The cassock, an item of clerical clothing, is a long, close-fitting, ankle-length robe worn by clerics of the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglican Church, and some clerics of the Reformed, and Lutheran churches. The cassock derives historically from the tunic that was formerly worn underneath the toga in classical antiquity.
The word cassock probably comes from the word "casaque" which means cloak; or cassaca, which means white. In older days, it was known in Latin as vestis talaris.
Although the cassock was formerly the universal everyday clothing of the clergy, many have abandoned it as in favour of a clerical suit of more conventional design. In current usage, wearing of the cassock may be a mark of a traditional cleric; its abandonment, a rejection thereof.
The amice is a liturgical vestment used mainly in the Roman Catholic Church, in some Anglican churches, and in the Armenian Church. It consists of a white cloth connected to two long ribbon-like attachments, by which it is fastened around the shoulders of the priest. Before the liturgical reforms of 1972, its use was mandatory for all Roman Catholic Masses, but it is only required today if the alb does not cover the priest's ordinary clothing. Many priests choose to wear the amice for reasons of tradition or to prevent damage to their other vestments due to perspiration.
Certain mendicant Orders, such as the Dominicans and Franciscans, and some other orders with hooded habits, often donned the amice over the raised hood. The priest, or minister, then fastened the ribbons - crossed at the chest - behind his chest. The alb was donned over the hood/amice, and fastened. The hood/amice could then be retracted neatly around the collar.
In several Mediaeval uses, such as the Sarum Rite, the amice bore a broad stiff band of brocade or other decoration, giving the impression of a high collar. These were called apparelled amices. This practice was abandoned at Rome at about the end of the 15th century, but continued in other parts of Europe until much later. By 1907, however, the practice was no longer tolerated in Roman Catholic liturgy, but still exists within many Anglican communities.
Curiously enough, this collar-like amice spread to the Armenian Church, where is retained as a normal part of the priestly vestments among the Armenian Orthodox, who call it varkas.
While donning the amice, the priest first drapes the amice over his head (as with a hood), then lowers it to his neck, tying it around his torso. During this action he prays a short prayer asking God to clothe him with the "helmet of salvation".
The alb, one of the liturgical vestments of the Roman Catholic, Anglican and many Protestant churches, is an ample garment of white linen coming down to the ankles and usually girded with a cincture. It is simply the long linen tunic used by the Romans of old. In Early Medieval Europe it was also normally worn by secular clergy in non-liturgical contexts.[1].
It is the oldest liturgical vestment, and was adopted very early by Christians, and especially by the clergy for the Eucharistic liturgy. Nowadays, the alb is the common vestment for all ministers at Mass, both clerics and laypersons, and is worn over the cassock and under any other special garments, such as the stole, dalmatic or chasuble. If the alb does not completely cover the neck of the cassock an amice is then required to be worn underneath the alb. Otherwise the amice is optional. The shortening of the alb for use outside a church has given rise to the surplice and its cousin the rochet worn by canons and bishops. Post Tridentine albs often were made with lace. Since then, this detail has fallen out of style, except in parts of the Anglo-Catholic movement and some Roman Catholic parishes. In many Anglican parishes, the alb is decorated with apparels. In most High Anglican churches the Alb is an undergarment worn under the vestments. In some lower and broad Anglican Churches the Alb is considered everyday wear.
A chasuble-alb is a contemporary Eucharistic vestment that combines features of the chasuble and alb. In the Roman Catholic Church it was first adopted in France, though without official approval. In France it is no longer fashionable. But it has been officially approved in some countries such as the Philippines (see ZENIT article of 25 January 2003), and in Hawaii (see Bishop Larry Silva’s Liturgical Catechesis). It is always white in colour but with a stole of the colour appointed for the Mass of the day worn outside it, in place of the normal white alb and coloured chasuble.
The chasuble is the outermost liturgical vestment worn by clergy for the celebration of the Eucharist in Western-tradition Christian Churches that use full vestments, primarily in the Roman Catholic Church, in "high church" and "broad church" Anglican congregations, and in some parts of the United Methodist and Lutheran Churches. It is also used as the primary Eucharistic vestment in many Lutheran parishes (see Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article XXIV). In the Eastern Churches of Byzantine Rite, the equivalent vestment is the phelonion.
"The vestment proper to the priest celebrant at Mass and other sacred actions directly connected with Mass is, unless otherwise indicated, the chasuble, worn over the alb and stole" (General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 337). Like the stole, it is normally of the liturgical colour of the Mass being celebrated.
The chasuble originated as a sort of conical poncho, called in Latin a "casula" or "little house," that was the common outer traveling garment in the late Roman Empire. It was simply a roughly oval piece of cloth, with a round hole in the middle through which to pass the head, that fell below the knees on all sides. It had to be gathered up on the arms to allow the arms to be used freely.
As the casula became a liturgical garment in the West, it was folded up from the sides. Strings were sometimes used to assist in this task, and the deacon could help the priest in folding up the sides of the vestment. Beginning in the thirteenth century, there was a tendency to shorten the sides a little, as can be noticed in the illustration here of a fifteenth-century chasuble. In the course of that fifteenth century and the following century, the chasuble took something like the modern form, in which the sides of the vestment no longer reach to the ankle but only, at most, to the wrist, making folding unnecessary.[1]
At the end of sixteenth century the chasuble, though still quite ample and covering a little of the arms,[2] had become less similar to its traditional shape than to that which prevailed in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when the chasuble was reduced to a broad scapular, leaving the whole of the arms quite free, and was shortened also in front and back. To make it easier for the priest to join his hands when wearing a chasuble of stiff (lined and heavily embroidered) material, the front was cut away further, giving it the distinctive shape often called "fiddleback". Complex decoration schemes were often used on chasubles of scapular form, especially the back, incorporating the image of the Christian cross or of a saint; and rich materials such as silk, cloth of gold or brocade were employed, especially in chasubles reserved for major celebrations.
In the twentieth century, there was a tendency to return to an earlier, more ample, form of the chasuble, sometimes called "Gothic", as distinguished from the "Roman" scapular form.[3] This aroused some opposition, as a result of which the Sacred Congregation of Rites issued on 9 December 1925 a decree against it,[4] which it explicitly revoked with the declaration Circa dubium de forma paramentorum of 20 August 1957,[5] leaving the matter to the prudent judgement of local Ordinaries. There exists a photograph of Pope Pius XI wearing the more ample chasuble while celebrating Mass in Saint Peter's Basilica as early as 19 March 1930.[6]
After the Second Vatican Council the more ample form became the most usually seen form of the chasuble, and the directions of the GIRM quoted above indicate that the beauty should come from its drapery and form rather than elaborate decoration ("fiddleback" vestments were often extremely heavily embroidered or painted with detailed decorations or whole scenes depicted). Hence, the prevalence today of chasubles that reach almost to the ankles, and to the wrists, and decorated with relatively simple symbols or bands and ophreys.
Some see a preference for the "fiddleback" as a sign of traditionalism or even rebellion against the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. However, some priests express simply on grounds of taste and comfort a preference for the scapular form, which continues to be included in mainstream catalogues of liturgical vestments; and other traditionalist priests prefer, for similar reasons, ampler chasubles of less stiff material.
The phelonion, the Byzantine Rite vestment that corresponds to the Latin Rite chasuble, is cut away from the front and not from the sides.
The stole is a liturgical vestment of various Christian denominations. It consists of a band of colored cloth, formerly usually of silk, about seven and a half to nine feet long and three to four inches wide, whose ends may be straight or may broaden out. The center of the stole is worn around the back of the neck and the two ends hang down parallel to each other in front, either attached to each other or hanging loose. The stole is almost always decorated in some way, usually with a cross or some other significant religious design. It is often decorated with contrasting galoons (ornamental trim) and fringe is usually applied to the ends of the stole (Numbers 15:38-39). A piece of white linen or lace may be stitched onto the back of the collar as a sweat guard which can be replaced more cheaply than buying a new stole
The maniple is a liturgical vestment used primarily within the Roman Catholic Church and occasionally used in some Anglo-Catholic churches. It is an embroidered band of silk or similar fabric that when worn hangs from the left arm. It is only used within the context of the Mass, and it is of the same liturgical colour as the other Mass vestments.[1] In 1967 with the Second Instruction on the Liturgy, the Roman Catholic Church made the maniple an optional vestment, shortly before the promulgation of the reformed Mass of Paul VI two years later. While the maniple was never formally abolished or suppressed, it eventually fell out of general use. The maniple is, however, still a required vestment for the celebration of the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, which is more commonly referred to as the Tridentine Mass.
The cincture is a liturgical vestment, worn encircling the body around or above the waist. The term has two distinct meanings, the usage generally dividing along denominational lines. Where the context does not indicate which meaning is intended, ambiguity may be avoided by the use of the terms "girdle" and "fascia".
In the Roman Catholic Church, the cincture is a long, rope-like cord with tassled or knotted ends, tied around the waist outside the alb. The colour may be white, or may vary according to the colour of the liturgical season.
When laypeople wear an alb, the cincture is usually tied on the right. As deacons tie their stoles on the right, they often fasten the cincture on the left instead. Priests and bishops usually have the knot of their cincture in front of them; the loose ends are often passed around the stole and tucked through the waist of the cincture at each side. When the cincture is tied in the front and the ends draped on either side, it is called a Roman Knot. Besides its functional rôle in securing the alb and stole, the cincture bears a symbolic rôle, signifying chastity and purity.
The same vestment is widely used in the Anglican and Methodist churches, as well as most Lutheran denominations and some other Protestant churches. However, in these denominations it is usually referred to as a girdle, the term "cincture" being used instead to signify a broad sash worn over the cassock somewhat above the waist. This latter vestment is in the Roman Catholic Church known as a fascia, and the use of this vestment is restricted to ordained clergy and seminarians.
A surplice (Late Latin superpelliceum, from super, "over" and pellis, "fur") is a liturgical vestment of the Western Christian Church. The surplice has the form of a tunic of white linen or cotton material, reaching to the knee or to the ankles, with wide or moderately wide sleeves.
It was originally a long garment reaching nearly to the ground, as it remains in the English tradition, but in the Roman Catholic tradition, the surplice is shorter and is sometimes called with the Italian term cotta
In the Roman tradition, the surplice or cotta sometimes features lace decoration or embroidered bordures, but is most typically plainly hemmed. The lace or embroidery, if present, will often be in the form of inserts set a few inches above the edge of the hem or sleeves.
The surplice is meant to be a miniature alb, the alb itself being the symbol of the white garment received at Baptism. As such, it is appropriately worn by any cleric, by lectors and acolytes, or indeed by altar servers who are technically standing in for instituted acolytes for any liturgical service. It is often worn, for instance, by seminarians when attending Mass and by non-clerical choirs. It is usually worn over a cassock and never alone, nor is it ever gathered by a belt or cincture.
It may be worn under a stole by deacons and priests for liturgical ceremonies or the celebration of sacraments outside of Mass. On occasion, a cope is worn over the cassock, surplice and stole.
As part of the choir dress of the clergy, it is normally not worn by prelates (the pope, cardinals, bishops, monsignori, and some canons) - instead, these clerics wear the rochet, which is in fact a variant of the surplice.
The surplice belongs to the vestes sacrae (sacred vestments), though it requires no benediction before it is worn.
A rochet is a vestment generally worn by a Roman Catholic or Anglican Bishop in choir dress. It is unknown in the Eastern Churches. The rochet is similar to a surplice, except that the sleeves are narrower. In the Roman Catholic tradition, the rochet comes below the knee and its sleeves and hem are of lace; in the Anglican tradition, the rochet comes down almost to the hem of the cassock and its sleeves are gathered at the wrist.
The word stems from the Latin rochettum (from the late Latin roccus, connected with the Old High German roch, roc and the A.S. rocc; Dutch koorhemd, rochet, French rochet, German Rochett, Chorkleid, Italian rocchetto, Spanish roquete), means an ecclesiastical vestment.
The dalmatic is a long wide-sleeved tunic, which serves as a liturgical vestment in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and United Methodist Churches, sometimes worn by a deacon at the service of worship or mass and, although infrequently, by bishops as an undergarment above the alb. Like the chasuble, it is an outer vestment and is supposed to match the liturgical colors of the day. At a Pontifical High Mass, it is worn by the bishop under the chasuble.
Historically, the dalmatic was a garment of Byzantine dress, and was adopted by Emperor Paul I of the Russian Empire as a coronation and liturgical vestment. In Russian Orthodox icons of Jesus Christ as King and Great High Priest he is shown in a dalmatic. [1]
It was a normal item of clothing at the time when ecclesiastical clothes began to develop separately around the fourth century, worn over a longer tunic by the upper classes, and as the longest part of the dress of men of lower rank. In the Eastern Orthodox Churches and Eastern Catholic Churches, there are two vestments very similar to the dalmatic. The first is the sticharion worn as the outer vestment by subdeacons and deacons and servers and as an undergarment by priests and bishops, strictly speaking, corresponding to a Western Alb. The second is the sakkos, which is more elaborately decorated and more amply cut, worn as an outer vestment by the bishops, derived from Byzantine imperial dress, and hence identical in origin to the Western Dalmatic. In the Roman Catholic Church the subdeacons wore a vestment called the tunicle which was originally distinct from a dalmatic but by the 17th century the two became identical, though a tunicle was often less ornamented than a dalmatic, the main difference being only one horizontal stripe versus the two becoming a deacon's vestment. Today, the tunicle is rare in the Roman Catholic Church as only certain authorized clerical societies (such as the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter) have subdeacons.
The cope (Known in Latin as pluviale 'rain coat' or cappa 'cape') is a liturgical vestment, which may conveniently be described as a very long mantle or cloak, open in front and fastened at the breast with a band or clasp. It may be of any liturgical colour.
A cope may be worn by any rank of the clergy. If worn by a bishop it should be accompanied by a Mitre. The often highly ornamented clasp is called a morse.
The mitre (sometimes also spelled miter), from the Greek μίτρα, 'headband' or 'turban', is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial head-dress of bishops and certain abbots in the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, some Lutherans, and also bishops and certain other clergy in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Catholic Churches and the Oriental Orthodox Churches.
The Pallium or Pall (derived from the Roman pallium or palla, a woollen cloak) is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Roman Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the Pope, but for many centuries bestowed by him on metropolitans and primates as a symbol of the jurisdiction delegated to them by the Holy See.
A crosier (crozier, pastoral staff, paterissa, pósokh) is the stylized staff of office (pastoral staff) carried by high-ranking Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and some Lutheran and Pentecostal prelates. The other typical insignia of most of these prelates, but not all, are the mitre and the episcopal ring.
The humeral veil is one of the liturgical vestments of the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. It consists of a piece of cloth about 2.75 m long and 90 cm wide draped over the shoulders and down the front, normally of silk or gold. At the ends there are usually pockets in the back for hands to go into so that the wearer can hold items without touching them with his hands.[1] When it was more widely used as part of the Liturgy, before the reforms surrounding Vatican II, the humeral veil normally matched the liturgical colours of the vestments, or otherwise was of white or gold.
It is most often seen during the liturgy of Exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. The priest or deacon uses it when he holds the monstrance over the people at the benediction part of the rite. The Celebrant covers his hands with the ends of the veil so that his hands do not touch the monstrance, thus symbolizing that it is Jesus present in the Eucharistic species that blesses the people and not the minister.
The Humeral Veil is also commonly seen on Holy Thursday and Good Friday when the Ciborium containing the Blessed Sacrament is processed to and from the Altar of Repose, for Adoration on Holy Thursday and for distribution on Good Friday.
Until the reform of the minor orders after the Second Vatican Council, it was also used by the subdeacon at High Mass when he carried the chalice, paten, or other sacred vessels since those were to be touched only by the deacon. This use remains in communities which use the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite.
The vimpa, similar to a humeral veil, is sometimes used during a Pontifical Mass. Whenever a bishop presides over Mass and uses a mitre and crosier, the altar servers assigned to hold those items for the prelate would cover themselves with the vimpa before holding them, symbolizing that the items do not belong to them.
A pectoral cross or pectorale (from the Latin pectoralis, "of the chest") is a cross, usually large, suspended from the neck by a cord or chain. Most pectoral crosses are made of precious metals (platinum, gold or silver) and some contain precious or semi-precious gems. In many Christian denominations, it is a sign that the person wearing it is a member of the clergy and it may signify that the wearer is a member of the higher or senior clergy; however, in many Western churches there are an increasing number of laypeople who choose to wear a pectoral cross.
While many Christians, both clergy and laity, wear crosses, the pectoral cross is distinguished by both its size (up to six inches across) and that it is worn in the center of the chest below the heart (as opposed to just below the collarbones).
Throughout the centuries, many pectoral crosses have been made in the form of reliquaries which contain alleged fragments of the True Cross or relics of saints. Some such reliquary pectorals are hinged so that they open to reveal the relic, or the relic may be visible from the front through glass.
The zucchetto (plural zucchetti, Italian for "small gourd"), also called pileolus, is a small skullcap worn by clerics of the Roman Catholic Church and within Anglicanism (the Episcopal Church in the U.S.). It was first adopted for practical reasons — to keep the clergy's tonsured heads warm in cold, damp churches — and has survived as a traditional item of dress. It consists of eight panels sewn together, with a stem at the top. Its name may derive from its resemblance to half of a pumpkin, or from the fact that it covers a larger "pumpkin" (i.e., the head).
All ordained members of the Roman Catholic Church are entitled to wear the zucchetto. As with much ecclesiastical apparel, the colour of the zucchetto denotes the wearer's rank: the Pope's zucchetto is white, those worn by cardinals are red or scarlet, and those of bishops and territorial abbots and territorial prelates are violet. Priests and deacons wear a black zucchetto although the use of the zucchetto by priests in actual practice is extremely rare aside from abbots, and the custom is even rarer among deacons. A black zucchetto with red piping was formerly the mark of a protonotary apostolic or canon, but this is no longer authorized. A white zucchetto is worn by Premonstratensian prelates. A brown zucchetto-like garment and similar black skullcap is sometimes worn by Franciscan friars and Benedictine or Trappist monks respectively, but this is usually a more substantial cap used for actual head-warming rather than as a ceremonial accoutrement.
All clerics who hold the episcopal character (that is to say, bishops — whether the Pope, cardinals, titular bishops or diocesan bishops) wear the zucchetto throughout most of the Mass, removing it at the commencement of the Canon and replacing it at the conclusion of the Communion. A short stand placed on the altar, usually made of brass or wood and known as a funghellino is used in some churches to hold the zuchetto during that part of the service. No other people are permitted to wear the zucchetto at Mass. Also, the zucchetto continues to be worn while the mitre is being worn; it is placed inside it (a mitre is bottomless, so the zuchetto sits on the head while the mitre is around it).
The late Pope John Paul II often gave guests the zucchetto he was wearing as a keepsake if presented with a new one as a gift. Other recent popes have also held the same practice. If visiting the pope, one may wish to speak with his secretary beforehand about the practice, and confirm that the new zucchetto is the correct size and is otherwise appropriate.
The zucchetto is worn by some Anglican bishops, mostly in Africa, but is used according to the same practice as that of the Roman Catholic Church. A recent example of this is the zucchetto worn by Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa.
A mantelletta, Italian diminutive of Latin mantellum 'mantle', is a sleeveless, knee-length, vest-like garment, open in front, with slits instead of sleeves on the sides, fastened at the neck, once even more common than the mozzetta.
The ferraiolo or ferraiuolo is a type of cape traditionally worn by clergy in the Roman Catholic Church on formal, non-liturgical occasions. It is worn over the shoulders, extends in length to the ankles, is tied in a bow by narrow strips of cloth at the front, and does not have any 'trim' or piping on it.
The colour of the ferraiolo is determined by the rank of the cleric, being black for priests, violet for supernumerary protonotaries apostolic and bishops and scarlet for cardinals. A ferraiolo of watered silk denotes the wearer is attached to the Papal household. The Pope does not wear a ferraiolo.
As with many other items of clerical clothing and vestments, the ferraiolo originated as an item of clothing for Roman citizens, originally being knee-length.
The fascia is a sash worn by clerics and seminarians with the cassock in the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Church. It is also worn with the simar by those entitled to the simar's use. It is not to be worn as a belt but should be placed above the waist between the navel and the breastbone (sternum). The ends that hang down should be worn on the left side of the body and placed a little foward but not completely off the left hip. Technically, the fascia is not a vestment, but is part of the choir dress.
The pope's fascia is white. Only the pope may have his Coat of Arms placed on the ends of the fascia that hang down near or past the knees. The fascia worn by cardinals is scarlet red. The fascia worn by Patriarchs, Archbishops, Bishops and Monsignori is purple. The fascia worn by simple priests, deacons and seminarians is black.
It should not be worn by those that take up the cassock only for liturgical functions (e.g. altar servers, &c.) Unless, of course, the men be seminarians or clerics.
Prior to the changed that followed the Second Vatican Council there were two types of fascia: the tufted fascia, on which each end was finished in a single large tassel, and the fringed fascia, on which each end is straight and finished with fringe. Currently, only the fringed fascia is used.
The Ring of the Fisherman, also known as the Piscatory Ring and the Pescatorio (in Italian), is an official part of the regalia worn by the Pope, who is described by the Catholic Church (of which he is the head) as the successor of Saint Peter, who was a fisherman by trade. It features a bas-relief of Peter fishing from a boat, a symbolism derived from the tradition that the apostles were "fishers of men" (Mark 1:17). The Fisherman's Ring is a signet used until 1842 to seal official documents signed by the Pope.
A new ring is cast in gold for each Pope. Around the relief image is the reigning Pope's Latin name in raised lettering. During the ceremony of a Papal Coronation or Papal Inauguration, the Dean of the College of Cardinals slips the ring on the third finger of the new Pope's right hand. Upon a papal death, the ring is ceremonially crushed in the presence of other cardinals by the Camerlengo, in order to prevent the sealing of backdated, forged documents during the interregnum, or sede vacante.
A letter written by Pope Clement IV to his nephew Peter Grossi in 1265 includes the earliest known mention of the Ring of the Fisherman, used for sealing all private correspondence by pressing the ring into red sealing wax melted onto a folded piece of paper or envelope. Public documents, by contrast, were sealed by pressing the papal seal into lead melted on the document. Such documents were historically called papal bulls, named after the stamped bulla of lead. Use of the Fisherman's Ring changed during the 15th century when it was used to seal official documents called papal briefs. That practice ended in 1842, when the wax with its guard of silk and the impression of the ring was replaced by a stamp which affixed the same device in red ink.
Through the centuries, the Fisherman's Ring did not become known for its practical use but by its feudal symbolism. Borrowing from the traditions developed by medieval monarchs, followers showed respect to the reigning Pope by kneeling at his feet and kissing the Fisherman's Ring. The tradition continues to this day.