Proper attire for priests

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Don_Ruggero said:
How old are you? I am a priest old enough that I am retired and when I was growing up, priests did not wear their collars so as to “never [be] without the collars in the general public.”

One of a number of photos of Karol Wojtyła from his hiking trips with students is attached … and this is from the 1950s. So, again, I ask to what era are you making this unfavorable comparison?

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/df/e2/e6/dfe2e63323773e08fe9d20d198e271f3.jpg

For my part, as I’ve indicated, my practices have not changed in more than 50 years and the practices that are mine were as true for the priests who were the senior priests of my diocese when I was young…which was the precedent for my own practice in this regard.

Then as now, I would not wear clerical attire to do gardening or even work in the parish church if I am cleaning or otherwise organising the sacristy or rummaging around the sacristy/storage.

I typically would not years ago, or now, wear clerical attire to go to the doctor or the hospital as patient/for treatment…or to run errands, any more than my father would have put on his suit and tie to go to the grocery, the florist, or the auto mechanic.
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Thanks Father! It makes perfect sense.🙂
 
Irishmom2 said:
There may be a reason, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good reason.

For the record, Don Ruggero is a priest, and should be shown proper respect by CAF members. **No one **that answered was saying anything that should have had the OP answering “wow.” Often children and uber-rule watchers come on asking questions to perform a gotcha to their parish priest.

As everyone has been saying, it is no one’s business.
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As far as I am concerned the OP’s question was very genuine and some answers were very uncharitable. No wonder OP said “wow”
 
pianistclare said:
FWIW: my dear friend who is a priest says he NEVER ever wears his collar on a plane. The rude and obnoxious remarks from fellow passengers make his travel unbearable. It’s abuse, and they justify if by recalling the abuse of some priests of the past. 😦

So what if “they never didn’t wear their collar”? That only means you never saw them in leisure activity. Years ago as a child, one of our Jesuit priests played basketball regularly with the older altar servers in the school yard. He always wore shorts and a tank top. As did the high schoolers. I never once thought it was inappropriate. :confused:

To say a priest is being uncharitable when the point of the original post was to imply something uncharitable to the priest in a tank top is, well, uncharitable. :doh2:

Some people just don’t realize how they sound. And it sounded awful.
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I was incredibly amused this morning when the pastor at my parish discussed this very thing in his homily. He described how he always wears his collar in public, to identify himself for anyone who may need him. He told a few brief stories, including one about being on a plane, and another about an instance where he was in a store to get some clothes, and someone ranted at him for 20 minutes about how horrible another priest was, despite the fact that said priest was deceased.

I think it all comes down to personality type. There are some priests who are introverted, and they need some “anonymous” time in order to maintain their sanity. There are others who are called to be available anytime and anywhere. In my work I have to interact with priests all the time, and consequently I’m very familiar with about 80% of the priests in the diocese where I live. I’ve come to learn that even though there are certain priests that drive me absolutely bananas, every single one of them is deserving of abundant respect and gratitude.

Wouldn’t it be so much better if every Catholic approached every priest this way? Acknowledging just how monumental their sacrifice is? Showing appreciation for the fact that every priest, no matter his personality or mood on any particular day, has quite literally given his life in service to us? Being thankful for the fact that he willingly listens ad nauseum to our failures and stupidity in the confessional while remaining absolutely trustworthy with our most awful secrets? Recognizing our indebtedness to him for making it possible for us to legitimately receive the Eucharist?

This is why it is absolutely outrageous for anyone to question the “proper attire” for a priest, with some phony concern for “the respect for his office.” Just knock it off. It doesn’t show any respect for his office whatsoever; quite the contrary. It sounds more like a horror story from notalwaysright.com.
 
Don_Ruggero said:
I typically would not years ago, or now, wear clerical attire to go to the doctor or the hospital as patient/for treatment…or to run errands, any more than my father would have put on his suit and tie to go to the grocery, the florist, or the auto mechanic.
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Thank you for answering my question.
 
pianistclare said:
FWIW: my dear friend who is a priest says he NEVER ever wears his collar on a plane. The rude and obnoxious remarks from fellow passengers make his travel unbearable. It’s abuse, and they justify if by recalling the abuse of some priests of the past. 😦

So what if “they never didn’t wear their collar”? That only means you never saw them in leisure activity. Years ago as a child, one of our Jesuit priests played basketball regularly with the older altar servers in the school yard. He always wore shorts and a tank top. As did the high schoolers. I never once thought it was inappropriate. :confused:

To say a priest is being uncharitable when the point of the original post was to imply something uncharitable to the priest in a tank top is, well, uncharitable. :doh2:
N
Some people just don’t realize how they sound. And it sounded awful.
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This is an interesting post. This year we had eighth grade volleyball team verses the clergy our three priest and three deacons wore navy blue t-shirts with clergy across the front and maroon shorts, those are the school colors and I did not see that as in appropriate either. However the clergy did not have very good luck that night they were totally creamed by the students. What did they expect when they agreed to play against district champions. They were good sports about it though.
 
Irishmom2 said:
There may be a reason, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good reason.

For the record, Don Ruggero is a priest, and should be shown proper respect by CAF members. **No one **that answered was saying anything that should have had the OP answering “wow.” Often children and uber-rule watchers come on asking questions to perform a gotcha to their parish priest.

As everyone has been saying, it is no one’s business.
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And nothing in the OP should have given the impression that it was a “gotcha” question.
 
pianistclare said:
FWIW: my dear friend who is a priest says he NEVER ever wears his collar on a plane. The rude and obnoxious remarks from fellow passengers make his travel unbearable. It’s abuse, and they justify if by recalling the abuse of some priests of the past. 😦

So what if “they never didn’t wear their collar”? That only means you never saw them in leisure activity. Years ago as a child, one of our Jesuit priests played basketball regularly with the older altar servers in the school yard. He always wore shorts and a tank top. As did the high schoolers. I never once thought it was inappropriate. :confused:

To say a priest is being uncharitable when the point of the original post was to imply something uncharitable to the priest in a tank top is, well, uncharitable. :doh2:

Some people just don’t realize how they sound. And it sounded awful.
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You’re right. People don’t realize how they sound.
 
1neophyte said:
This is why it is absolutely outrageous for anyone to question the “proper attire” for a priest, with some phony concern for “the respect for his office.” Just knock it off. It doesn’t show any respect for his office whatsoever; quite the contrary. It sounds more like a horror story from notalwaysright.com.
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Please don’t speak to me this way. It’s disrespectful towards me simply because you have a preconceived false notion as to why I asked a question. I hope you got something out of the homily.
 
polki said:
And nothing in the OP should have given the impression that it was a “gotcha” question.
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I was not responding to your post, nor was I implying that is what you did, so I am not sure what you are even responding to.
 
Crusaderbear said:
Our pastor loves to garden, so a collar is out! It depends on whar activity they are engaged in. Leave The fashion police badge at home!
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LOL. I remember when my daughters were like 4 and 5 and were intrigued with priests for a spell of time. They asked me if a priest had special “priest pajamas” that were black with a white thing like the one around his neck at Church." It was adorable as a ? from little kids that were curious. Can you imagine special Vatican issues pajamas and the Fashion Police checking to make sure all the police were in compliance? NOT

God Bless,

Mary.
 
Crusaderbear said:
Our pastor loves to garden, so a collar is out! It depends on whar activity they are engaged in. Leave The fashion police badge at home!
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I don’t know. We had a neighbor who mowed his lawn in a suit. I’m not recommending it at all. I’m only saying it isn’t unheard of.
 
MaryT777 said:
LOL. I remember when my daughters were like 4 and 5 and were intrigued with priests for a spell of time. They asked me if a priest had special “priest pajamas” that were black with a white thing like the one around his neck at Church." It was adorable as a ? from little kids that were curious. Can you imagine special Vatican issues pajamas and the Fashion Police checking to make sure all the police were in compliance? NOT

God Bless,

Mary.
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I thought the same thing back in the 60’s…🙂
 
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