O
O.S.Luke
Guest
The clergy SHIRT was a Protestant invention - and it’s classified as a CLERICAL, not a VESTMENT. Before the clerical collar/shirt, Protestant clergy wore linen preaching tabs/bands held in place by a wrap-around cloth with either a cassock OR an academic gown. Clergy shirts were an invention to simplify all that clothing. Catholic priests did not adopt clergy shirts until much later, and re-made the neckband collar into a “tab” collar.
Before that, there really was no “street garb” for clergy - hence, no clergy shirts or clerical collars. The Fourth Lateran Council was when clergy were instructed to wear “distinctive” clothing - not for theological or ecclesiological reasons, but mainly so the public would take notice if they went into places where clergy shouldn’t go! In later years, Catholic clergy dress was divided into three categories: choir dress, pian dress, and daily dress. Pope Pius IX issued a “paper” (you really can’t call it a decree) in 1870 that pretty much dictated the way clergy dressed for choir, pian, and daily dress. Vatican II made very subtle changes. All this is for secular clergy by the way, not those in religious orders.
Before all this, clergy wore tunics or chasubles (similar to the Eucharistic vestment we now see) - and they were covered basically from neck to top of the feet… so even if you HAD been wearing a clerical collar, no one would have seen it. This article from New Advent is an interesting read.
The first mention of a Roman collar was the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, 1884:
McLeod (a Scottish Anglican) invented the clerical collar, but not the Roman tab collar. And no one is sure if the tab collar was invented first, or if the collarrette that goes around a neckband collar to LOOK like a tab collar was (in the end, does it matter?). I’m just thankful that neckband collars are made out of plastic now instead of linen. I wonder how old Methodist and Episcopalian pastors wore starched linen around the neck AND kept them white, especially in the Southern U.S.!
Clothing styles change over time - even clerical wear. And if you’ve ever seen an ecclesiatical outfit’s catalog, you’ll see that clergy wear ain’t cheap… which probably goes against the original purpose of clerical wear: simple, distinctive, and humble.
My :twocents:
Before that, there really was no “street garb” for clergy - hence, no clergy shirts or clerical collars. The Fourth Lateran Council was when clergy were instructed to wear “distinctive” clothing - not for theological or ecclesiological reasons, but mainly so the public would take notice if they went into places where clergy shouldn’t go! In later years, Catholic clergy dress was divided into three categories: choir dress, pian dress, and daily dress. Pope Pius IX issued a “paper” (you really can’t call it a decree) in 1870 that pretty much dictated the way clergy dressed for choir, pian, and daily dress. Vatican II made very subtle changes. All this is for secular clergy by the way, not those in religious orders.
Before all this, clergy wore tunics or chasubles (similar to the Eucharistic vestment we now see) - and they were covered basically from neck to top of the feet… so even if you HAD been wearing a clerical collar, no one would have seen it. This article from New Advent is an interesting read.
The first mention of a Roman collar was the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, 1884:
Roman clergy were given some latitude on dress when bicycles became commonplace in Europe (ever try to ride a bike wearing a dress or robe?), and eventually lessened to what we are used to seeing priests wear today.
McLeod (a Scottish Anglican) invented the clerical collar, but not the Roman tab collar. And no one is sure if the tab collar was invented first, or if the collarrette that goes around a neckband collar to LOOK like a tab collar was (in the end, does it matter?). I’m just thankful that neckband collars are made out of plastic now instead of linen. I wonder how old Methodist and Episcopalian pastors wore starched linen around the neck AND kept them white, especially in the Southern U.S.!
Clothing styles change over time - even clerical wear. And if you’ve ever seen an ecclesiatical outfit’s catalog, you’ll see that clergy wear ain’t cheap… which probably goes against the original purpose of clerical wear: simple, distinctive, and humble.
My :twocents:
