Should priests wear black vestments for funeral Ordinary Form Masses?

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Should priests wear black vestments for funeral Ordinary Form Masses? (This used to be the practice.)

If so, how do you think the relatives of the deceased would take it?
 
Lepanto said:
Should priests wear black vestments for funeral Ordinary Form Masses? (This used to be the practice.)

If so, how do you think the relatives of the deceased would take it?
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Why should it bother them?
 
palmas85 said:
Why should it bother them?
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Many people in our society don’t want to be reminded of death. (I know, ironic at a funeral.)

At most of the funerals I’ve attended the vestments were white. Don’t ask me why, but the custom was always black.
 
The GIRM specifies White, Purple or Black.

So, it is permissible. Purple is currently normative outside England and Wales. White is specific for England and Wales.

White or “Festive” (Silver or Gold) may be substituted if appropriate for Ritual Masses.

GIRM 346.

Note: locally, white and purple have been used by the Latins… white for cleric’s funerals, purple for everyone else’s I’ve seen.

Also note: vestment colors are different for the eastern churches.
 
I like the symbolism of white for a funeral Mass. It links death to baptism and our dying to our rising. It is hopeful.
 
I saw the vestments at NLM earlier tonight. They were quite nice. I also noticed that all the monks were tonsured. Quite something. Still, I wonder if the family or the deceased could request that the priest wear black vestments? I don’t see why not. They use a white cloth to over the coffin, which is compared to the baptismal gown-- so the argument for white vestments is negligible, imho.

I like the black vestments-- but I don’t want to think of such things at the moment. Honestly, I don’t know how family members would react. I guess it would just depend.
 
One local priest always wears black at funerals. Some family members are bothered by it, some are not.

He also always makes a point in his homily to remind us of our own mortality. Yes, some people are uncomfortable with that (it seems our whole society is), but he is doing exactly what he should.
 
As it is stated, White, black, and purple are options. Black I can understand, but I can also understand the critics that one does not want to “mourn as those with no hope”, but black also says it is OK to mourn. Someone has left us. It is sad.

White I can honestly say I cannot understand. When I am told that it is to celebrate the resurrection and the new life of the deceased. This defeats the liturgical and theological reasoning for a funeral Mass: To pray for the soul. To pray that this person’s sins may be forgiven. We are not there to celebrate someone’s life on earth. The color white, being the color of saints, seems to give the impression of canonization or surety that someone is in the kingdom of heaven; something we are not sure of. Certainly individuals can think so, but in the gathering of the Church for prayer, it is not proper to allude to such things.

I really feel the most proper color for funerals is purple; the color of prayer and penitence. We gather together to pray and do penance for the deceased. What would be more proper that to wear the color of penitence?

Of course, this is just my two cents and the decision on what is allowed and not allowed is above my pay grade.
 
I told my PV that if I pre-decease him, he’ll be handling my funeral. This includes wearing either black or purple vestments. I’ve seen too many funerals (especially, most recently, my step-grandfather’s) turn into a canonization of the deceased.

I also told him that if I hear any SLJ banality, I would scream from my casket, break the latch open and tell them to shut up! 😃

It is rather tiring to hear even Catholics describe the funeral as a celebration of someone’s life. Hey, unless something extraordinary happens, I have a gut feeling that I’ll be spending significant amount of time making reparation in purgatory. I don’t want someone celebrating my life. I want someone to pray for my soul.

Incidentally, white vestments weren’t worn for Pope John Paul’s funeral. Red were used.

That is why black or purple is the color that I want used, since I am neither a saint nor the Supreme Pontiff.
 
Me, I want colors of the feast of the day, for the saint being commemorated is more important than I am in the grand scheme.

But I’ll let the Priest in charge have his choice. After all, he’s the one going to be having to put up with my friends and relatives… 😉
 
Our parish priest usually wears purple for Requiem Masses. A simple chasuble with a celtic cross on the front.
 
The last Requiem Mass I served as an altar boy was my grandmother’s in 1965. Father’s vestments were, of course, black. I have not seen black or purple vestments since that time. White has been the only color.

I can see the point about white reflecting our baptism but I’m with Benedictgal re: Purgatory. If I could have my way, I’d have the Dies Irae said or chanted at my funeral. As a sinner, I don’t want anyone celebrating my life. Like she said, pray for me. Those of us who were raised before Vatican II pray for the poor souls in Purgatory. To this day, I regularly pray for the repose of the souls of my family and those of my friends who have passed away. I don’t see this being done very much in HMC today. The white vestments may have had something to do with this.
 
Black is of course the “old school” choice for funeral vestments, I don’t think anyone would really object to that choice.

White seems to be the most common color nowadays, so maybe some of the young people might be a bit perplexed by black vestments, but I don’t think anyone would really be offended.
 
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