Vestments

Color of Vestments

White

Is for purity and joy. It is worn on all special feasts of Jesus, Mary, the angels and saints who were not martyrs. It is used for weddings and masses for the dead.

Gold

This is the color of celebration used great feast days like Christmas.

Red

This, the color of fire or blood is used on the feasts of martyrs (people who died for their faith) and of the Holy Spirit.

Green

Is the color of hope and growth. It is worn during Ordinary times, which are the 34 Sundays of the year where no major feast or season such as Advent, Christmas, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, or Pentecost occur.

Purple

The color of penance and sorrow. This color is worn during Lent and Advent.

Vestments Details

	Alb	The full length white linen robe worn by ministers during liturgical functions. Derived from the Greco-Roman under tunic, albs are often adorned with colored bands (orphreys) and embroidered with lace extending from the waist to the ankles. This ornamentation, however, should not detract from the simplicity and modesty of the garment. Worn by the ancient Greeks and Romans, the garment symbolizes purity of heart.
	Cincture	The cord, belt or girdle used to gather an alb at the wait. It is either white or the color of the day, and usually has a tassel at either end. The cincture is a symbol of chastity. The term also refers to the belt of an ecclesiastical habit. (Many albs now have the cincture attached or are worn without the cincture).
	Chasuble	The outermost garment worn by bishops and priest during the celebration of the mass. Modeled after the outer cloak worn by Greeks and Romans in the later years of the Roman Empire. It is sleeveless and make of silk, velvet, or some other cloth appropriate for an ecclesiastical vestment. It represents the yoke of Christ, and is a symbol of the all-encompassing nature of Christian charity. In Roman times, it was an all-weather cloak worn over other clothing. The color of the chasuble changes with the season or feast that is being celebrated.
	Stole	A liturgical vestment made of a long strip of cloth, several inches wide, which is worn by deacons, priests, and bishops; a deacon wears it over his left shoulder (like a sash) and underneath his dalmatic, while a priest of bishop wears it around his neck (allowing it to hang straight down in the front) and under his chasuble. It is worn at Mass, while administering the other sacraments, and when preaching. Its color corresponds with the liturgical color of the day or season. In ancient Rome, the scarf was a symbol of authority. Today, it is a symbol of priesthood.