Priest using wrong altar cloths and vestment colors

  • Thread starter Thread starter gat6325
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
G

gat6325

Guest
Hi All,

We’re in the season of Advent. Altar cloths and vestments are supposed to be purple, right?

For the second year in a row, our pastor is using blue cloths and vestments. I don’t mean, “blue–almost purple”–I mean really blue–not even close to purple.

A number of people (including myself) are concerned. Some have approached the pastor who has dismissed the concern.

I realize that altar cloths and vestments are expensive (I understand somewhere around $3,000), but shouldn’t the church be using the correct colors? One of the beautiful things about our Catholic religion is that you can walk into a church anywhere in the world right now, and see the same color altar cloths and vestments, hear the same readings, etc.

Are we nitpicking here? Should we forget about it? How serious is this error? These things (however small) are the kinds of things that confuse the flock. There’s enough confusion out there already.

Thoughts?
 
maybe it is about the price. im sure if everyone went in on it, you could buy it for the church.
 
Our parish is in an upper class community. Fact is, if it is about the money, I believe strongly if our pastor got up in front of the congregation and said something like, “Folks, I’m in a real bind. Our altar is not dressed properly. We got sent the wrong color last year (or whatever the reason is), and we need about $3k pronto to make things right. Can you help in a second collection this weekend?”. He’d get the $3k without a doubt.

Problem is, our pastor has not given anyone a reason why the cloths and vestments are blue, and worse–hasn’t given a reason why he won’t change them to the correct color, so it leaves us speculating.
 
gat6325 said:
Our parish is in an upper class community. Fact is, if it is about the money, I believe strongly if our pastor got up in front of the congregation and said something like, “Folks, I’m in a real bind. Our altar is not dressed properly. We got sent the wrong color last year (or whatever the reason is), and we need about $3k pronto to make things right. Can you help in a second collection this weekend?”. He’d get the $3k without a doubt.

Problem is, our pastor has not given anyone a reason why the cloths and vestments are blue, and worse–hasn’t given a reason why he won’t change them to the correct color, so it leaves us speculating.
Click to expand...
Is it possible that sometime the priest’s sense of pomp and circumstances mixed with his sense of aesthetic may give origin to some form of “minor” liturgical abuse?

Is it possible that while wanting to follow the Bishop instructions it is hard for him to publicly admit that he did something wrong in the past, especially considering the fact that he is the one that should know best?
 
I had a similar concern with the Monseigneur at the Cathedral here in Stockton, CA. Ive been pretty impressed with him. He was honest and straight when i asked him questions about the TLM in Stockton (“to be honest, most of us have just forgotten”) and is one of the more orthodox priests ive seen here.

I’m going to the cathedral for advent because i’m sick of the horrendous masses at our school, and i thought he was celebrating in blue vestments. They were nice enough looking for modern vestments, but it bugged me. After mass, however, it turns out they were purprle with blue stripes, which i guess is good enough for me.
 
coleraine said:
maybe it is about the price. im sure if everyone went in on it, you could buy it for the church.
Click to expand...
And then get the sweetest old lady of the congregation to present it to him. He’ll have to use it then. 😃
 
Here are some links to sites selling vestments

luzarvestments.co.uk/newvestmentgothic.htm

paxhouse.com/vestments.html#GOTHIC

this link is just to advent vestments
churchsupplies.com/store/acvestments.shtml

kauferco.com/oscommerce/index.php?cPath=105_66

as far as i know you dont have to have a colored alter cloth. but you can go down to the fabric store, by an appropriate sized cloth and hem up the edges.

hope this helps

like the previous poster said, get a little old lady to present it to your Priest, he cant refuse then:thumbsup:
 
gat6325 said:
Hi All,

We’re in the season of Advent. Altar cloths and vestments are supposed to be purple, right?

For the second year in a row, our pastor is using blue cloths and vestments. I don’t mean, “blue–almost purple”–I mean really blue–not even close to purple.

A number of people (including myself) are concerned. Some have approached the pastor who has dismissed the concern.

I realize that altar cloths and vestments are expensive (I understand somewhere around $3,000), but shouldn’t the church be using the correct colors? One of the beautiful things about our Catholic religion is that you can walk into a church anywhere in the world right now, and see the same color altar cloths and vestments, hear the same readings, etc.

Are we nitpicking here? Should we forget about it? How serious is this error? These things (however small) are the kinds of things that confuse the flock. There’s enough confusion out there already.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
I think somebody needs to find a hobby.
 
geezerbob said:
This post has nothing to do with the subject being discussed. Try again.
Click to expand...
When somebody gets that upset because they don’t like the color scheme, I believe it does. He needs to find some more important things to worry about.
 
war_eagle said:
When somebody gets that upset because they don’t like the color scheme, I believe it does. He needs to find some more important things to worry about.
Click to expand...
But the color scheme has meaning. There is a reason that violet is the color. I feel that the op is well within their right to question this.
 
ralphinal said:
But the color scheme has meaning. There is a reason that violet is the color. I feel that the op is well within their right to question this.
Click to expand...
It only, perhaps, has meanings to Catholics, not to other faiths as I think War Eagle is.
 
wifeandmomoftwo said:
It only, perhaps, has meanings to Catholics, not to other faiths as I think War Eagle is.
Click to expand...
I think that you are correct but we should also let him know that this is matter of obedience to the Bishops and not only about theological meaning. Probably a non-catholic may not be aware if it.
 
coleraine said:
maybe it is about the price. im sure if everyone went in on it, you could buy it for the church.
Click to expand...
Doesn’t the parish already have purple vestments and altar clothes for Lent??

If so, why was money spent on BLUE vestments?
 
One of the beautiful things about our Catholic religion is that you can walk into a church anywhere in the world right now, and see the same color altar cloths and vestments, hear the same readings, etc

Sounds like you’re complaining that you see purple everywhere EXCEPT this church–which contradicts your “one of the beautiful things” being uniformity.
 
ralphinal said:
But the color scheme has meaning. There is a reason that violet is the color. I feel that the op is well within their right to question this.
Click to expand...
If such a trivial thing was going to cause so much strife in the church, then you should probably just get rid of it.

By the way, did you know that the only time “vestments” is mentioned in the Bible, it’s refering to the priests of pagan religions?

Hmm…
 
war_eagle said:
If such a trivial thing was going to cause so much strife in the church,** then you should probably just get rid of it.**
Click to expand...
Wouldnt that make us Protestant’s then;)
And trivial to whom? You?
 
I thought there was some allowance for blue at advent somewhere in the US…something about it being marian in nature. I thought the vestments on 3 Sunday of advent could be rose too…am I wrong?🤷
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top