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Many of Kelly Miller’s manutergia include an ‘Auspice Maria’ symbol, which stands for ‘Under the Protection of Mary.’ (photo: Courtesy of Kelly Miller)
By Gigi Duncan, National Catholic Register, May 10, 2026
Gigi Duncan is a staff writer for the National Catholic Register based in Washington, D.C.
A centuries-old tradition at a priest’s first Mass points to a deeper truth about vocation, sacrifice and the role of a mother.
When a newly ordained priest celebrates his first Mass, one of his final gestures is often not toward the congregation, but toward his mother.
In his hands is a simple strip of linen — a manutergium, used days earlier at his ordination to wipe the sacred chrism oil from his newly anointed hands. At the end of the Mass, he places it in her hands, entrusting her with a quiet but profound symbol of his vocation: one she will carry, by tradition, to the grave. …
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