Liturgical colors

[MarkRohfrietsch]

My dioceses cathedral (Roman Catholic) used gold vestments for Christmas Eve Mass this year. At my own parish, white was used.

Our rubrics indicate gold for Christmas and Easter (Eve/Vigil through the day of) if available, white otherwise. Rich parishes may be able to afford another set of vestments for two days out of the year, smaller/poorer parishes would do well to use white for Christmas and Easter, and Purple for Lent, Good Friday and Maundy Thursday, if they don't have black.

 

[RileyG]

Our rubrics indicate gold for Christmas and Easter (Eve/Vigil through the day of) if available, white otherwise. Rich parishes may be able to afford another set of vestments for two days out of the year, smaller/poorer parishes would do well to use white for Christmas and Easter, and Purple for Lent, Good Friday and Maundy Thursday, if they don't have black.

In my own faith, prior to Vatican II, gold was common for Christmas, black was used for Good Friday and funerals.

In my diocese, I still see black used for Good Friday, and All Souls Day, but it’s not the norm.

Thanks for the response!

Peace!

 

[RileyG]

Yes, correct.

Yup! That’s how it is in my faith as well!

 

[The Liturgist]

Red is typically used for martyrs and the Holy Spirit, yes?

We use red red for for Holy Apostles, and either after Pascha in the Russian tradition or elsewhere for martyrs (Russians do this intermittently) and feasts of the Cross (where the Russians use purple). Also red was used in some Russian churches on the Sundays of the Holy Forefathers last week and the Holy Fathers this week, and in the US several OCA parishes use it throughout Advent.

On Pentecost (which is both a pnuematological and a Trinitarian feast, combining Whitsunday and Trinity Sunday) and Holy Spirit Monday (following Pentecost) green is used; green is also sometimes used the following Sunday, and on All Saints Day. Some OCA parishes use it until the Transfiguration. Russian parishes traditionally wear green on feasts of monastics and ascetics such as St. John of Kronstadt last Friday. And green is also used on Palm Sunday.

In my youth the UMC parish I attended used green on Palm Sunday, oddly enough, so it has always felt the most natural color for me, for that feast (also for the Sunday of Christ the King, because green was the designated liturgical color of Kingdomtide).

 

[Shane R]

I was Senior Warden of the Vestry when my church decided to buy new sets of vestments for two priests. I do not recall the amount, but I do recall my feeling of having sticker shock. This discussion of liturgically correct vestment choices leads me to asking, how much money does a typical priest or parish need to spend to complete their wardrobe for all of the liturgical seasons?

The prices are all over. Those on a budget are probably buying polyester blends from India or Nigeria. The more embroidery one gets, the more expensive the piece is. I've found a lot of clergy use the Autom catalog as a baseline. Autom is a Roman Catholic company that peddles everything from the most plain strips of colored cloth to tacky screen printed stuff that even most NO Catholics find distasteful to some medium price quality sets. I'd say simple but elegant vestments, reasonably well made, could be had for something under $1,000, possibly even with a cope.

Or you can order from the upscale Ukrainian or US tailors and pay $800 for a single Mass set.

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

The prices are all over. Those on a budget are probably buying polyester blends from India or Nigeria. The more embroidery one gets, the more expensive the piece is. I've found a lot of clergy use the Autom catalog as a baseline. Autom is a Roman Catholic company that peddles everything from the most plain strips of colored cloth to tacky screen printed stuff that even most NO Catholics find distasteful to some medium price quality sets. I'd say simple but elegant vestments, reasonably well made, could be had for something under $1,000, possibly even with a cope.

Or you can order from the upscale Ukrainian or US tailors and pay $800 for a single Mass set.

Our go to place is Catholic Liturgicals in Chenin India. Polyester, yes, but really nice, finely done garments. Pricing is amazing, shipping is amazingly inexpensive, and everything can be customized for an economical flat rate. We have bought vestments (Mass sets), two Chasubles, Corporals, a Thurible and Boat, Sanctus Bells, and most recently I picked up a set of two reversible sick call/homebound visitation stoles, in purple, white, green and red to cover the 4 main seasons. They frequently have sales, -26% new-years sale on until the 10th, they have one for Easter, one for Christmas, and I think one in the summer. Sometimes up to -30%. Franklin Alphonse is the manager, and he has been great to deal with over the years. Yes, they are cheap, but they are not prints, and they punch way above their weight class. You can order with confidence. BTW, shipping to Canada is 4-7 business days. Lightning Speed.

Catholic Priest Vestments, Chasubles & Church Supplies

Shop Catholic priest vestments, chasubles, clergy apparel, and church supplies online. Quality liturgical products for priests & churches

www.catholicliturgicals.com

 

[Shane R]

Our go to place is Catholic Liturgicals in Chenin India. Polyester, yes, but really nice, finely done garments. Pricing is amazing, shipping is amazingly inexpensive, and everything can be customized for an economical flat rate. We have bought vestments (Mass sets), two Chasubles, Corporals, a Thurible and Boat, Sanctus Bells, and most recently I picked up a set of two reversible sick call/homebound visitation stoles, in purple, white, green and red to cover the 4 main seasons. They frequently have sales, -26% new-years sale on until the 10th, they have one for Easter, one for Christmas, and I think one in the summer. Sometimes up to -30%. Franklin Alphonse is the manager, and he has been great to deal with over the years. Yes, they are cheap, but they are not prints, and they punch way above their weight class. You can order with confidence. BTW, shipping to Canada is 4-7 business days. Lightning Speed.

Catholic Priest Vestments, Chasubles & Church Supplies

Shop Catholic priest vestments, chasubles, clergy apparel, and church supplies online. Quality liturgical products for priests & churches

www.catholicliturgicals.com

I am familiar with that business. I think I ordered both of my copes from them. I gave the gold one to my friend Bp. Gore, as he had no cope at his episcopal consecration. My Spanish Mass set in Marian blue might have come from them as well.

I've never bothered to buy rose as I've never served a parish that had the matching paraments. Now for cassocks, Gaspard, which I believe is based out of Wisconsin, USA is as good as anything else in N. America. Albs are whatever. The last one I got I ordered off Amazon and it was maybe $80. I think of the alb as a base layer and keep it plain.

 

[The Liturgist]

I am familiar with that business. I think I ordered both of my copes from them. I gave the gold one to my friend Bp. Gore, as he had no cope at his episcopal consecration. My Spanish Mass set in Marian blue might have come from them as well.

I've never bothered to buy rose as I've never served a parish that had the matching paraments. Now for cassocks, Gaspard, which I believe is based out of Wisconsin, USA is as good as anything else in N. America. Albs are whatever. The last one I got I ordered off Amazon and it was maybe $80. I think of the alb as a base layer and keep it plain.

I myself think rose vestments look splendid with nearly any paraments except black. Indeed we’re already preconditioned by the Advent wreath to see rose and violet together.

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

I am familiar with that business. I think I ordered both of my copes from them. I gave the gold one to my friend Bp. Gore, as he had no cope at his episcopal consecration. My Spanish Mass set in Marian blue might have come from them as well.

I've never bothered to buy rose as I've never served a parish that had the matching paraments. Now for cassocks, Gaspard, which I believe is based out of Wisconsin, USA is as good as anything else in N. America. Albs are whatever. The last one I got I ordered off Amazon and it was maybe $80. I think of the alb as a base layer and keep it plain.

I bought the last 4 Cassocks, they were Ivy Robes brand from Amazon at less than $80.00 Canadian; buttons are poorly made but good quality replacement ones are cheap, and I have only replaced two of them in the last 5 years or so. They are satin lined, and beautifully made with substantial and durable material. Amazon.ca

I also bought 2 pleated Surplice/cottas also Ivy Robes from Amazon. Amazon.ca

 

[DragonFox91]

I always remember the purple from when I went to a church that used liturgical colors

 

[seeking.IAM]

Or you can order from the upscale Ukrainian or US tailors and pay $800 for a single Mass set.

Thank you for the information. I think we must have gone to Ukraine for ours. I don't remember the exact amount, but I remember being stunned. It is common for the church to own the vestments instead of the priest?

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

It is common for the church to own the vestments instead of the priest?

Sometimes; sometimes not. I a Church buys a package of paraments and vestments, then yes.

 

[Shane R]

Thank you for the information. I think we must have gone to Ukraine for ours. I don't remember the exact amount, but I remember being stunned. It is common for the church to own the vestments instead of the priest?

Good question. I find that most of the Lutheran congregations have some stuff that belongs to the church. Usually a couple of albs and cord cinctures and a set of stoles. In times past, the stoles were often handmade by one or another of the lady's guilds.

Anglican clergy I find to be more likely to have a lot of their own stuff. But established parishes will also tend to have some things that belong to the church. I think perhaps this is because vestments reflect churchmanship much more blatantly in Anglicanism than among the Lutherans. I think a decent rule of thumb is, the more expensive an item is (ie. copes and humeral veils) the more likely it belongs to the parish.

 

[seeking.IAM]

I think perhaps this is because vestments reflect churchmanship much more blatantly in Anglicanism

We were high church, Anglo-Catholic so no doubt we needed the finery.