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Thursday, February 22, 2018

APPROPRIATE LITURGICAL UNDERGARMENTS--SHOULD THESE ALWAYS BE USED?

Normally, one should wear a cassock under the alb. If it is too hot, as is the case in the south, many priests do not wear the cassock under the alb. But shouldn't a long sleeve clerical shirt be worn instead, either in black or white?

I think this photo shows why a long sleeve shirt or the cassock should be worn under the alb.
What do you think?




17 comments:

Fr. Michael J. Kavanaugh said...

I think the instructions call for an ankle length garment. "Normally," a pair of pants fits the bill.

Yes, I think a long sleeve shirt, white or black, looks better than a "nekkid" arm.

Carol H. said...

Just wondering, do summer weight cassocks exist? What do priests wear in Africa?

Fr. Allan J. McDonald said...

Yes, there are summer cassocks, without lining and very lightweight. Although one doesn't see it so much in the south in the USA, many priests wear a white cassock in the summer or tropical months.

In fact, Sisters of Saint Joseph of Corondalet who taught me in pre-Vatican II times and with arguable the best habit in the whole wide world, would wear a white version of the same habit in the summer months in the south (mirroring their own nursing sisters white habit).

Anonymous said...

Ahem . . . "Carondelet"

Anonymous said...

Yes, I agrees. The bare, hairy arms do nothing for me when a priest is saying Mass.

ByzRus said...

Anonymous will likely chime in with "why does it matter" etc.


It just looks so unprofessional and half you-know-what. Just like I'm required to do for work, let's put on a dress shirt with long sleeves and our big-boy shoes when presenting ourselves to the faithful/public.

Gene said...

I was thinking he might have a tattoo of a naked girl with a snake around her on his arm or something.

Rood Screen said...

It seems to me that a cassock over a t-shirt and shorts is no hotter than a long-sleeve shirt and trousers.

TJM said...

Rood Screen,

It's actually more comfortable (unless you're a left-wing loon).

Gene,

At least we can't see the priest's armpit!

Joseph Johnson said...

It is sartorially more correct (and required in many law courts) that male attorneys wear a long-sleeved dress shirt with coat and tie.

It seems that the short-sleeved "dress" shirt is a mostly post World War II era phenomena. Generally speaking, American military uniforms of the era (during and before the War) didn't feature short sleeves--they just wore a summer khaki (Army or Marines) or white or khaki (Navy) uniform. Wool for winter and cotton for summer--but always long sleeves.

I am pretty sure that there were no short-sleeved neckband (detachable rabat collar) clerical shirts before the 1950's. The tab collar clerical shirt didn't appear until about 1960.

Having grown up in the 1960's and 1970's I had and wore some short-sleeved dress shirts as a child and as a teenager. When I started buying and choosing my own clothes, I stopped wearing short-sleeved dress shirts. . .

Anonymous said...

I remember one priest who only wore an alb and stole for daily Mass. It was a thin summer weight stole and one could easily spot the Harley Davidson logo or American Flag on the tee shirt underneath. When he got that alb one of the Church ladies said “I hope you are going to iron that !” His reply was “absolutely not!” Good priest, but disheveled .

Joseph Johnson said...

I like to see some of the lace-trimmed albs being used but they look pretty stupid if a cassock is not worn underneath.

TJM said...

Anonymous at 10:28,

Good priest? Well he certainly isn't respectful of Our Lord or the congregation appearing as a slob when he is about to celebrate the sacred mysteries. If he had said that to me, I would have given him a piece of my mind and then walked out.

Anonymous said...

"If he had said that to me, I would have given him a piece of my mind and then walked out."

And he would have been very grateful.

TJM said...

Kavanaugh,

Yes, a slob generally wants to remain a slob. What's your problem?

Henry said...

Experience in recent decades shows that inappropriate vestments at Mass--ranging from drab or sloppy to offensive--go hand in hand with loss of belief and with other practices that encourage irreverence and even dissent and sacrilege. Generally speaking, when one doesn't offer to God the best he has or can acquire, the reason why not is the obvious one. Perhaps the contrast between Francis and Benedict XVI--in vestiture, in demeanor, in reverence, in fidelity, in doctrine, in dignity, in sincerity, in humility, in charity--is an exemplary illustration of the general rule. In every respect, one is and the other isn't.

Anonymous said...

Not a slob, but rumpled in personality and appearance. There are those that can go through an entire day without their shirt being untucked, and the others that view neatness as a futile effort. I say good priest because he was one for 60 years and the rumpled appearance was beyond his control. There are people like that.