The Color of Vestments

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Q: Would you please explain the different colors used at Mass and the vestments? In my travels, I have even seen blue and black vestments which I have never seen before.

The Church’s liturgical norms do prescribe specific vestment colors for various celebrations. The purpose of utilizing different colors for vestments is twofold: first, the colors highlight the particular liturgical season and the faithful’s journey through these seasons. Second, the colors punctuate the liturgical season by highlighting a particular event or particular mystery of faith. The following explanation is based on the norms of The General Instruction on the Roman Missal.

White or gold, colors symbolizing rejoicing and purity of soul, are worn during the liturgical seasons of Christmas and Easter. White vestments are also used for feasts of our Lord (except those pertaining to His passion), the Blessed Virgin Mary, the angels and the saints who were not martyrs. White vestments are also worn on the Solemnity of St. Joseph and the feasts of All Saints, St. John the Baptist, St. John the Evangelist, the Chair of St. Peter and the Conversion of St. Paul. White may also be used for Masses of Christian Burial and Masses for the Dead to signify the resurrection of our Lord, when He triumphed over sin and death, sorrow and darkness.

Red has a dual imagery. On one hand, red symbolizes the shedding of blood and is therefore used on Palm Sunday (when Christ entered Jerusalem to prepare for His death), Good Friday, any other commemoration of the Lord’s passion, the votive Mass of the Precious Blood, the days marking the martyrdom of the apostles (except St. John who survived his martyrdom) and the feasts of other martyrs who offered their lives for the faith.

On the other hand, red also signifies the burning fire of God’s love. For this reason, red vestments are worn on Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles and tongues of fire rested on their heads; for the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation and for the votive Masses of the Holy Spirit.

Green is used during the liturgical season called Ordinary Time. This season focuses on the three-year period of our Lord’s public ministry, and the Gospel passages, particularly on Sundays, recount His teachings, miracles, exorcisms and other deeds during this time. All of these teachings and events engender great hope in the mystery of salvation. We focus on the life He shared with mankind during His time on this earth, the life we share now with Him in the community of the Church and through His sacraments, and we look forward to sharing everlasting life with Him perfectly in Heaven. Green symbolizes this hope and life, just as the hint of green on barren trees in early spring arouses the hope of new life.

Violet or purple is used during Advent and Lent as a sign of penance, sacrifice and preparation. At the midpoint of both of these seasons — Gaudete Sunday (the third Sunday of Advent) and Laetare Sunday (the fourth Sunday of Lent) — rose-colored vestments are traditionally worn as a sign of joy. We rejoice at the midpoint because we are halfway through the preparation and anticipate the coming joy of Christmas or Easter. Some liturgists, particularly in the Episcopalian Church, have introduced the use of blue vestments during Advent as a way of distinguishing this season from Lent; however, no approval for blue vestments has been given for the Catholic Church. Purple vestments may also be used for Masses of Christian Burial or Masses for the Dead.

Although not seen very frequently in the United States today, black vestments may be worn for Masses of Christian Burial as a sign of death and mourning. Black may also be used on the Feast of All Souls or for any Mass of the Dead, such as on the anniversary of the death of a loved one.

In all, the colors of the vestments awaken us to the sense of sacred time. They are another visible way to make present the sacred mysteries we celebrate.

In the East, the basic distinction is between Bright and Dark vestments. The newly ordained (whether to the priesthood, the diaconate, or even the subdiaconate) will typically acquire a set of Gold (bright) vestments and a set of Purple (dark) vestments, the latter used principally during Great Lent, then gradually add colors for finer distinctions, usually in the order given below:

Red for feasts of Martyrs and Apostles, Palm Sunday, Great Thursday and feasts of the Cross falling outside Great Lent, but also for the Nativity Fast.

White for Paschatide. (Gold is used for other joyous feasts of the Lord.)

Green for Pentecost and the season following (shorter than “ordinary time” in the West).

Blue for feasts of the Theotokos, the Dormition Fast and when the Akathist Hymn to the Theotokos is served on Fridays during Great Lent.

And lastly, Black for the Great and Holy Week, excepting Great Thursday, and funerals. (Many priests who have served for many years never get around to getting a set of black vestments, using Purple instead for the occasions when Black would be appropriate).

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