I have another one from my younger days when black was still considered “forbidden” (which it never was). I don’t have any pics, but it’s the gothic style. The material is white but the brocade on it is done in black threads. Technically, it’s a white vestment with a lot of black threads.So would I. The silver would set off the black much better.
Truth to tell, I like the gothic one. But then I’ve always preferred that style to either the “Roman” or conical , or even the Boromean, varieties.
And I noticed that both samples are black.
Indeed. A funeral is no more a celebration of Christ’s Resurrection than any other Mass is. That argument simply doesn’t hold water. If white is being worn because the funeral Mass celebrates the Resurrection, then we should wear white every Mass. But guess what, we don’t.
Same here.
Yes, besides white having absolutely ZERO history in the Roman Rite at Requiems. I see the reason for it at child funerals under 7, and I concede that. Otherwise, no, it makes no sense and does more harm than good. I don’t really think violet quite does it either. There are some similar themes between Lent/Advent and Requiem masses, but it doesn’t quite go far enough. Black is penitential as well as a mourning color. BTW, great chasuble. I just wish, like you, that the embroidery was silver. Silver on black is just fantastic, especially when you have a deacon or two assisting you in matching dalmatics.
I wonder if we are reading too much into it.
I do know that whatever they wore it didn’t catch my attention.
He clearly wasn’t Irish…
Thanks for saying this. At my parish for many, many years funeral Masses have basically been canonizations. “So-and-so is in heaven now.” No mention of praying for the dead or purgatory or anything like that. The pastor for the past couple years did mention praying for the dead at the first couple of funerals he did, but that went by the wayside quickly and funerals went back to how they were.
A reminder of what? That we lost someone? That we are hoping and praying that their final Confession and Anointing was enough? What do you think people in mourning are missing that you need to remind them?
How about a reminder to pray for the dead, as the Church instructs us to do? This is something that I find is missing in almost all funerals that I have attending at Catholic churches. I’ve attended a lot of them, too, as the primary organist for those churches. As I said in my above post (which you partially quoted) my own parish is particularly “good” at providing on-the-spot he’s-in-heaven canonizations. When people think that someone automatically goes to heaven, they’re probably not very inclined to pray for the repose of the deceased’s soul.
Our parish generally prays the rosary before the funeral. The family does not participate So we as a parish are already praying for the dead. Maybe your parish is different.
A reminder that we are mourning for someone and not canonizing them.
The truly grieving DON"T notice. It isn’t fake because we don’t care.
My BIL was suppose to read, but didn’t. I don’t remember who read in his place.But I’d argue that it’s all tied to the same attitude. If you wore black, as do most people in the West, at least dark colors, then doesn’t it seem reasonable that the priest wears black as was customary for I don’t even know how long?
There’s no better time to remind people to pray for the dead as when they are in church, um, praying for the dead. You have to remember that the Mass if for the deceased. It’s very uncharitable to neglect to offer prayers for him in an effort to “console” the family. People need these reminders while death is on the mind.
Who is neglecting to pray for the dead? The Mass is for the dead. That is why we are there. No one has said to not pray for the dead. Or even to remind people to pray for the dead.