Did Your Priest Wear Black Vestments on All Soul's Day?

[Asperges_Me]

The use of black for funerals is discouraged, and under the old (pre-VII) Roman pattern, black was for funeral and memorial masses.

The GIRM specifies white as specific for Nov. 1, All Souls Day.

From the GIRM:
346.
Traditional usage should be retained for the colours of sacred vestments:
a . **White is used in the Offices and Masses during **the Easter and Christmas seasons; also on Trinity Sunday, 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 (November 1) and of the Nativity of St John the Baptist (June 24); and on the Feasts of St John the Evangelist (December 27), of the Chair of St Peter (February 22), and of the Conversion of St Paul (January 25). White may also be worn in Offices and Masses for the dead in the dioceses of England and Wales.

…]

d.Violet or purple is used in Advent and Lent. It may also be worn in Offices and Masses for the Dead.
e.Black may be used, where it is the practice, in Masses for the dead.

So while I can understand the use of black or violet/purple, it’s a clear violation of the rules of the GIRM.

What??? It seems like you are mixing up All Saints (Nov 1) with All Souls (Nov 2). All Souls is a Requiem Mass for the dead. So why would it be in violation of the GIRM?

 

[Cat]

White.

 

[Manfred]

My father’s funeral was earlier this year. My mother and I chose the readings for the funeral Mass. In the guide that we were given, it mentioned what you just said here. It is not the custom, though, for the priest to wear black vestments for funerals here. He wore white for my father’s funeral Mass. The pall on the casket also was white. The old custom was that the pall was black if the vestments were black.

I was an altar boy in the pre-Vatican II era, and served at many a daily Requiem Mass, as well as a host of funeral Masses. Back then, of course, black was the only color permitted for Masses of this sort. (The only exception was for a child who hadn’t received his/her First Communion; then, a Mass of the Angels was said/sung instead, and white vestments were worn.)

My parents’ generation balked at the switch from the black of the TLM to the white of the NO. They were told that we must not think of death as “sad”, but as a joyous event, since we were now to focus on the Resurrection of Christ and the resurrection of the body. Besides, in some cultures in the world, white is the color of mourning, so, if it’s good enough for them (pagans), well, it would do just fine for us “aggiornamento” Christians (sorry, feel funny saying “Catholics” here; that’s pre-Vatican II, don’t you know?).

In the many NO funerals since then, the deceased were often raised to the community of the saints in heaven judging from some of the eulogies that were given. No need to give thought to Purgatory, the deceased’s judgement immediately after death, our own mortality, or the general judgement at the end of the world. All of this theology was nicely articulated in the hauntingly beautiful Sequence of the Requiem Mass known as the “Dies Irae”. But I don’t think this is even part of, nor allowed in, the NO.

White for funerals, Masses for the dead, All Souls Day, whether the NO allows it or not, is just plain wrong, especially when purple or black are also acceptable but are too darned rare.

 

[tradcathconvert]

I voted yes, but, just for the record, it was a TLM. It was the first TLM on All Soul’s Day at our parish since we got that Mass back under the indult granted by Pope John Paul II.

 

[Magnum_V8]

The All Souls’ Day Masses were canceled at my parish because our one and only priest was sick…so, I can’t comment. But I went to the First Saturday devotional Tridentine Low Mass at another parish and the celebrant wore black. No feast celebrated on Nov. 3rd in the traditional calendar, so they went with a Requiem Mass.

 

[Manfred]

No feast celebrated on Nov. 3rd in the traditional calendar, so they went with a Requiem Mass.

Pretty much the rule, rather than the exception, in pre-Vatican II days.

In fact, for a Requiem Mass not to be said during the week, the rank of the feast had to be “double major” or above.

For the uninitiated, the pre-Vatican II rankings were, from highest to lowest:

Double 1st Class
Double 2nd Class
Double Major
Double
Simple

On days ranked “Double” or “Simple”, a votive or Requiem Mass (more often the latter) would be offered.

 

[lak611]

Pretty much the rule, rather than the exception, in pre-Vatican II days.

In fact, for a Requiem Mass not to be said during the week, the rank of the feast had to be “double major” or above.

For the uninitiated, the pre-Vatican II rankings were, from highest to lowest:

Double 1st Class
Double 2nd Class
Double Major
Double
Simple

On days ranked “Double” or “Simple”, a votive or Requiem Mass (more often the latter) would be offered.

My 1962 Missal lists 1st Class, 2nd Class, 3rd Class and Commemoration.

 

[dadude]

My priest wore a beautiful black chasuable on all souls day. It was one of the coolest chasuables i think i’ve ever seen. It was black with gold.

 

[Manfred]

My 1962 Missal lists 1st Class, 2nd Class, 3rd Class and Commemoration.

Laura,

My source is the 1959 “St Joseph Daily Missal”.

Now that I have it open in front of me, there are also:

• Commemorations (wherein the Prayer, Secret, Postcommunion of a lesser feast are recited in the Mass of the preferred feast following its Prayer, Secret, Postcommunion)
• Octaves (Christmas, Easter, Pentecost and the seven days immediately following them)
• Privileged Ferias (Ash Wednesday, Holy Week)
• Major Ferias (weekdays of Advent, Lent; the Rogation Days; the Ember Days)
• Ferias (weekday on which no liturgical feast is observed)

Now look what you’ve done: I’m waxing nostalgic here.

 

[Rand_Al_Thor]

My priest wore black vestments. They used a black chalice veil and had a catafalque also. The Mass was a Dominican Rite High Mass and the choir sang Durufle’s Requiem.

In Christ,
Rand

 

[Sarabande]

My priest wore black vestments. They used a black chalice veil and had a catafalque also. The Mass was a Dominican Rite High Mass and the choir sang Durufle’s Requiem.
In Christ,
Rand

One of my most favorite sacred works!!! It is absolutely sublime and so gut-wrenching - perfect for All Souls Day. I love the “Pie Jesu”. That and the Faure “Requiem” are two of the best requiem masses ever set. Those men really knew how to transcend into spiritual ecstasy. Sorry… a bit off-topic.

 

[mommyof4]

Nope.