Mrs. Anne Hach

[AnneHach]

Hello, Is a priest suppose to wear a chasobul? (sp?) Where would I find information about this? The Girm on the web? Anywhere else. Is this an abuse of any kind? This is being done by one of the assistants consistently.

What does post a poll mean?

 

[John_Higgins]

Welcome, Anne. The word is chasuble, and I’ll post a link to the online General Instruction to the Roman Missal soon, if no one beats me to it.

John

 

[Brendan]

GIRM 337

337: “Unless otherwise indicated, the chasuble, worn over the alb and stole, is the vestment proper to the priest celebrant at Mass and other rites directly connected with Mass.”

And restated in Redemptionis Sacramentum

1. “The vestment proper to the Priest celebrant at Mass, and in other sacred actions directly connected with Mass unless otherwise indicated, is the chasuble, worn over the alb and stole. Likewise the Priest, in putting on the chasuble according to the rubrics, is not to omit the stole. All Ordinaries should be vigilant in order that all usage to the contrary be eradicated.

While there are some instances where a priest might where only and alb and stole, or even just the stole itself, those should be by far the exception.

Most commonly one might see a priest concelebrating with only an alb and stole. This might be due to a lack of proper colored chasubles for the visiting priest. A chaplain (military\hospital\prison) might say Mass with just a stole on, especially if working out of his ‘Mass Kit’

But there should be very little reason for a priest in his own parish to be without a chasuble at Mass.

 

[deaconswife]

You left out one reason why a priest might be wearing just an alb and stole - heat. We have a mission church without air conditioning that is locked up all week. Occassionally we have weeks were the temperature is in the high 90’s or low 100’s which makes it really hot in the church. We have had priests fully vested who have passed out due to the heat. Out of concern for the priests who say Mass at the church (many older or with health problems) our pastor has told them to only wear the alb in stole if we have a week with extremely high temperatures.