A Question About Blue Vestments

[SanRafael1102]

Before anyone feels the need to point it out, I realize that blue is not a typical liturgical color within the Roman Church in the US.

I don’t know how most dioceses deal with the priest shortage in the United States, but in my diocese, we’ve ‘borrowed’ a number of priests from India. Now, these seem like very holy men, and I’m glad that they’re here. I’ve noticed though that some of them wear blue vestments on certain Marian Feast days.

I’m not the least bit upset by this, but it left me to wonder: if a priest is ‘on loan’ so-to-speak from another country, can they still use liturgical vestments okayed in their home country? I know that there are a lot of concerned individuals in the diocese that like to nit-pick at every little thing these “foreign priests” do (it’s really kind of sad), so I’m sure the bishop has been informed about such an irregularity in his diocese, but he (the bishop) so-far seems to be okay with it this continued practice, as am I. I’m just curious as to the norm in this situation.

A little background info: these priests are not American citizens, and can be summoned back to India at their bishop’s discretion. I only add this to show that they’re in a different situation then say an Indian-American man who becomes a priest, or a naturalized Indian-American, etc.

 

[Usige]

Strictly speaking any variance from liturgical norms are granted to a particular area (whether that is a diocese, region or national conference I’ll leave for others to argue). When a priest is “on loan” they are still subject to particular law or the existence or absence of indults in that area. Given that they do not automatically get to bring their own practices to a new area.

While that might be the most stringent interpretation, in the end I doubt most people would die on that hill. I know many US born priests that wear Marian vestments that technically have white bodies, but with so much blue in the ophrey and embroidery that the predominant color is blue.

 

[dochawk]

While that might be the most stringent interpretation, in the end I doubt most people would die on that hill.

Any bishop fool enough not to authorize an imported priest to use his traditional vestments . . .

 

[Cor_ad_Cor]

Blue is often acceptable for Marian feasts. In fact, it’s being discussed at length over here:

Blue as a Liturgical Color? Liturgy and Sacraments

This has been a thought in my head for a while and it intrigues me. When I was little, I had thought one time that the banners in my church (because we had those) during Advent looked Blue (or maybe it was Lent). During mass, I looked over and saw the priest is wearing purple. I was and maybe still am partially color blind from not being able to differentiate between the two colors, but I was wondering about how blue could be used as a liturgical color. I was going to say Advent but apprently th…

 

[Usige]

Any bishop fool enough not to authorize an imported priest to use his traditional vestments . . .

Is still a Bishop with more authority than you or I…

It’s also not really a Bishop who decides either. The color of vestments are defined as part of liturgical law and blue is only allowed under privilege. Those privileges are extended to certain Marian shrines and to countries, not individual clerics. To the best of my knowledge the Spanish churches have this privilege and it has been granted to some countries that used to be under the Spanish Crown. This privilege was from the 1860’s if memory serves and even in those cases I seem to remember that blue was only authorized for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and not for every Marian feast.

 

[Gorgias]

Any bishop fool enough not to authorize an imported priest to use his traditional vestments . . .

…ought not think that importing priests from other cultures isn’t gonna cause issues.