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Wjdav43
Guest
Can a Catholic priest wear regular lay clothes under his priestly vestments when celebrating the Mass?
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japhy
Guest
Yes, although if his clothes are visible at the neckline, a special vestment called an amice should be worn to cover that up. But there is nothing requiring a priest to wear “blacks” underneath his alb.
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ConstantineTG
Guest
Yes. I’ve heard in warmer weather the priest may even wear shorts and even a plain white t-shirt underneath.
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TheMc
Guest
Yes, priests may wear whatever they want underneath vestments, as long as it is covered up, (as BenedictGal said). The one exception is bishops. They usually (always?) must wear a cassock beneath their alb. But beneath the cassock, they can still wear whatever they want.
Hope this helps!
Hope this helps!
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Luger
Guest
Not so.
I don’t think the Pope wears a dalmatic any longer under the chasuble anymore either…
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Matthew_Holford
Guest
He wore the dalmatic at the Masses he celebrated on his recent visit to Britain.
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Tarpeian_Rock
Guest
Not sure about that. I’ve been in sacristys when 2 different bishops vested - one of them being the cathedral sacristy - and not a cassock in sight.
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Phemie
Guest
I’ve never known our bishop to wear a cassock but he’s usually in clericals under his vestments.
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Andreas_Hofer
Guest
Well, yes and no. The liturgical books themselves do not require a specific form of dress underneath the liturgical vestments, but canon law, on the other hand, does require secular clerics to wear what their episcopal conferences determine to be clerical dress and those priests who belong to religious institutes or societies of apostolic life to wear the dress proper to their institute. Thus, outside of cases of emergency or necessity, you could accurately say that an American secular priest is required to wear clerical blacks or a cassock underneath his vestments, a Franciscan from a strict community is required to wear his habit underneath, and a Jesuit has no obligation in this regard. In other words, it all depends upon the status of the priest, combined with any extenuating circumstances that might justify deviation from the law.
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Luger
Guest
That’s nice to hear. I don’t believe it’s a requirement any longer however…
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Matthew_Holford
Guest
“The vestments worn by the bishop at a liturgical celebration are the same as those worn by presbyters; but, in accordance with traditional usage, it is fitting that at a solemn celebration he wear under the chasuble a dalmatic …” (Ceremonial of Bishops #56). I suppose the phraseology is vague enough to make it optional.
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NewEnglandPriest
Guest
Not exactly. The USCCB’s legislation for Clerical Dress states: “In liturgical rites, clerics shall wear the vesture prescribed in the proper liturgical books. Outside liturgical functions, a black suit and Roman collar are the usual attire for priests. The use of the cassock is at the discretion of the cleric.”
The sign of one’s priesthood in a liturgy is the priest’s stole, thus how many symbols of priestly ordination really need to be worn?
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rick43235
Guest
I’ve never thought of this before. Now, every time I go to mass, I’m going to be wondering, “What, if anything, is he wearing under there?”
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Andreas_Hofer
Guest
Touche. You’ve eliminated one category, but allow me to cling to my point: those religious institutes who still consider the habit an integral part of their religious life presumably still regulate the dress of their members even under liturgical vestments. Can you pull the rug out from under me on that one, or will it stand on its own merits?
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jason_58201
Guest
i remember as a kid, serving mass, our priest use to wear shorts and sandles to mass under his alb. some of the old ladies were up in arms over this and he put the issue to bed one sunday and proudly asked them during his homily, what do you think Jesus wore under his robe? he would also sometimes when the weather was warm, and our church had no a/c, wear just his alb and stole for mass, he said the chasable was too warm for him,
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Pregustator
Guest
More like “never”, actually. At least not these days; at least not in the USA. Once in a while you chance across a story about a US prelate celebrating a Tridentine liturgy who gets himself all gussied-up in all the episcopal finery of yesteryear: purple choir cassock (with red buttons, piping, and sleeves), purple stock, purple tassled cincture, purple hose (or even buskins), white pontifical shoes (or even embroidered pontifical sandals), lace rochet (with red sleeves and ties), purple cappa magna (with or without an ermine hood), purple skullcap and biretta…have I forgotten anything?
Back in my Lefebvrist days I was a sacristan at the seminary of the Society of St. Pius X in Winona, MN, when Bishop Williamson was still rector. Having a bishop for a rector, pontifical ceremonies were celebrated fairly frequently. With the exception of the cappa magna, the bishop wore all of those aforementioned sartorial goodies when pontificating. He would arrive in the sacristy from his suite already dressed in his purple choir cassock, purple hose, and white shoes (which looked both magnificent and ridiculous at the same time). It was a beautiful thing to actually watch a bishop vest for a pontifical liturgy of the “old” rite. The bishop recited a prayer in Latin with each vestment he adorned himself with.
The exquisite vestments were very elaborately and artfully laid-out on the vesting table of the sacristy in the order in which they were handed to the bishop. Each article was picked up by the head sacristan, who handed it to the MC, who handed it to the archpriest, who kissed it and handed it to the bishop (or placed it on the bishop’s person, as required). The bishop’s zucchetto and pectoral cross were always presented on a gold-plated salver. This elaborate and lengthy vesting ritual always reminded me of the “lever” of the kings of France.
But that’s high church pre-Vatican II traditionalism, of course. You don’t really see that sort of thing in most bishops’ sacristies any longer. The bishop of my diocese has frequently “pontificated” at my parish church–where I am also sacristan–and the scene is much different. The bishop, arriving in a black clerical suit, hangs up his jacket, removes his rabat, throws his own alb on over his tee-shirt and black trousers, then puts his own vestments on as he converses and jokes with everyone. It takes him all of five minutes to vest. There is no ceremony at all…and certainly no cassock!
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JHow
Guest
Funny story!
First there was WWJD (What would Jesus do), now shall there be WWJW (what would Jesus wear)?
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