Black Vestments

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I know that Black is still an optional color to be worn by the clergy at funeral Masses and on All Soul’s Day, but what about Good Friday? I thought I remembered in the past that EWTN would wear Black on Good Friday. My priest looked in the sacramentary and the rubrics stated that red is to be worn, but no mention of Black being an option. I was wanted to ask this question in EWTN’s Liturgy Q & A section, but it is full as usual. Does anybody here know? Tee, where are you?
 
From the GIRM, "346. As to the color of sacred vestments, the traditional usage is to be retained: namely,

White is used in the Offices and Masses during the Easter and Christmas seasons; also on celebrations of the Lord other than of his Passion, of the Blessed Virgin Mary, of the Holy Angels, and of Saints who were not Martyrs; on the Solemnities of All Saints (1 November) and of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist (24 June); and on the Feasts of Saint John the Evangelist (27 December), of the Chair of Saint Peter (22 February), and of the Conversion of Saint Paul (25 January).

Red is used on Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion and on Good Friday, on Pentecost Sunday, on celebrations of the Lord’s Passion, on the feasts of the Apostles and Evangelists, and on celebrations of Martyr Saints.

Green is used in the Offices and Masses of Ordinary Time.

Violet or purple is used in Advent and of Lent. It may also be worn in Offices and Masses for the Dead (cf. below).

Besides violet, white or black vestments may be worn at funeral services and at other Offices and Masses for the Dead in the Dioceses of the United States of America.

Rose may be used, where it is the practice, on Gaudete Sunday (Third Sunday of Advent) and on Laetare Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Lent).

On more solemn days, sacred vestments may be used that are festive, that is, more precious, even if not of the color of the day.

Gold or silver colored vestments may be worn on more solemn occasions in the dioceses of the United States of America."
usccb.org/liturgy/current/chapter6.shtml
 
To be honest with you, I don’t remember black being worn in the Good Friday liturgy when I was an altar boy. Requiem Masses, yes. I seem to recall red. Not sure though.
 
Black was the color for Good Friday before 1970. Between 1956-1969, black was used for most of the Good Friday liturgy, with violet worn for the communion rite. Beginning in 1970, red became the norm for Good Friday. Black is still permitted on All Souls Day and all Masses for the Dead, but not for Good Friday, which is not a Mass.
 
As long as we’re on the subject, does anyone remember the pre Vat2 Mass for funerals? As a kid, I seem to remember these things. There was no organ music, there was no bell rung, and the people didn’t receive Communion. It was a very sad, and dreary affair. Am I right or not. Come on all you old timers!
 
davy39 said:
As long as we’re on the subject, does anyone remember the pre Vat2 Mass for funerals? As a kid, I seem to remember these things. There was no organ music, there was no bell rung, and the people didn’t receive Communion. It was a very sad, and dreary affair. Am I right or not. Come on all you old timers!
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I don’t know. I sang at a lot of funerals in grade school, graduating 8th grade in 1965. I’m sure we used the organ. Either Sister Noella or Jerry who was a couple grades ahead of me or Donna’s brother played that organ. Big organ, fancy choir loft, windy stairs. Maybe the most fun part of being in choir was sitting up there. That’s and the server’s picnic which included choir and sacristans. Deb
 
daeve said:
I don’t know. I sang at a lot of funerals in grade school, graduating 8th grade in 1965. I’m sure we used the organ. Either Sister Noella or Jerry who was a couple grades ahead of me or Donna’s brother played that organ. Big organ, fancy choir loft, windy stairs. Maybe the most fun part of being in choir was sitting up there. That’s and the server’s picnic which included choir and sacristans. Deb
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You could be right about the music. But I don’t think the people received Holy Communion.
 
davy39 said:
You could be right about the music. But I don’t think the people received Holy Communion.
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I started another thread asking why the congregation was not given Communion because that was something that I had heard about from some of the older people in my parish.
 
There was never any Church prohibition against the reception of holy communion at funeral Masses. If some pastor or bishop did not do so, it was a local matter.

Remember that as a whole, far fewer people received communion in previous generations. (We went from one extreme to the other on that score.) Also, of those who attended funerals, many had already eaten that day and would not have received on that basis.
 
AJV said:
:confused: The GIRM says “Offices and Masses of the Dead” which would cover the two mentioned by Chatter, no?
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:banghead: Thank you for the correction. I scanned down the GIRM list, and missed black as a category since it was well into that line.
 
Chatter163 said:
There was never any Church prohibition against the reception of holy communion at funeral Masses. If some pastor or bishop did not do so, it was a local matter.

Remember that as a whole, far fewer people received communion in previous generations. (We went from one extreme to the other on that score.) Also, of those who attended funerals, many had already eaten that day and would not have received on that basis.
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Yes, that’s right. This was back in the day of the fast from midnite until after Mass to receive Holy Communion. Pardon my memory.
 
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