Funeral Vestment Color Preference

[FAB]

The Church’s universal colors for masses for the dead are violet and black, allowing the Bishop’s Conference to provide other options, and in the US, white is allowed.

If it is the preferred and appropriate color, why the alternative? Your reasoning could be used to justify white at every mass, but that is obviously not the case.

BTW, red is used at funeral masses for Popes , if white is preferred and appropriate, why?

And finally, the Church has a long history of not using white at funerals. I suppose our ancestors in faith ( along with the majority of this poll) were wrong. I am reminded, for some reason, of this quote by Chesterton:

“Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about.”

I think tradition, in this case could teach something.

Liturgically I prefer white. It is the reminder of our promise of eternal life in Christ through our baptism. That is the tradition we should hold. Not the idea that life is over as symbolized with black, but as in baptism we die to a new life in Christ, in Death we reborn to everlasting life.
Deacon Frank

 

[TimothyH]

Well, that’s a new one on me. In the “old” (i.e, pre-conciliar) days, it was quite the opposite. White was worn for the funerals of infants and minor children because of their innocence. Likewise, at such obsequies, the Mass of the Angels was sung. Black, OTOH, was used for adult funerals.

The priest wore white for the Mass of the Angels, my 4 year old daughter’s funeral Mass. It was held on August 15, 1996, the feast of the Assumption.

-Tim-

 

[John_Lazarus]

And finally, the Church has a long history of not using white at funerals. I suppose our ancestors in faith ( along with the majority of this poll) were wrong. I am reminded, for some reason, of this quote by Chesterton:

“Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about.”
.

Don’t they already allow dead people to vote in, like, Chicago?

 

[OraLabora]

I think it is generally offensive to Western customs, history and culture to wear white or any bright color, like pastels, to a funeral. And I suppose I will stick in the socially-required disclaimer because I am sure somebody will be crafty enough to spend five minutes thinking of an exception to my post ( =D ) about religious wearing potentially brightly colored habits, which is fine.

Western people do not associate brightness and lightness with death, we associate it with positive things like birth, life, and saintliness, especially in the Church. So there is an enormous tradition of wearing dark colors, and usually black, to funerals in the West. This is respectful and in a way keeps the attention on the deceased, which in the context of a Catholic funeral is to pray for him or her. And while it is positive for the soul of a dead person to finally meet Christ, the symbolism of white within the Church points much further than that, namely, canonization.

So I think it is bad to wear white to a funeral. It implies some presumption.

I am fine with violet but I still think black is better for the reason that violet is a penitential color and funerals are not exactly “penitential” events, but there is an element of that.

Whatever happens in non-Western cultures regarding this is their business and I am perfectly content with them doing what fits properly in those cultures for death.

PS I think it would be extremely offensive to wear a gold chasuble to a funeral.

In South Korea, which has a sizeable Catholic community, White is the traditional funeral colour. Black is associated with power and success. White would be entirely appropriate there as funeral vestments, black much less so.

 

[bcuster]

It is a Mass of Resurrection, therefore white/gold is my choice.

 

[DeaconO]

I much prefer white because it’s counter-cultural (see above), and has NOTHING to do with the person that has died, and EVERYTHING to do with Christ’s resurrection.

Could someone please explain to me the theology behind the liturgical color of Black. I prefer some quotable church documents and not mere opinions. Mourning is for the family…let them wear black…Black vestments to me seems an insult to Christ and his resurrection. Wearing white has nothing to do with the disposition of the soul of the deceased…The Mass is about Christ. It is offered for the deceased by the theme is that it is offered for the resurrection. Which is a theme of while glory, not the black of hell.

 

[jilly4ski]

Although black is the color for mourning, white is the color for the resurrection. I have yet to attend a funeral were the vestments are black or purple. Since white is also the sign of a person’s baptism it is the prefered and appropriate color for a funeral.

Deacon Frank

I sang at a funeral yesterday where the vestments were black. A deacon of the parish where I sing passed away. Of course he had requested and received an EF Mass, with black vestments, beeswax candles and Mozart’s Requiem. His son, a priest, said Mass, with fellow deacons/priests serving as the deacon and subdeacon.

It was a very beautiful and touching funeral Mass, and I didn’t know the deacon personally at all. But his son asked that the congregation pray for his father’s soul, not just celebrate his life

 

[jilly4ski]

Could someone please explain to me the theology behind the liturgical color of Black. I prefer some quotable church documents and not mere opinions. Mourning is for the family…let them wear black…Black vestments to me seems an insult to Christ and his resurrection. Wearing white has nothing to do with the disposition of the soul of the deceased…The Mass is about Christ. It is offered for the deceased by the theme is that it is offered for the resurrection. Which is a theme of while glory, not the black of hell.

A requiem Mass is not all about Christ, it is about praying for the soul of the deceased.

Here is the Latin and English translation of an EF Requiem Mass. requiemsurvey.org/latintext.php

You will notice that the very first line said at Mass in the Introit is a plea to God. “Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them.” Then forgiveness of souls is asked for, then the final judgement is discussed in the Dies Irae. Then more pleas to the Lord to deliver the souls of the departed. More pleas, in the Lux aeterna and Pie Jesu, though generally in musical setting mixed with lots of hope. Then the Libera me, which is deliver me, and the In paradisum, where we ask the angels to guide the souls to heaven. As you see, the whole Mass revolves around praying for the deceased persons soul (and all souls).

Black is not the color of Hell, it is the color of death. And as we have no guarantee that the deceased has experienced the resurrection or been emitted into eternal life.