Can a priest choose which clothes to wear during Mass?

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Nelka

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Excluding the chasuble etc.

It was boiling hot today and I couldn’t imagine celebrating Mass with a shirt, trousers, alb, stole and chasuble.

Could he wear a vest and thin trousers under the alb? The priest today must have been sweltering.

Thanks.
 
Nelka said:
Excluding the chasuble etc.

It was boiling hot today and I couldn’t imagine celebrating Mass with a shirt, trousers, alb, stole and chasuble.

Could he wear a vest and thin trousers under the alb? The priest today must have been sweltering.

Thanks.
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Shorts and a t-shirt? LOL. I have friends who have done it.
 
Under the vestments it’s priest’s choice. Rather like what’s under a kilt. 😉
 
I would imagine the material also matters. I would guess that most chausbles I’ve seen in the west are of very heavy materials. It should be possible to make it out of linen or cotton.
 
They can wear what they want.

I asked a Franciscan once what he wore under his heavy wool clothing.
“shorts”.
🙂

Our former pastor always wore golf shorts and sandals.
Last pastor: His blacks.
Current pastor: same. But also fixed the air conditioning so that it’s fairly blasting. 😃
 
Whatever clothes a priest wears under his liturgical garb are at his discretion.

On a slightly similar note, I know of at least one priest who wears Roman chasubles during the summer because they are lighter and allow for more air flow, making them cooler to wear in the heat.
 
Yes, but he runs the risk of running afoul of the parish liturgy vigilantes. Our pastor was once reported to the bishop – for wearing brown shoes on the altar.
 
Tarpeian_Rock said:
Yes, but he runs the risk of running afoul of the parish liturgy vigilantes. Our pastor was once reported to the bishop – for wearing brown shoes on the altar.
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Egads. I wonder if I should have reported the priest who wore socks with his sandals. :rolleyes:

I hope the bishop had the common sense to ignore that.
 
Really, do people have nothing better to do? I seriously don’t get folks who seem to be just itching to report clergy for the simplest of things. I think it’s disgraceful.
 
Nelka said:
Excluding the chasuble etc.

It was boiling hot today and I couldn’t imagine celebrating Mass with a shirt, trousers, alb, stole and chasuble.

Could he wear a vest and thin trousers under the alb? The priest today must have been sweltering.

Thanks.
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Sure.

Remember that the purpose of the alb is to cover the clothing underneath. So, liturgically speaking, what is underneath the alb makes no difference.
 
ctb95 said:
Whatever clothes a priest wears under his liturgical garb are at his discretion.

On a slightly similar note, I know of at least one priest who wears Roman chasubles during the summer because they are lighter and allow for more air flow, making them cooler to wear in the heat.
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I do that as well.

I also have 2 very very small Gothic chasubles (green & white) that I like to use for daily Mass in the summer. They are tiny by today’s standards (which have become ridiculously large), and have no lining and large neck openings.

The Roman style is nice because it lacks “sleeves” but sometimes they can be heavy too. They tend to be thicker (to keep their shape), and the ties keep the chasuble close to the body which retains heat. They can be cooler, but the priest has to pick the right one.
 
FrDavid96 said:
I do that as well.

I also have 2 very very small Gothic chasubles (green & white) that I like to use for daily Mass in the summer. They are tiny by today’s standards (which have become ridiculously large), and have no lining and large neck openings.

The Roman style is nice because it lacks “sleeves” but sometimes they can be heavy too. They tend to be thicker (to keep their shape), and the ties keep the chasuble close to the body which retains heat. They can be cooler, but the priest has to pick the right one.
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I greatly prefer the smaller gothic chasubles over the ones that drape to the feet like bedsheets, if I may put it that way. Sorry, a little OT.
 
ctb95 said:
I greatly prefer the smaller gothic chasubles over the ones that drape to the feet like bedsheets, if I may put it that way. Sorry, a little OT.
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Exactly.

For me, the smaller the better.

I’ve noticed a trend over the decades. The old vestments I find in parishes (some not even wearable anymore) tend to be much, much smaller than what is considered typical or average today. At the same time, though, in roughly the 80s and 90s they became huge.

I can’t stand wearing those huge chasubles that go way beyond my hands when I stretch out my arms to my side (not that I do that during Mass itself).

I like mine above the knees, and about to the elbows with arms fully extended to the side. Anything more than that makes me uncomfortable.
 
Tarpeian_Rock said:
Yes, but he runs the risk of running afoul of the parish liturgy vigilantes. Our pastor was once reported to the bishop – for wearing brown shoes on the altar.
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My pastor wears white sneakers, white socks and blue jeans when he celebrates the Mass and you can clearly see the collar of his polo shirt.

On the other hand a visiting priest wears highly polished plain black dress shoes and an amice around his neck. It may not seem like a lot to many, but I appreciate the effort the visiting priest makes to look “non-worldly” and “non-disruptive.” It makes a difference.
 
Solomonson said:
My pastor wears white sneakers, white socks and blue jeans when he celebrates the Mass and you can clearly see the collar of his polo shirt.

On the other hand a visiting priest wears highly polished plain black dress shoes and an amice around his neck. It may not seem like a lot to many, but I appreciate the effort the visiting priest makes to look “non-worldly” and “non-disruptive.” It makes a difference.
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Not surprising
 
Nelka said:
On the other hand if it is bitterly cold you can wear a big thick fleece underneath?
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I would imagine so long as it doesn’t cause any unsightly lumps and anything peeking out looks neat it would be ok. How would anyone know?
 
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