Where did the cassock go?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Biedrik
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
B

Biedrik

Guest
So the title of this thread states the question quite obviously. I’ve always wondered about this, as I have seen cassocks worn by priests in other countries that I’ve been to, but here in America I never see it happen. I always see priests wearing what is basically a suit with the roman collar. How did this change happen? Why did priests in America cease to wear the cassock? Does anyone know of priests who still wear it?
 
The last priest I remember wearing a cassock was the one in my parish in the mid 60s. He wore it all the time, even when riding his tractor in the field.

But this summer we have a seminarian working in our parish who wears a cassock at Mass on Sundays. The older people are thrilled but some of the parish leaders worry that he’s giving the wrong impression: because of the collar people who are just meeting him often mistake him for a priest or assume that he’s more than just a second year student. In fact, the older people think he should be the one doing everything related to liturgy even though he’s not even an instituted lector or acolyte – not that the average PIP knows what those are.
 
The cassock means dramatically different things to different people.

When my mother (baby boomer) sees one, she immediately expects that priest to be imperious, a lousy listener, self-serving and uncompassionate. Something about how she grew up, I suspect.

When I see one (and I sometimes do!), I have hope that it is a statement made by the priest that the priesthood isn’t just his job, but his identity. (True story: I had an associate priest once that never wore clericals and if people recognized him off-parish and asked a question or asked for confesssion, he’d decline and tell them he was off-duty-make an appointment.) I hope that he can be relied upon to give me the teachings of the church rather than his personal opinion untethered to catholicism. It seems like a statement that he has chosen to be a subordinate follower of Christ rather than see himself as a leader of men.

Both of these are probably unrealistic generalizations. It’s just a garment. Don’t judge a man by his garment. Find out the character of the man who wears it.
 
The ICRSS priests and FSSP priests wear them. So do the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer, the Redemptorists, the Oratorians, some of the Irish Christian Brothers. The Christian Brothers (de la Salle) still wear them with the preaching bands. The Brothers of the Holy Cross still wear them sometimes. Also, the Patrician Brothers and the Brothers of Charity, and the Brothers of Mercy still do. The Institute of Christ the Priest (Spain) also wear them. The Society of the Good Shephard priests still wear them. The Opus Dei, and even alot of the Jesuits wear cassocks…and that’s to name I a few I can think of off the top of my head, though, it all depends on where you lives to.
 
I have seen priests and seminarians wearing cassocks in my diocese. Not that common but not extremely unusual either.
 
Biedrik said:
So the title of this thread states the question quite obviously. I’ve always wondered about this, as I have seen cassocks worn by priests in other countries that I’ve been to, but here in America I never see it happen. I always see priests wearing what is basically a suit with the roman collar. How did this change happen? Why did priests in America cease to wear the cassock? Does anyone know of priests who still wear it?
Click to expand...
Well, strictly speaking it has never been of obligation for diocesan priests to wear the cassock in the United States except in church and in the house (Third Council of Baltimore). It is this alone which has changed . Even prior to the Council, clerical suits were worn on the street - there are some interesting curiosities there, like priests in Nebraska being allowed to wear white suits with sports shoes.

Surprisingly, even in Rome, until the Council secular priests did not have to wear the cassock on the street. Bishops and cardinals wearing a cassock as part of everyday wear only really took some root after the pontificate of Pius IX. Uptil then, the usual street wear was a clerical suit, only a bit fancier. Cardinals for example, wore one trimmed in red, with red stockings, and a pectoral cross.

OTOH, the cassock was often the canonical everyday garment in certain longtime Catholic countries like France and Spain (though even here, there could be variation between dioceses).
 
At the beginning of high school in 1968, all of the priests in my Jesuit High School (around 25 or so) wore a cassock. By the time I graduated four years later, not one priest in my school still wore the cassock. In fact most priests had switched to plain clothes (that is a coat and tie).

That is how swiftly this particular modernization occurred in my experience.

So to answer your question, they went into the dust bin.
 
Biedrik said:
So the title of this thread states the question quite obviously. I’ve always wondered about this, as I have seen cassocks worn by priests in other countries that I’ve been to, but here in America I never see it happen. I always see priests wearing what is basically a suit with the roman collar. How did this change happen? Why did priests in America cease to wear the cassock? Does anyone know of priests who still wear it?
Click to expand...
Our priests do!! God bless them all!!

Our pastor’s 30th anniversary celebration

~Liza
 
Back in NJ, the priests at my parish wore both; one favored the suit with the collar and one favored the cassock. Here, our priest is a Franciscan and wears the robes of his order; I think he wears the suit and collar other times.

What bugs me are priests who wear regular, secular clothes and don’t wear traditional ones. It’s like they’re ashamed to openly declare their special mission as Catholics.
 
Lycorth said:
Back in NJ, the priests at my parish wore both; one favored the suit with the collar and one favored the cassock. Here, our priest is a Franciscan and wears the robes of his order; I think he wears the suit and collar other times.

What bugs me are priests who wear regular, secular clothes and don’t wear traditional ones. It’s like they’re ashamed to openly declare their special mission as Catholics.
Click to expand...
It really, really bothers our parishioners when we have ecumenical services and all the Protestant ministers are wearing clericals and our pastor is in slacks and a polo shirt.
 
Many of the priests in our diocese do.

We have an associate pastor that wears one frequently.

Msgr Deptula of the Abp. Sheen cause wears one quite frequently.

I think in our area, alot if it has to do with what activities are on their schedule for the day.
 
giuseppeTO said:
At the beginning of high school in 1968, all of the priests in my Jesuit High School (around 25 or so) wore a cassock. By the time I graduated four years later, not one priest in my school still wore the cassock. In fact most priests had switched to plain clothes (that is a coat and tie).

That is how swiftly this particular modernization occurred in my experience.

So to answer your question, they went into the dust bin.
Click to expand...
The cassock went to the same place that the chapel veil, the suit on Sunday and the altar rail went.

Everybody seems to remember these things but they got sucked into the black hole of the modern day and nobody really knows why they are gone.
 
I know that some traditional priests who always wear the cassock will not wear one when they are traveling by air because they can always count on being harassed with a second search both at security and as they board the aircraft.

Also, remember that even during the Second Vatican Council, then-Father Ratzinger is pictured attending in a coat and tie. When the changes were coming fast and furious, the change to secular clothing was an important signal to the world that one was a progressive-minded clergyman. Doubly so, showing up in Rome at the Vatican for a council in plain clothes.
 
Phemie said:
It really, really bothers our parishioners when we have ecumenical services and all the Protestant ministers are wearing clericals and our pastor is in slacks and a polo shirt.
Click to expand...
It better bother THEM!!!👍
Onegin said:
The cassock went to the same place that the chapel veil, the suit on Sunday and the altar rail went.

Everybody seems to remember these things but they got sucked into the black hole of the modern day and nobody really knows why they are gone.
Click to expand...
Time to wash the dust off…stand up…and be proud of our Catholic Identity

A priest…is on a mission from God. :knight1: When people see him, they should immediately know.

A cassock says “I am proud to be Catholic.”
 
My priest usually wears a cassock, sometimes he’ll go with the all black pants, shirt, jacket, white collar look.

Funny story though, after our Mass on campus, our Priest was telling us some of his vacation stories from the beach with his brother’s family. One of the students (extremely gullible) exclaimed that it must stink being at the beach, and that it must be really hot in all that black clothing in the sand. He replied with a perfect straight face “oh no, we are allowed to wear a bathing suit, but I just have to keep the collar on” haha.
 
Let’s turn the question around for a moment.

Where did the cassock come from?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top