Garb for a Catholic priest officiating a burial service for a protestant

[DavidFilmer]

I once had the occasion to attend a burial service for a lifelong protestant, which was conducted by a Catholic priest (who was a family relation). It was done completely “by the book” in every respect, even though the priest and I were probably the only Catholics in attendance.

Prior to the service, at the graveside, I assisted the priest in vesting (a duty with which I am familiar). I kinda felt sorry for the priest, as this was a rather sweltering day (in summertime Florida heat), and his vestments were thick.

I have seen TV shows which portray Catholic burial services with the priest wearing only a stole over the ordinary “black and white” (collared) lightweight garment.

My question is: was the priest somehow obligated to don full vestments, or does the Church permit priests to conduct burial rites (not funeral rites) without full vestments? From what I see from TV priests, this priest went above and beyond the call of duty. But, did he really do that?

 

[Gorgias]

What do you mean by “full vestments”?

Was this a commital service (given that it was ‘graveside’)?

Either way, it would seem that he should not have been wearing a chasuble, if that’s what you mean by “full vestments”. Rather, it would seem more appropriate that he would wear either a cassock and surplice and a stole, or an alb and a stole.

 

[UpUpAndAway]

…it would seem that he should not have been wearing a chasuble, if that’s what you mean by “full vestments”. Rather, it would seem more appropriate that he would wear either a cassock and surplice and a stole, or an alb and a stole.

This is my line of thinking as well. Like David, I am well familiar with liturgical vesting, having assisted many a priest, deacon and even (once) a bishop as he donned vestments for various forms of liturgy. With certain notable exceptions (the ICRSS canons, for example), priests in this archdiocese preside over Catholic funerals that are not Masses vested in an alb and stole only. Since Protestant funerals by definition would not be Catholic Masses the use of a chasuble would, to me, seem misplaced.

 

[Bob_Crowley]

This is just a stab in the dark, but maybe the priest was making a statement.

“I’m Catholic - make no mistake.”

It reminds me of my old Protestant pastor - he nearly always wore his clerical garb, no matter where he was or what he was doing. It was a bit of a mild shock on those very few occasions when I saw him wearing anything else.

I never bothered to query his sartorial tastes, but I happened to overhear his response when one of the other parishioners asked him once why he always wore his clerical outfit.

Part of his answer was “… people know what I stand for …”

 

[Tarpeian_Rock]

Hard to imagine a priest bringing a chasuble to a graveside. I thought chasubles were specific to Mass - not even used at things like Benediction. The OP said the vestment was “thick” and did use the word “full.” Maybe it was a particularly heavy alb plus a stole, not like some of the “bedsheet” albs I’ve seen.

 

[AngelusDomini]

A cope maybe?

 

[Marysann]

Please help us you priest readers! It is my understanding that a chasuble is only worn for Mass. I have seen a priest conduct graveside rites wearing a black cope, if I remember correctly the cope was worm over a cassock and surplice. I think he also wore a black stole. Not all priests own black vestments, so when you see them, they are very impressive. I wouldn’t think that the fact the service was for a non-Catholic would make any difference.
Help us with this, Fathers!

 

[Gorgias]

It is my understanding that a chasuble is only worn for Mass.

That’s correct.

I have seen a priest conduct graveside rites wearing a black cope

That’s a possibility. It could have been black or purple or white, IIRC.

, if I remember correctly the cope was worm over a cassock and surplice.

It could also be over an alb.

I think he also wore a black stole.

Either way – cassock/surplice or alb – he’d wear a stole that matches his cope.

I wouldn’t think that the fact the service was for a non-Catholic would make any difference.

That’s correct - he vests for the liturgical celebration, not for the person(s) in attendance.

 

[FrDavid96]

Please help us you priest readers!

The thread is only a few hours old.

It is my understanding that a chasuble is only worn for Mass.

Yes. The chasuble is a Mass vestment.

That’s not an absolute rule. There are times when the rubrics say that the priest “may wear vestments as at Mass.”

I have seen a priest conduct graveside rites wearing a black cope, if I remember correctly the cope was worm over a cassock and surplice. I think he also wore a black stole.

Yes, that’s one option. The cope over cassock and surplice or the cope over alb. Either way the stole is always worn.

Not all priests own black vestments, so when you see them, they are very impressive. I wouldn’t think that the fact the service was for a non-Catholic would make any difference.
Help us with this, Fathers!

Rite of Funerals paragraph #60 (at the grave) states that the priest wears either:

alb & stole or
cassock & surplice & stole

the cope is optional either way

Alternately, #46 is the rubric that applies if the final commendation is done after Mass. That allows for the chasuble to be used. It makes sense because if it’s immediately after Mass, it’s not strictly necessary for the priest to remove the chasuble and change.

If one follows #46, there is no rubric requiring the priest to change vestments, so he can continue to wear the chasuble at the cemetery.

Readers here should realize that different circumstances bring about different practical uses. It may seem odd for a priest to wear a chasuble at the gravesite, but consider this scenario:
If the church has an actual graveyard (a cemetery attached to the church grounds, as opposed to one far away), the walk from the church to the grave might be nothing more than 10 or 20 yards. So, if the priest celebrates the funeral Mass, then immediately does the final commendation, then immediately proceeds to the burial (without any driving) it makes sense to allow him to keep the chasuble from Mass and not strictly require him to remove the chasuble or replace it with a cope. It’s just practical.

 

[FrDavid96]

Followup:

If the burial is done immediately after Mass, the priest might choose not to remove the chasuble.

If the burial does not immediately follow Mass, then the priest wears either:
a. cassock & surplice & stole (& cope)
b. alb & stole (& cope)

 

[FrDavid96]

Back to the original topic:

When I have occasion to do a burial service for a non-Catholic, I go with a lesser degree of solemnity.

For a Catholic, I typically wear a cope over a cassock and surplice. That’s my usual vesture for the burial service, whether or not it follows the funeral Mass (sometimes people from far away are buried in the parish cemetery, so the funeral Mass was already held days or even weeks earlier).

For a non-Catholic, I typically wear just the cassock and surplice. This doesn’t happen often.

I’ve had a few occasions, where the overall setting was very informal and I’ve gone with just the stole over clerical garb.

 

[zab]

I once had the occasion to attend a burial service for a lifelong protestant, which was conducted by a Catholic priest (who was a family relation). It was done completely “by the book” in every respect, even though the priest and I were probably the only Catholics in attendance.

Prior to the service, at the graveside, I assisted the priest in vesting (a duty with which I am familiar). I kinda felt sorry for the priest, as this was a rather sweltering day (in summertime Florida heat), and his vestments were thick.

I have seen TV shows which portray Catholic burial services with the priest wearing only a stole over the ordinary “black and white” (collared) lightweight garment.

My question is: was the priest somehow obligated to don full vestments, or does the Church permit priests to conduct burial rites (not funeral rites) without full vestments? From what I see from TV priests, this priest went above and beyond the call of duty. But, did he really do that?

In addition to the correct answers that have already been posted, I just want to say that we should never go by what is done on TV shows or movies for accuracy.

 

[DavidFilmer]

OK, as a layman, I must confess that I am not familiar with the many apparent styles of vestments. I have assisted priests in vesting, but they always told me what to present. I know the difference between an alb and stole, but not a cassock and chasuble and surplice and cope. There seems to be a lot of overlap in these terms.

This is a photo I took at the burial ceremony. I have omitted the priest’s face, because it seems that some people think that “overdressing” for a protestant burial is somehow inappropriate, and it is far from my intent to “accuse” the priest of anything inappropriate.

http://i.picresize.com/images/2015/11/14/aS4rL.jpg

I am not asking if the priest did “too much,” but I am asking if he did more than was required. Did he go above and beyond the “call of duty” by vesting in heavy garb (by whatever name) in the Florida summer heat. If he did so, he did it out of respect (as he was a family relation, and he conducted the burial at the request of the deceased’s spouse). And he did so at a fair amount of personal discomfort. Try wearing four layers of clothing in a Florida summer. I was in a shirt and light blazer, and was really hot.

He was wearing ordinary black-and-white clericals under these extra layers. Whatever that outer garment is called, it was heavy. And it covers at least 3/4 of him (moreso when he is seated).

Hey, maybe this is the actual origin of the orans posture. The priest needed some air!

This priest did not participate in the deceased’s (Methodist) funeral. He officiated the graveside burial ceremony only (without being assisted by any protestant minister). The burial happened hundreds of miles away from the deceased’s home town, at a family cemetery.

 

[Tarpeian_Rock]

OK, as a layman, I must confess that I am not familiar with the many apparent styles of vestments. I have assisted priests in vesting, but they always told me what to present. I know the difference between an alb and stole, but not a cassock and chasuble and surplice and cope. There seems to be a lot of overlap in these terms.

This is a photo I took at the burial ceremony. I have omitted the priest’s face, because it seems that some people think that “overdressing” for a protestant burial is somehow inappropriate, and it is far from my intent to “accuse” the priest of anything inappropriate.

http://i.picresize.com/images/2015/11/14/aS4rL.jpg

I am not asking if the priest did “too much,” but I am asking if he did more than was required. Did he go above and beyond the “call of duty” by vesting in heavy garb (by whatever name) in the Florida summer heat. If he did so, he did it out of respect (as he was a family relation, and he conducted the burial at the request of the deceased’s spouse). And he did so at a fair amount of personal discomfort. Try wearing four layers of clothing in a Florida summer. I was in a shirt and light blazer, and was really hot.

He was wearing ordinary black-and-white clericals under these extra layers. Whatever that outer garment is called, it was heavy. And it covers at least 3/4 of him (moreso when he is seated).

Hey, maybe this is the actual origin of the orans posture. The priest needed some air!

This priest did not participate in the deceased’s (Methodist) funeral. He officiated the graveside burial ceremony only (without being assisted by any protestant minister). The burial happened hundreds of miles away from the deceased’s home town, at a family cemetery.

OK, that’s a cope, a cape-like vestment appropriate for a solemn committal. It’s uses are described in earlier responses. Perhaps unusual at a graveside but definitely a mark of special respect. Definitely sacrificial in the heat!

 

[FrDavid96]

OK, as a layman, I must confess that I am not familiar with the many apparent styles of vestments. I have assisted priests in vesting, but they always told me what to present. I know the difference between an alb and stole, but not a cassock and chasuble and surplice and cope. There seems to be a lot of overlap in these terms.

This is a photo I took at the burial ceremony. I have omitted the priest’s face, because it seems that some people think that “overdressing” for a protestant burial is somehow inappropriate, and it is far from my intent to “accuse” the priest of anything inappropriate.

I don’t think anyone is accusing him of doing anything inappropriate.

I think you might be misunderstanding the comments about a chasuble.

The chasuble is the “ponco-like” outer vestment which is always worn at Mass (there’s another style but that’s beside the point here) by the priest. In that photo the priest is not wearing a chasuble.

The chasuble is a vestment usually worn at Mass, and usually not-worn for services other than Mass. There are some exceptions, most notably when something else is attached-to the Mass, either because it’s done in the middle of Mass or immediately before or after.

I can say that, from my point of view, I never thought that he was doing anything inappropriate. I also re-read the posts, and I don’t see that anyone else thought that (maybe I missed it).

I am not asking if the priest did “too much,” but I am asking if he did more than was required. Did he go above and beyond the “call of duty” by vesting in heavy garb (by whatever name) in the Florida summer heat. If he did so, he did it out of respect (as he was a family relation, and he conducted the burial at the request of the deceased’s spouse). And he did so at a fair amount of personal discomfort. Try wearing four layers of clothing in a Florida summer. I was in a shirt and light blazer, and was really hot.

Technically, yes. The cope is always optional. Given the fact that he was not required to wear it, but he chose to wear it in the heat means that he did do more than he was strictly required to do.

He was wearing ordinary black-and-white clericals under these extra layers. Whatever that outer garment is called, it was heavy. And it covers at least 3/4 of him (moreso when he is seated).

The outer garment is called a cope (similar to the word cape).

He also wore an alb (long white undergarment), stole, and cinture (belt).

Hey, maybe this is the actual origin of the orans posture. The priest needed some air!

This priest did not participate in the deceased’s (Methodist) funeral. He officiated the graveside burial ceremony only (without being assisted by any protestant minister). The burial happened hundreds of miles away from the deceased’s home town, at a family cemetery.

Again, I don’t see where anyone is accusing the priest of doing anything improper.

My earlier comments about the rubrics were meant to express the fact that there are several different options, and different sets of circumstances which call for different vestments. Most importantly, there is no one single answer to the question “what does a priest wear at the graveside?” It varies.

 

[zab]

Catholic Liturgical garb.

 

[otjm]

Out here in the wild and wooly West, I have been to innumerable funerals. It has been ages (as in, decades, and more than 2) since I have seen a priest at the graveside in anything but clericals and a stole.

And no one took umbrage at it.

 

[Phemie]

Out here in the wild and wooly West, I have been to innumerable funerals. It has been ages (as in, decades, and more than 2) since I have seen a priest at the graveside in anything but clericals and a stole.

And no one took umbrage at it.

That’s also what I usually see here. The priest removes his vestments before he hops in with the funeral director for the short drive to the cemetery.