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blackstone
Guest
Why do the Catholic Clergy wear those fancy garments? Do they have any religious significants and if so what/
Blackstone
Blackstone
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Della
Guest
First off, welcome to the board, Blackstone!
They may appear fancy to you, but at one point in history all men wore robes.
Many do today for special occasions and reasons. At graduations everyone dresses in robes to indicate they are graduating or that they are the dean of this college or that, etc. Our priests and deacons only wear their robes of office during the Liturgies of the Church to signify what office they hold and that they have the authority of that office.
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LSK
Guest
What a great question!
There is significance in the garments worn during Mass. There is significance in the colors too.
Here is the website where I found some information for you:
newadvent.org/cathen/15388a.htm
And here is some information:
By liturgical vestments are meant the vestments that, according to the rules of the Church or from ecclesiastical usage, are to be worn by the clergy in performing the ceremonies of the services of the Church, consequently, above all, at the celebration of the Mass, then in the administration of the sacraments, at blessings, the solemn recitation of the canonical hours, public services of prayer, processions, etc. The liturgical vestments of the Latin Rite are: the amice, alb, cincture, maniple, stole, tunicle, dalmatic, chasuble, surplice, cope, sandals, stockings (or buskins), gloves, mitre, pallium, succinctorium, and fanon. The pope has the most elaborate and the greatest number of liturgical vestments, for all the vestments mentioned belong to him. The vestments of the priest are the amice, alb, cincture, maniple, stole, chasuble–vestments which the priest wears at the celebration of the Mass–then, in addition, the surplice and the cope. Besides the vestments worn by the priest the liturgical dress of the bishop includes also the tunic, dalmatic, sandals, buskins, gloves, and mitre; those of the archbishop include further the pallium. The subdiaconal vestments consist of the amice, alb, cincture, maniple, and dalmatic; those of the deacon of amice, alb, cincture, maniple, stole, and dalmatic. Finally, the lower clergy wear the surplice as a liturgical vestment, a vestment that belongs to all the grades of ordination.
Hope this helps!
There is significance in the garments worn during Mass. There is significance in the colors too.
Here is the website where I found some information for you:
newadvent.org/cathen/15388a.htm
And here is some information:
By liturgical vestments are meant the vestments that, according to the rules of the Church or from ecclesiastical usage, are to be worn by the clergy in performing the ceremonies of the services of the Church, consequently, above all, at the celebration of the Mass, then in the administration of the sacraments, at blessings, the solemn recitation of the canonical hours, public services of prayer, processions, etc. The liturgical vestments of the Latin Rite are: the amice, alb, cincture, maniple, stole, tunicle, dalmatic, chasuble, surplice, cope, sandals, stockings (or buskins), gloves, mitre, pallium, succinctorium, and fanon. The pope has the most elaborate and the greatest number of liturgical vestments, for all the vestments mentioned belong to him. The vestments of the priest are the amice, alb, cincture, maniple, stole, chasuble–vestments which the priest wears at the celebration of the Mass–then, in addition, the surplice and the cope. Besides the vestments worn by the priest the liturgical dress of the bishop includes also the tunic, dalmatic, sandals, buskins, gloves, and mitre; those of the archbishop include further the pallium. The subdiaconal vestments consist of the amice, alb, cincture, maniple, and dalmatic; those of the deacon of amice, alb, cincture, maniple, stole, and dalmatic. Finally, the lower clergy wear the surplice as a liturgical vestment, a vestment that belongs to all the grades of ordination.
Hope this helps!
S
sententia
Guest
LOl that is a very wide question. Yes, everything signigicance, most of it symbolic. Do you mean priests when celebrating mass, religious (nun/monk/brother/), general dress as you see in pics of the vatican, etc? If you can find a pic, that would be helpful
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Fidelis
Guest
Hi Blackstone - welcome to the forums.
What you call “fancy garments” are what are called vestments. They are worn during special occasions like the Mass as part of the solemn and celebratory atmosphere of the liturgy. Some are indeed very fancy, but some, especially for everyday use, are very plain.
There’s nothing unscriptural about vestments. God commanded that they be used in the Old Testament. Look at Exodus 28:2–4:
“For your brother Aaron you will make sacred vestments to give dignity and magnificence. You will instruct all the skilled men, whom I have endowed with skill, to make Aaron’s vestments for his consecration to my priesthood. These are the vestments which they must make: a pectoral, an ephod, a robe, an embroidered tunic, a turban, and a belt. They must make sacred vestments for your brother Aaron and his sons, for them to be priests in my service.” The rest of the chapter gives details on each garment.
Nothing in the New Testament requires abolition of ministerial vestments. Our Lord criticized the Jewish leaders for their sins, but he never condemned their priestly garb.
The garments themselves have varrious levels of significance. The primary one is the color. There are certain colors attached to certain occasions or “seasons” of the year. For most of the year --what is called Ordinary time-- the color is green. For Lent and Advent, penitential purple is used. And so forth.
Interestingly enough, what we now think as “fancy” garments is actually based upon the commom manner of dress in the early years of the Church. So, while fashions of the world came and went, the vestments have stayed the same for almost 2000 years
M
mercygate
Guest
. . . Just to connect the dots here, Catholics believe that our priesthood derives from and participates in the one true Priesthood of Jesus Christ, the great high priest. There is only one Priest: Jesus Christ. His once-for-all Sacrifice on Calvary was the fulfilment and consummation of all the temple Sacrifices, and our Mass participates in that same perfect Sacrifice. Thus, our altar, vestments, incense, and sacred vessels take their form and significance both from the old Temple and from its consummation via Calvary in the Eternal Sacrifice of the Lamb of God (Revelation).
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