For some time now, I've been profoundly interested in the idiosyncracies of Catholic priest dress - particularly everyday (formal) and choir dress. Due to its uniqueness, in particular the dress of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest canons has piqued my interest. It is my understanding that the formal dress entails a black cassock with blue buttons and trimming + pellegrina, with a blue fascia for ALL the priests, superiors and the general (no zucchetto or pectoral though, as that would make them look too much like bishops or cardinals). Or is it just the general, and the lower-ranking canons wear theirs with no pellegrina, or completely black? Or perhaps, is the privilege of wearing hte blue-buttoned cassock in everyday situations tied to Monsignor status, such as Chaplain of His Holiness, which the Prior General happens to hold? Regarding the choir dress - it is said that it consists of a cassock, rochet, manteletta and mozzetta + biretta & distinctory. However, most available images (both photos and illustrations) also seem to include a second cape of sorts that encompasses the priest's figure even more widely and seems to be worn right under the mozzetta. While the Prior General is demonstrated to wear this part in full blue in the schematic, Gilles Wach seems to wear it black, in this photo for instance: This cape of sorts is not described anywhere (I can't find it at least). So my question is: is this part a ferraiulo? It seems to be a completely separate layer from the manteletta, which is directly below it. Whether it is indeed a ferraiulo or not, then it would seem that these canons' choir dress is the most extensive and elaborate out of all Catholic clergy, combining the manteletta with the mozzetta, and even throwing in this extra cape for good measure. But I would like to be sure what exactly it is. Thanks!

My previous question pertained to the weird manteletta/mantellone hybrid the ICKSP canons seem to wear in choir, but here I would like to focus just on the cassocks. There is some conflicting information circulating regarding the type of cassock the ICKSP canons wear in choir - some sources show a plain, fully black cassock, while others suggest a black one with aqua blue buttons and piping, like the one Prior Genral Wach is wearing here as his formal outfit (with a matching pellegrina, fascia and even a ferraiolo, no less): The priests accompanying him have fully black cassocks, fascias and ferraiolos, with no pellegrina, and I'm assuming they're also of the ICKSP because of the ferraiolo (a sign of travel or envoy). And that appears consistent with what I've seen of the canons in choir dress too - fully black cassocks. I've perused many photos showing both canons and superiors, and I was unable to find a single one where blue buttons/piping would be visible (where it was even possible to see the front of the cassock, which was usually hidden by the mantelletta), in fact they seemed to be fully black at all times. One exception would be one of the Superiors, who wore a cassock with purple buttons and piping ("traditional" canon/Chaplain of his Holiness cassock) in one picture - somewhat coloristically jarring, but understandable. So is it that only the Prior General is entitled to a blue-laced black cassock as a sign of his authority, while all other canons (including superiors) wear fully black cassocks on all occasions? That would make him mirror a bishop in the difference between a piped normal cassock and a fully-colored choir one.

I'm aware that black mozzettas are usually bestowed upon canon chapters. Most of them, however, will use at least ones with purple piping and buttons (some of them with crimson ones, or fully purple mozzettas like those of bishops). I wonder though - are fully black mozzettas used somewhere at all? Perhaps by some particularly modest canon chapter or some such? They're definitely sold from many places, so there must be some degree of demand for them.

In this video by the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, we can see brief moments of the procession into the church. At the front of the procession with the cardinal (at 5:04), there appears to be a man dressed in archaic *secular* clothes holding a red hat. It seems obvious this is related to the dignity of a cardinal, but why is he dressed that way? Right behind him are two clerics who appear to be wearing ferraioli . The ferraiolo is also seen at other places, why might a priest wear this instead of choir dress ? Lastly, in the same video we see at minute 2:58, a man wearing, again, archaic secular dress wielding a pike. Why is he there?

I was reading about the gift that President Biden gave to Pope Francis and wondering what a "Fiddleback Chasuble" was. What I stumbled upon on wikipedia was this interesting tidbit that it pulls from the old Catholic Encylopedia: > The priest in discharging his sacred functions at the altar was dressed as in civil life, but the custom probably grew up of reserving for this purpose garments that were newer and cleaner than those used in his daily ministry, and out of this gradually developed the conception of a special liturgical attire > > https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03639a.htm I was skeptical reading this in wikipedia, but I trust the Catholic Encyclopedia. Now, this might have made sense in the olden days, but with all the movies (with all their great information and well research facts about traditional religion) that have been produced in the last hundred years, one might be apt to think that the vestments of the Catholic priesthood were anything except secular garb as they seem to resemble Jewish or pagan priests. Is this just an anachronism? What evidence do "ecclesiologists" have that early priests were just wearing their Sunday best, like everyone else?

**Reference request about Catholic mitres within the Latin Rite?** I desire to try my hand at making a mitre that is no longer in style within the Roman Rite. I am fixed on this one from the *Catholic Encyclopedia*’s article on the development of the shape of the mitre ; the article is too vague on this particular mitre: > **Development of the shape of the Mitre** > > As regards shape, there is such difference between the mitre of the eleventh century and that of the twentieth that it is difficult to recognize the same ornamental head-covering in the two. In its earliest form the mitre was a simple cap of soft material, which ended above in a point, while around the lower edge there was generally, although not always, an ornamental band (circulus). It would also seem that lappets were not always attached to the back of the mitre. Towards 1100 the mitre began to have a curved shape above and to grow into a round cap. In many cases there soon appeared a depression in the upper part similar to the one which is made when a soft felt hat is pressed down on the head from the forehead to the back of the head. In handsome mitres an ornamental band passed from front to back across the indentation; this made more prominent the puffs in the upper part of the cap to the right and left sides of the head. This calotte-shaped mitre was used until late in the twelfth century; in some places until the last quarter of the century. From about 1125 a mitre of another form and somewhat different appearance is often found. In it the puffs on the sides had developed into horns (cornua) which ended each in a point and were stiffened with parchment or some other interlining. This mitre formed the transition to the third style of mitre which is essentially the one still used today: the third mitre is distinguished from its predecessor, not actually by its shape, but only by its position on the head. While retaining its form, the mitre was henceforth so placed upon the head that the cornua no longer arose above the temples but above the forehead and the back of the head. The lappets had naturally, to be fastened to the under edge below the horn at the back. The first example of such a mitre appeared towards 1150. Elaborate mitres of this kind had not only an ornamental band (circulus) on the lower edge, but a similar ornamental band (titulus) went vertically over the middle of the horns. In the fourteenth century this form of mitre began to be distorted in shape. Up to then the mitre had been somewhat broader than high when folded together, but from this period on it began, slowly indeed, but steadily, to increase in height until, in the seventeenth century, it grew into an actual tower. Another change, which, however, did not appear until the fifteenth century, was that the sides were no longer made vertical, but diagonal. In the sixteenth century it began to be customary to curve, more or less decidedly, the diagonal sides of the horns. The illustration gives a summary of the development of the shape of the mitre. It should, however, be said that the changes did not take place everywhere at the same time, nor did the mitre everywhere pass through all the shapes of the development. A large number of mitres of the later Middle Ages have been preserved, but they all belong to the third form of mitre. Many have very costly ornamentation. For even in medieval times it, was a favourite custom to ornament especially the mitre with embroidery, rich bands (aurifrisia), pearls, precious stones, small ornamental disks of the precious metals; and even to use painting. Besides several hundred large and small pearls, a mitre of the late Middle Ages in St. Peter's at Salsburg is also ornamented with about five hundred more or less costly precious stones; it weighs over five and a half pounds. Similar mitres are also mentioned in the inventory of 1295 of Boniface VIII. Eight medieval mitres are preserved in the cathedral of Halberstadt. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the mitre was ornamented with rich, heavy embroidery in gold, which gave it a still more imposing appearance. A mitre of the eighteenth century preserved in the cathedral treasury at Limburg-on-the-Lahn is remarkable for the large number of precious stones that adorn it. The original material of the mitre appears to have been white linen alone, but as early as the thirteenth century (with the exception of course of the simple mitre) it was generally made of silk or ornamented with silk embroidery. **Can anyone furnish me with details on when this particular mitre was in usage within the Church and where?** If one could find a pattern for it, that would be awesome. However, I feel that this is unrealistic!

In the following YouTube video clip (Messe à Notre-Dame de Paris du 20 janvier 2019 ) in which it is clearly visible that the priest celebrating mass in the Paris Notre Dame is wearing some kind of *Order* or special 5-star or cross medallion. What is this cross or star? What does it mean?

**What is the origins of Popes wearing a white soutane with other articles of clothing such as *mozzetta* in red?** Most sources say that the pope wears a white soutane since the time of Pope Pius V. > That is the traditional understanding of why the pope wears white. In fact, Pope Pius V simply continued to wear the habit under his papal robes, as a sign of familial affection to the Order, but also as a sign of humility: beneath the symbol of authority invested in the papal garb, he remained a humble friar. > > According to another tradition, still quite widespread in 1700 and reported by Filippo Bonanni, in his work “Of Sacred Hierarchy” (Roma 1720), the use of the white robe for the popes derives from “the appearance of a white dove at the time of the martyrdom of St. Fabiano” ( L’Osservatore Romano July 14, 2010). - Why Is the Pope Always Dressed in White? Yet another source claims the white soutane is linked to Pope Innocent V in 1276: > The first popes probably wore the common dress of their time, though increased power and prestige beginning in the time of Constantine caused that attire to become more regal in appearance. Later, like many clerics, they may also have worn academic gowns if they came from a university. Many of the liturgical and nonliturgical vestments used today have their origins in the everyday gowns and capes of earlier times, though some had political or academic symbolism attached to them. > > It is believed that the white cassock became standard dress for the pope because of Innocent V, who was elected in 1276. He was a learned friar of the religious order founded by St. Dominic. As the first Dominican pope, he continued to wear the white habit of the order during his short pontificate. A professor of theology at the University of Paris, he was revered as an enlightened scholar and powerful preacher whose papacy sought peace and union with the Eastern Church. His renown must have affected his successors as it soon became common for the pope to appear in daily attire consisting of a white habit similar to the dress of the Dominican order. - Why does the pope wear white? I am interest in a canonical answer that also reveals the origins of the symbolism of these two papal clothing colours.

Yesterday, at a restaurant in Rome, at the table next to mine, there were seated four people: a Catholic priest (in a kind of cassock), two lay people, and the woman in the photo, who apparently wears some kind of religious uniform (as well as a crucifix on a chain) that I couldn't recognise. Does anyone know which uniform is this?

Is there a historical reason why the liturgical colour purple eventually replaced black to symbolize penance? This question does not have its' answer in the difference between the two forms of the Latin Rite as both rites employed the liturgical colour purple during the penitential season of Lent! >In the twelfth century, Pope Innocent III was the first to specify the colours of the vestments that were to be used for the Roman Rite; almost certainly this reflected prevailing custom in Rome, not an invention on his part. Although a separate subject from this article, it is well to remember that it was only towards the end of the 1st Millenium that the question of vestment colour became a significant one.Black was designated for penitential and funeral liturgies, but violaceus was indicated as a substitute for black. Pope Innocent’s treatise De sacro altaris mysterio (Book I, chapter 65, which was written before his election as pope in 1198) seems to be the first indication that violaceus had come to be regarded as a penitential colour for the Roman Rite. > >If the Royal Purple colour which emerged in Late Antiquity Europe as a substitute for Tyrian Purple incorporated what Innocent III refers to as violaceus how did it come to be regarded as a colour of Penance rather than Status? - The Saint Bede Studio Even the Lyon Rite chose to employ "Ashen" coloured vestment during Lent and not purple unless ash coloured vestments could not be obtained. >"Ash" colored vestments are utilized from Ash Wednesday until the Mass of the Lord's Supper exclusive. Where Ash is not available violet is used. And black comes out of the sacristy for Masses of the Dead and Good Friday. A parish could survive on only three or four sets of vestments. - The Rad Trad Can any historical reason be found as to how or why the liturgical colour purple eventually replaced the traditional black as a symbol of penance within the Catholic Church?

**Mitred women in the Catholic Church?** Historically, we know that there were women in the Early Church, who were non-ordained deaconesses. I know that male deacons and even kings have been given the privilege of wearing a mitre. But is there any historical evidence of women wearing the mitre within the Catholic Church? > The mitre is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of bishops and certain abbots in traditional Christianity. Mitres are worn in the Catholic Church, Orthodox Church, as well as in the Anglican Communion, some Lutheran churches, and also by bishops and certain other clergy in the Eastern Catholic Churches and the Oriental Orthodox Churches. The Metropolitan of the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church also wears a mitre during important ceremonies such as the Episcopal Consecration.

I am looking for Pre-Vatican II sources of guidelines (norms) for vestment making, including their traditional guidelines for lining colors for the **priestly vestments that priests wear at the altar**, as well as what color of orphrey s* are permitted on the vestments, etc. For example, I believe that it was tradition that sliver was the only color that was allowed to adorn black vestments prior to Vatican II? Any sources would be greatly appreciated. *The *OED* defines "orphrey" as "2. *Christian Church*. A usually richly embroidered ornamental border, band, or panel on a liturgical vestment, altar frontal, etc."

According to the NIV, Mathew 9:20-21: > Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years > came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to > herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” Some websites, such as this and that , claim that the "edge of his cloak" refers to a tzitzit , or traditional Jewish fringes. Is this a reasonable inference based on this passage?

In several places around the Internet I have seen it stated that the Pope does not wear a biretta. Why not? Is it merely that there are no occasions when he would, because he is always presiding over a celebration? Or is there another significance?

I've heard that the cope originated as a raincoat the priests would wear in outdoor processions, and it was never dropped as part of priestly vestments per the mode of the Church in general, not to drop traditional things. However, when looking at some photos of some paintings in the (one of, if not the) oldest (discovered) Synagogue—Dura Europos—, I was shocked to find what looked like a Cope (worn by priests, but especially part of the Papal regalia) on the Highpriest Aaron. " class="img-fluid rounded" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto; margin: 10px 0;" loading="lazy"> I was shocked because it looks identical to a papal cope, worn here for instance by Pope Benedict XVI (minus the [Papal Tiara](http://biblelight.net/PiusXIcrowned.jpg) , but complete with *fabulous* shoes): Clearly its being the 'same thing' as what Aaron is wearing (a distinctly liturgical piece of clothing) is incompatible with its having been a raincoat which was 'never dropped.' But it could of course have been eventually changed to represent symbolically that the Pope is a kind of 'highpriest' among the other bishops (and bishops a kind of 'highpriest' over the priests, I guess you could say—a picture St. Clement draws in the first century), but I find it unlikely that they would have known this is what vestments Aaron wore would look like, as the language of the Bible isn't exactly unambiguous, and seems like more of a summary of the fact that God commanded holy vestments to be a thing. And some kind of 'divine recapiulation'/coincidence is more or less out of the question. And it goes back quite a long timr, it isn't something purely recent due to 'scholarly research.' I found [this](https://i.sstatic.net/62rad.jpg) painting from just over 500 years ago, for instance. If it basically hasn't changed since then, the changes must be very, very gradual, meaning we can interpolate a much earlier date, then, for its origin. Question -- Just what is the origin of the 'highpriestly-looking' cope as used by the Church in her sacred vestments, and when did it first come into use? Does any source mention its development or what is the first mention of its use, for example?

How do Catholics and Eastern Orthodox justify their clergy praying with those big hats on their heads in the face of this scripture? > 1 Cor 11:3-4 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head. The head of man is Christ, and every man who prays with his head covered dishonors his head (Christ). So how can wearing big hats while praying be justified?

Different denominations have different sacred items and garbs available for priests, bishops, and the like. For example, this Wikipedia article on vestments mentions that such liturgical garments are used by "Eastern Orthodox, Catholics (Latin Church and others), Anglicans, and Lutherans". And this article shows some other garments worn by clergy in some denominations. And then Mormons have the temple garments (a form of underwear) discussed in this article . This other question led me to check the YouTube videos of Jehovah's Witnesses meetings but I did not see any specific clothing or other items present in those. Do Jehovah's Witnesses have any specific garments (e.g. underwear) or sacred/symbolic objects used for any particular occasion or church position?

In 1215 at Runneymeade, barons and clerics gathered to get King John to set his seal to the Barons' Charter. According to Roger of Wendover , among them were the pope's representative, Master (bishop) Pandulph , 2 archbishops, 10 bishops and 20 abbots. What colours would the different ranks of clerics mentioned have worn at this period? If anyone could point me to a reliable source on historical vestment colours according to rank, rather than seasonal liturgical use, I'd be most grateful. ADDITION I'm grateful for the responses, and have meanwhile followed a hunch on sumptuary law. According to Wikipedia , >The earliest sumptuary regulations in Christian Europe were church regulations of clergy, distinguishing what ranks could wear which items of vestments or (to a lesser extent) normal clothes on particular occasions; these were already very detailed by 1200, in early recensions of canon law. Next followed regulations, again flowing from the church (by far the largest bureaucracy in Medieval Europe), attempting to enforce the wearing of distinctive clothing or badges so that members of various groups could be readily identified, as branded criminals already could be.[citation needed] This seems a possible source, but I don't read Latin fluently. I found it via this link. If anyone can help further, I'd be grateful.

What color vestments are worn by the Catholic clergy (Roman rite) during Mass, and what is their significance?

Why do leaders in the Roman Catholic Church wear red garments? I understand that the color red can mean a variety of things (Holy Spirit, Pentecost, presence of God, blood of martyrs, etc.), but what specific meaning(s) does the Catholic church place on this color of garment, and who is permitted and/or required to wear red, and under what circumstances?