Correct vestment for a deacon?

[Aurelia]

Last Sunday our new permanent deacon was assisting at Mass, and he was wearing what appeared to be a chasuble with the sides closed near the top to form sleeves. I’ve seen the pastor wear this same vestment for Mass. I thought deacons were supposed to wear the alb with a diagonal stole. What’s going on here?

 

[tee_eff_em]

A deacon may additionally wear a dalmatic, which I believe* is a sleeved vestment, with a square cut, and could be made as a “set” matching a priest’s chasuble.

(* but deacons are so sparse in my area, I could be mistaken)

tee

 

[Joe_Kelley]

tee_eff_em:

A deacon may additionally wear a dalmatic, which I believe* is a sleeved vestment, with a square cut, and could be made as a “set” matching a priest’s chasuble.

(* but deacons are so sparse in my area, I could be mistaken)

tee

Right. We are trying to get a full set, all colors, now. Meanwhile we got two more deacons.

 

[gelsbern]

A deacon’s vestments are dalmatic and a deacon’s stole.

A priest’s vestments are chasuble and a priest’s stole.

A deacon may not wear a chasuble and a priest may not wear a dalmatic.

A bishop is allowed to wear either.

 

[cameron_lansing]

The way to tell is to look for sleeves. Dalmatics got 'em. Chasubles don’t. Traditional dalmatics may have two broad stripes (stirpes) and often in red. You’ll probably see that if you can find a holy card of Saint Lawrence, D-M. But the opportunity for fashion chaos is there, so most match the presbyteral chasubles.

The “new” General Instruction on the Roman Missal, n. 119 speaks of the sacred vestments: “b. For the deacon: the alb, the stole, and the dalmatic; the dalmatic may be omitted, however, either out of necessity or on account of a lesser degree of solemnity. . . .”

The recent instruction from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacrament, Redemptionis Sacramentum, n. 125, is useful here: “The proper vestment of the Deacon is the dalmatic, to be worn over an alb and stole. In order that the beautiful tradition of the Church may be preserved, it is praiseworthy to refrain from exercising the option of omitting the dalmatic.”

The Episcopal Ceremonial mentions the possibility of a bishop wearing a dalmatic under his chasuble. I once teased our late and loved bishop about doing this when it was close to 100 degrees. He suggested I should wear two dalmatics.

In recent years, some dalmatics were made so the stole could be worn over them. The clearer sense now seems to be that the stole is to be worn under. So spotting a deacon may be less obvious if you can’t see the “diagonal” stole.

But the liturgical theology, if any is to be gained, is that the dalamatic, associated with the episcopacy at different times, is now consigned to the servants of the bishop, who are ordained, not to the priesthood, but to the service of the Church. Then too, even while they no longer wear dalmatics, priests do not cease being deacons because they are also ordained to the ministerial priesthood. Their service just takes a different direction.

Service of course is what it’s about, rather than liturgical haberdashery.

(Deacon) John M. Cameron, M.A. Theology, J.C.L.
Roman Catholic Diocese of Lansing
Lansing, Michigan

 

[Deacon_Ed]

Deacon John:

Interestingly, in the Eastern Churches following the Byzantine Rite the bishop always wears a dalmatic – except that it’s called a “sakkos” over his sticharion (alb).

Deacon Ed

 

[Joe_Kelley]

cameron_lansing:

. . .
In recent years, some dalmatics were made so the stole could be worn over them. The clearer sense now seems to be that the stole is to be worn under. So spotting a deacon may be less obvious if you can’t see the “diagonal” stole.

. . .

(Deacon) John M. Cameron, M.A. Theology, J.C.L.
Roman Catholic Diocese of Lansing
Lansing, Michigan

I saw a comment once on wearing the stole over the chasuble; the same may apply to the dalmatic. The writer claimed that the stole represents authority=justice, while the chasuble represents mercy. Mercy should always cover justice; justice should not dominate mercy.

Don’t know if this is valid, but it provides food for thought. .

 

[NetNuncio]

It may also be worth noting that the dalmatic is the EUCHARISTIC garment for the deacon, and the chasuble for the priest.

For Non-Eucharistic liturgies, the proper vestment for the deacon, priest and bishop is the cope, with the stole for the deacon being over the shoulder and the priest and bishop being over both shoulders.

 

[Brendan]

For Mass, the deacon SHOULD wear the dalmatic, it may be ommited if the deacon or parish do not have one of the proper color, or for a Mass with less Solemnity (such as a daily Mass) or in cases of hot weather, for example.

Otherwise, it should be worn.

GIRM 119

b) for the deacon: the alb, stole and the dalmatic; the dalmatic may be omitted, however, either out of necessity or for less solemnity;