Altar Boy Clothes/outfit

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Our church just recently returned to the traditional, & I’m glad.

I think, however, that what bothers me more than what is worn over is what is worn under. Little girls are wearing spaghetti strap street tops & shorts. Once during a candlelight ceremony one altar server wore his light up tennis shoes. I don’t believe the children are aware; however, their parents should know better.
 
Pariah Pirana:
Few altar servers in the USA wear the Roman Collar with their cassocks, although there is nothing from the Church that tells them not to.

Albs (“white robes”) aren’t cheaper than the cassock/alb combo. I suspect albs are more common now because females can wear them without too much tension, and because the alb is recognized as the vestment proper to all baptised Catholics.

Did you know that at least in one point in time that the Pope was required to wear a dalmatic under his chasable? I believe this ended with Pope JPII, but it might still might be in effect.
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Cassock/surplice combo. Sorry.
 
Did you know that at least in one point in time that the Pope was required to wear a dalmatic under his chasable? I believe this ended with Pope JPII, but it might still might be in effect.
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Actually not just the Pope, but all bishops. It’s been optional since 1969, but some popes and bishops (including Pope John Paul II, at least once) still do it on occasion. Before 1969 the subdeacon’s tunicle was worn as well, plus stockings, sandals, and gloves of the color of the day.
 
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pgoings:
Actually not just the Pope, but all bishops. It’s been optional since 1969, but some popes and bishops (including Pope John Paul II, at least once) still do it on occasion. Before 1969 the subdeacon’s tunicle was worn as well, plus stockings, sandals, and gloves of the color of the day.
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Thanks for the update. I think the bishop’s rings went on AFTER the gloves. Go figure.
 
Also, keep in mind, it’s not simply the cassock and surplice worn by the altar servers. They should also be wearing a cincture (that looks a great deal like a sash) under the surplice, but the ends should still be visible…
 
Pariah Pirana:
Also, keep in mind, it’s not simply the cassock and surplice worn by the altar servers. They should also be wearing a cincture (that looks a great deal like a sash) under the surplice, but the ends should still be visible…
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Actually, traditionally the sash cincture that goes around a cassock was reserved for priests and above.

Cassocks worn by altar servers, brothers and deacons were not permitted to be worn with the sash/cincture.
 
I live in a state where politicians loved to throw out laws with no practical implementation, so let me ask a very practical question. Those who are in parishes that use this attire, who buys the altar server’s clothes?
 
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pnewton:
I live in a state where politicians loved to throw out laws with no practical implementation, so let me ask a very practical question. Those who are in parishes that use this attire, who buys the altar server’s clothes?
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The parish does. Some parishes have altar societies that raise money. In the past, many parishes had Knights of the Altar programs that also raised money…
 
Pariah Pirana:
The parish does. Some parishes have altar societies that raise money. In the past, many parishes had Knights of the Altar programs that also raised money…
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Then I would have no objection, one way or the other. I only asked because kids grow so fast through those years and the financial burden could be substantial to a family. The way your church does it, you have a built-in hand-me-down system.
 
I live in a state where politicians loved to throw out laws with no practical implementation, so let me ask a very practical question. Those who are in parishes that use this attire, who buys the altar server’s clothes?
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The Parish buys all the clothes for the altar servers. We have them in all sizes starting from size 6 the smallest to extra large, this both the surplice and the cassocks. We do have some surplices that were given to us by another parish that was going to the more common now of white albs with cincture. Some ladies take turns every month in taking most of them home to wash and iron them.
 
I’m honestly unaware of any parish that would require the families of the altarboys to purchase the vestments. (Of course, it wouldn’t be so bad with mine, since I’ve got three boys, so at least it’d be a decent investment by the time the third one was full-grown.)

I’m not sure who actually purchases them (whether it’s designated donations or a budget item from the general collections).
 
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TobyLue:
The Parish buys all the clothes for the altar servers. We have them in all sizes starting from size 6 the smallest to extra large, this both the surplice and the cassocks. We do have some surplices that were given to us by another parish that was going to the more common now of white albs with cincture. Some ladies take turns every month in taking most of them home to wash and iron them.
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I hope your altar boys are also being provided with the correct cincture to wear with their cassocks (they look like sashes) under their surplices.
 
Pariah Pirana:
Did you know that at least in one point in time that the Pope was required to wear a dalmatic under his chasable? I believe this ended with Pope JPII, but it might still might be in effect.
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From Fr. Lasance Missal, 1962, Page 66:
The Dalmatic: This vestment was originally worn at Dalmatia, whence it was brought to Rome. It is a long and ample garment, with very large but short sleeves, descending only to the elbow. From the second century among the Romans it was the vestment of the emperors: The Church adopted it for the Sovereign Pontiff and the bishops. The decons received it from Pope Sylvester, but the privilege of wearing it was confined to the deacons of the Church at Rome, and for them only granted on festival-days as a sign of joy; consequently, it was laid aside during Advent, Lent, and fast-days, periods of sadness and mourning in the Church.

The Dalmatic is of the same color as the chasuble of the priest…

Sounds like it is an ‘outer garment’ that is not worn underneath.
 
Sounds like it is an ‘outer garment’ that is not worn underneath.
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A bishop traditionally wore the vestments of the deacon, subdeacon and priest under his ponfifical vestments, to show that he possessed the fulness of all of these orders. As a practical matter, special thin-linen versions of the dalmatic and tunicle were made for bishops to wear under their pontificals, to make them less cumbersome. This practice ceased in 1968.
 
I would like to see the cassock and surplice return probably because it brings back memories of a time when I served Mass as my dad did. Way back when there was a sence of reverence and awe at what was happening. Not that an alb and cinture is responsible for the lack of reverence at Mass, but it just seems that the Mass has become a social gathering and the mystery and awe at what is so sacred has been lost! Just the ramblings of an old fool!
God Bless,
Mike
 
I didn’t read through the whole thread but here is my opinion. At my church at school (Newman center), all the servers (all men, 18+ years old) wear the cassock and cotta. I would prefer if this were true everywhere, but it isn’t 😦 At my home parish, the altar servers (middle school age girls and boys) wear the white bathrobe thing.
 
I don’t care so much about the traditional cassock and cotta/surplice or the all-purpose “bathrobe” alb. I’d simply be happy to see those who serve at the altar wear black trousers, stockings and shoes with their vestments.

The same for priests. It is rather distracting when Father’s bluejeans and sneakers poke out from below…
 
Yes, with reservations though. We have altar girls at my parish, and I wouldn’t want them to wear the cassock and surplice. I think albs, unless we go all-boy.
 
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pnewton:
I live in a state where politicians loved to throw out laws with no practical implementation, so let me ask a very practical question. Those who are in parishes that use this attire, who buys the altar server’s clothes?
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In our parish, the Knights of Columbus bought new vestments for the altar servers. It was a nice gesture.
 
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Lanciano:
From Fr. Lasance Missal, 1962, Page 66:
The Dalmatic: This vestment was originally worn at Dalmatia, whence it was brought to Rome. It is a long and ample garment, with very large but short sleeves, descending only to the elbow. From the second century among the Romans it was the vestment of the emperors: The Church adopted it for the Sovereign Pontiff and the bishops. The decons received it from Pope Sylvester, but the privilege of wearing it was confined to the deacons of the Church at Rome, and for them only granted on festival-days as a sign of joy; consequently, it was laid aside during Advent, Lent, and fast-days, periods of sadness and mourning in the Church.

The Dalmatic is of the same color as the chasuble of the priest…

Sounds like it is an ‘outer garment’ that is not worn underneath.
Click to expand...
Currently, the dalmatic is the vestment for all deacons. It is an outward sign of their order. Deacons are ordained wearing an alb, a dalmatic and a stole. This combination is the proper vestment for a deacon.
 
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