Wednesday, March 27, 2013

What the Priest Is Wearing in Mass and Why


Okay, so as an avid Catholic, I attend mass weekly. However, ever since I was little I have always found the clothes that the priest wears interesting. I always tried to guess what color the priest was going to where that day, and I would anxiously wait to see if I was right. Also, the different parts of the “outfit” of the priests always fascinated me.
There are many parts to the “priestly uniform” that makes up the daily vestment for the priest. First, the priest’s vestments are all blessed so that the sacredness of the rituals performed by the priest are all “sacred.” In addition, there are four main parts to the outfit. The cassock is the tight-fitting under robe worn by the priest, as well as other clergy members. Then, the stole is draped over the cassock, as it is the narrow strip of cloth that hangs around the priest’s neck. Then the alb is placed over all of the other clothing; it is the outermost layer of clothing that is colored differently for each season. Lastly, the pectoral cross is placed around the neck of the priest.
In reality, the vestment color that the priest wears depends on the season that the Church is in. The most common coloration is green, which corresponds to “Ordinary Time,” while the purplish color is worn during Lent and Advent. Also, white is worn during Christmas, Easter, and a variety of other solemnities. Red is worn during Palm Sunday, Pentecost, The Feast of Martyrs, and the Feast of the Lord’s Passion. Rose coloration is worn during Gaudete Sunday and Laetare Sunday. Lastly, black is worn during funeral services, and gold vestments can be worn to supplement white, red, or green ones.
            I hope you found this journey through the priest’s clothing as interesting as I did. For any future reading that u may want to do, here are a few links to websites that I found helpful during my research:
Vestment Colors
-Timmy Mashinski

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