Is Clergy Attire in Daily Life aTradition or Personal Choice?

[elenjeff]

I’ve always been curious about the significance of clergy attire outside of the liturgy. While vestments like chasubles and stoles are clearly tied to the Mass, I’ve noticed that some priests wear cassocks daily, while others opt for clerical suits.

Is there a specific tradition or Church guideline that influences these choices? Does wearing traditional attire outside of church affect how clergy are perceived in their communities?

 

[HomeschoolDad]

I’ve always been curious about the significance of clergy attire outside of the liturgy. While vestments like chasubles and stoles are clearly tied to the Mass, I’ve noticed that some priests wear cassocks daily, while others opt for clerical suits.

Is there a specific tradition or Church guideline that influences these choices? Does wearing traditional attire outside of church affect how clergy are perceived in their communities?

Traditionally, priests wore cassocks, full-length garments, usually black, that signified their separation from the world. In more recent years, priests have largely abandoned wearing of the cassock, but many younger, more tradition-oriented priests have resumed wearing them. The Third Plenary Council of Baltimore forbade American priests (religious orders might have had different rules) from wearing the cassock in public, this due in no small part to anti-Catholicism in a largely Protestant society. (Talk about the tail wagging the dog!)

I am always very happy to see a priest wearing a cassock in public. As with a religious sister in a habit, there is no ambiguity about who and what they are.