Priestly Vestments

The Archdiocese of Manila reminded the faithful that there is a proper dress code for attending Mass. Wearing the proper attire when attending Mass, said the archdiocese’s Ministry of Liturgical Affairs, is an important part of showing respect to the sanctity of the house of God.

Well and good. However, if there is a dress code for the faithful for attending Mass, there are also priestly vestments for celebrating Mass.

Priests in our parish do not follow the General Instructions of the Roman Missal (“GIRM”) with regards to the proper vestment that all the priests should wear at Mass. Most of the time, the priest celebrant wears an oversized stole over what appears to be a plain white “chasu-alb.” The chasuble is supposed to be a robe of color suitable to the liturgy of the day and worn on top of the alb and stole. It’s usually green (for ordinary times), although it could be white, violet, red, rose or black depending on the occasion. What does the 1975 edition of the GIRM say?

“The vestment common to ministers of every rank is the alb, tied at the waist with a cincture, unless it is made to fit without a cincture. An amice should be put on first if the alb does not completely cover the street clothing. A surplice may not be substituted for the alb when the chasuble or dalmatic is to be worn or when a stole is used instead of the chasuble or dalmatic.” [GIRM 298]

The priest who is celebrating Mass normally is to wear an alb and a chasuble:

“Unless otherwise indicated, the chasuble, worn over the alb and stole, is the vestment proper to the priest celebrant at Mass and other rites immediately connected with Mass.” [GIRM 299]

The Ceremonial of Bishops [CB] also describes the priest’s vestment in this way:

“Unless otherwise indicated, the chasuble, worn over the alb and stole, is the vestment proper to the priest celebrant at Mass and other rites immediately connected with Mass. [CB 66]

Wearing the alb and stole only when celebrating Mass has been permitted in limited circumstances (such as during concelebrations when there is a limited number of chasubles available), and when celebrated outside a church or oratory. It is clear from the above that the minimum vestments for celebrating Mass are the “chasuble, worn over the alb and stole.” These vestments are obligatory vestments envisaged in Canon 929, which states:

“In celebrating and administering the Eucharist, priests ad deacons are to wear the liturgical vestments prescribed by the rubrics.”

As already noted above, the rubrics are found in GIRM nos. 298-300, and in CB no. 66. As pointed out above, the exception to these requirements for Eucharistic celebrations are limited to concelebrations and celebrations outside a church. Nowhere does it allow the principal celebrant in any Mass held inside a church building to vest only with an oversized stole over a “chasu-alb.” What happened to the alb, the symbol of purity? Without it, the priest’s street clothes and bare arms can clearly be seen. Isn’t the alb worn precisely for the purpose of hiding the priest’s ordinary wear? How can the laity be expected to dress appropriately for Mass when the ordained minister himself is dressed inappropriately? I have also seen instances of priests wearing an alb but with a plain white or cream-colored “chasu-alb” over it, and an oversized stole over the “chasu-alb.” Both practices are not in accord with the established norms.

This casual mentality towards vesting diminishes the solemnity of the Mass. If people can afford to expend time to dress correctly to attend formal affairs hosted by mere mortals, surely, our Lord deserves no less.