Blue in Liturgical Colors

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andy92

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What is blue used for and in what Rite/denominations? I know the basic pink/red/green/white(substitute Gold)/purple/black but I have never heard of blue being used.

I say an Anglican priest wearing a blue chasuble once and in researching Orthodox and Eastern Rite vestments I noticed blue.

Does anyone know what this is used for?
Thanks
 
andy92 said:
What is blue used for and in what Rite/denominations? I know the basic pink/red/green/white(substitute Gold)/purple/black but I have never heard of blue being used.

I say an Anglican priest wearing a blue chasuble once and in researching Orthodox and Eastern Rite vestments I noticed blue.

Does anyone know what this is used for?
Thanks
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Presently in the Latin Rite there is no permission to use blue vestments except for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in some dioceses in Spain, Mexico & South America.

Some of the Eastern Rites use blue vestments for feasts of the Blessed Virgin.

Anglicans have the option of using blue during Advent.
 
Our parish has white chasubles trimmed with blue for use on Marian feasts, but we have no completely blue as that is not a liturgical color in the Catholic church.
 
I hope that someday blue is approved for use on Marian feasts. I think it would be a beautiful visual way to accentuate the difference between the hyperdulia owed to Mary and the dulia owed to the saints.
 
aemcpa said:
I hope that someday blue is approved for use on Marian feasts. I think it would be a beautiful visual way to accentuate the difference between the hyperdulia owed to Mary and the dulia owed to the saints.
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In what way? White is the color for solemnities. White is the color of joy and purity and indicates a feast. Wearing blue would take her honor down a notch not accentuate it.
 
aemcpa said:
I hope that someday blue is approved for use on Marian feasts. I think it would be a beautiful visual way to accentuate the difference between the hyperdulia owed to Mary and the dulia owed to the saints.
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I agree! 🙂
 
Joannm said:
In what way? White is the color for solemnities. White is the color of joy and purity and indicates a feast. Wearing blue would take her honor down a notch not accentuate it.
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In stellar physics, extreme white is blue. (The hottest stars are blue.) And Our Blessed Mother is Star of the Sea, and the Morning Star.
 
andy92 said:
What is blue used for and in what Rite/denominations? I know the basic pink/red/green/white(substitute Gold)/purple/black but I have never heard of blue being used.
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The liturgical colors are:
Green
White (with gold and silver as acceptable substitutes);
Violet (not purple)
Red
Black
Old Rose.

The color is Old Rose, not pink.

And my understanding is, from what I have seen, that concelebrants can substitute simple white chasubles for any other color.

Also, a little off topic, but has anyone ever seen silver vestments, anywhere? I’ve seen gold, but never silver.
 
PacoG said:
The liturgical colors are:
Green
White (with gold and silver as acceptable substitutes);
Violet (not purple)
Red
Black
Old Rose.

**The color is Old Rose, not pink. **

And my understanding is, from what I have seen, that concelebrants can substitute simple white chasubles for any other color.

Also, a little off topic, but has anyone ever seen silver vestments, anywhere? I’ve seen gold, but never silver.
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:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Sorry, yes, you are right. It is Violet and Old Rose.

But it looks to everyone as, purple and pink.
 
PacoG said:
Also, a little off topic, but has anyone ever seen silver vestments, anywhere? I’ve seen gold, but never silver.
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I vaguely recall seeing silver once, many many years ago. IIRC it was a silvery brocade with dark blue orphery banding, and a dark blue velvet applique on the back, so it must have been on a Marian feast. It’s likely that it was in a parish in the charge of the Carmelites.
 
Blue is also used in Portugal for the feast of the Immaculate Conception. I believe it might also be used in Spain as well. Not sure for other Catholic countries though.
Mary is the patron of Portugal so a lot of feast days are marked strongly in our calendar.

God bless,
D.
 
andy92 said:
What is blue used for and in what Rite/denominations? I know the basic pink/red/green/white(substitute Gold)/purple/black but I have never heard of blue being used.

I say an Anglican priest wearing a blue chasuble once and in researching Orthodox and Eastern Rite vestments I noticed blue.

Does anyone know what this is used for?
Thanks
Click to expand...
In the Byzantine Catholic Church light blue is used as one of the light colors. It is most common for feasts of the Theotokos. (Bright colors are for celebration of feasts except for martyrs and for the Sundays following a feast.) One may see light blue used for the Conception of St. Anne (Dec 8/9), or Annunciation (Mar 25), or the Dormition (Aug 15).

Blue is a heavenly color. Often the Theotokos is shown with red over blue and Christ with blue over red. (There are also other symbolisms for the colors.)

I have this book by Michael Quenot,*** The Icon: Window on the Kingdom***. He wrote onp. 115:… the Virgin Theotokos dressed in a red maphorian, symbol of her humanity, and a blue robe, symbol of the divine, for she is the human creature who bore in her womb the Son of God.

(There are also other symbolisms for the colors.)
 
PacoG said:
The liturgical colors are:
Green
White (with gold and silver as acceptable substitutes);
Violet (not purple)
Red
Black
Old Rose.

The color is Old Rose, not pink.

And my understanding is, from what I have seen, that concelebrants can substitute simple white chasubles for any other color.

Also, a little off topic, but has anyone ever seen silver vestments, anywhere? I’ve seen gold, but never silver.
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Im a guy haha Its purple not fuchsia not violet 😉

I’ve seen silver Benediction vestments like a humeral vale and cope. I’ve also seen silver stoles when there is a mass with hundreds of priests/deacons where they don’t all wear chasubles/dolmatic
 
Color Obligatory Usage Optional Usage (in lieu of prescribed obligatory colour)
Green
Sundays and Ferias in Ordinary Time
Violet
Sundays and Ferias in Advent
Sundays and Ferias in Lent
Liturgies on Holy Saturday (except for the Easter Vigil)
All Souls’ Day
Requiem Masses and offices for the dead
Sacrament of Reconciliation
Sacrament of the Sick
Rose
Gaudete Sunday (Third Sunday of Advent)
Laetare Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Lent)
White
Christmastide (from Christmas Day to the Baptism of the Lord)
Holy Thursday
Easter season (from the Easter Vigil to the Vigil of Pentecost)
Feasts of Our Lord other than those of His Passion
Feasts of Our Lady[2]
Feasts of the Angels
Feasts of non-martyred saints or confessors
Feast of St. John
Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter
Feast of the Conversion of Paul the Apostle
The Nativity of St. John the Baptist
Feast of All Saints
Sacrament of Baptism
Sacrament of Matrimony
Sacrament of Holy Orders
Requiem Masses and offices for the dead where the Conference of Bishops has permitted it.[3]
Votive Masses and other Masses where Green is normally used.
Red
Palm Sunday
Good Friday
Pentecost
Feasts of the Passion of the Lord
Feasts of Martyrs, Apostles, and Evangelists
Sacrament of Confirmation
Red Masses and other votive Masses of the Holy Spirit.
Black
All Souls’ Day where this is an established custom.
Requiem Masses and offices for the dead where this is an established custom.
 
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