned, but all those belonging to the Church must be returned upon his death.

Following the funeral of Most. Rev. Lacey, his family ensured that his ring was transferred to the Archdiocese by way of the Archives. When we received the ring, we were surprised to see that it was a cameo piece made of carved shell. Cameos often depict bust-length portraits of women - in this case, the Madonna. Sea snail shell is a relatively soft material and the finer details of the relief carving have been worn smooth over time. The coat of arms of the Holy See is also etched into the gold of the band. Another surprise was the inscription, which reads, "Arch'bp N. McNeil to Bp. J. T. Kidd."

Bishop Lacey's episcopal ring, a shell cameo depicting Our Lady.  The gold setting has the Vatican coat of arms carved on either side of the face and an inscription underneath that reads, "Arch'bp N. McNeil to Bp. J. T. Kidd."
Archbishop McNeil probably gave this to Bishop Kidd to mark his consecration in 1925.
Acc. 2014-002

Most Rev. Neil McNeil was Archbishop of Toronto from 1912 to 1934.
Msgr. John Thomas Kidd was the Rector at St. Augustine’s Seminary from 1913 until 1925, when he was appointed Bishop of Calgary. Archbishop McNeil was one of the co-consecrators at Bishop Kidd's episcopal ordination, so that is probably when he gave him this ring.

We looked to see if we had any photos of Bishop Kidd wearing the cameo ring. The best we could find was this photo of Kidd's consecration at St. Michael's Cathedral.  If you squint a bit and use your imagination, you can make out the white cameo face on the ring finger of his right hand.

"Taken on occasion of the ceremony of consecration of Right Rev. John T. Kidd, D.D., L.L.D, Bishop of Calgary,
Toronto, May 6th 1925." Centre detail from a panoramic photograph.
Front row: Archbishop of Toronto Neil McNeil, Bishop of Calgary John Kidd, Apostolic Delegate to Canada
Archbishop Pietro di Maria, Archbishop of Ottawa Joseph-Médard Émard
Photographs Special Collection PH35K/09P

Close-up detail of the Madonna cameo ring on Bishop Kidd's finger
Photographs Special Collection PH35K/09P

After Calgary, Kidd was appointed Bishop of London, Ontario. Following Bishop Kidd’s death in 1950, his successor, Bishop Cody, was instructed by the executors to bring “the famous cameo ring” back to Cardinal McGuigan in Toronto. We were pleasantly surprised to find a letter documenting this in our archives:

A letter from Bp. John Cody of London to Msgr. Francis Allen, Chancellor, stating that the he will be returning the ring to Toronto.
McGuigan Fonds, MG TA01.57

So how did Bishop Lacey end up with the ring?  According to his family, when he was appointed bishop, Lacey was given the option of choosing a ring from the archdiocesan collection.  Because of his Marian devotion, Bishop Lacey selected the Madonna ring.

It is wonderful to now have this ring at ARCAT, to hold in trust for the Archbishop of Toronto.  It was especially delightful to discover traces of its history in our other records.  Now, if only we knew how it came to be known as "the famous cameo ring"...

R.I.P. Bishop Lacey

Today, the Archdiocese of Toronto announced the death of retired Auxiliary Bishop M. Pearse Lacey.
He passed away yesterday evening at the age of 97.
Read the media release here.

Then pastor of Transfiguration of Our Lord Parish, Etobicoke, Rev. Lacey is pictured in 1965.
He administered the building of Transfiguration of Our Lord church, rectory and school.
Photographs Special Collection, PH 16/03 P

Official portrait of Bishop Lacey in episcopal choir dress
by Newsome Photography, [199-]
Photographs Special Collection, PH 16/01 CP

Bishop Lacey was one of three auxiliaries appointed under Cardinal Carter's administration.
He served the Western Region of the Archdiocese of Toronto from 1979 to 1993, when he retired.
Bishop Lacey fonds, episcopal ordination program.

In honour of Bishop Lacey's 90th birthday, Blessed Trinity Parish distributed a prayer card featuring an image
of Pope John Paul II painted by Bishop Lacey.