WHY DO PRIESTS WEAR BLACK

 WHY DO PRIESTS WEAR BLACK?

The Code of Canon Law (CIC no. 284) still requires that clerics are to wear suitable ecclesiastical garb in accord with the norms issued by the conference of bishops and in accord with legitimate local custom.”  In our very secular world, the wearing of clerical garb continues to be a visible sign of belief and of the consecration of ones life to the service of the Lord and His Church.

Over the centuries Church clerics were required to wear distinctive garb to identify them as ordained clergy. Particular dioceses or national bishops' conferences in various countries have established the norms for such clerical attire. 

It is worth noting that in the early Church, no distinctive garb seems to have been worn, except of course, liturgical vestments, which in some cases were also worn outside the celebration of sacraments. Take for instance, in the early days of the church, bishops and priests sometimes wore the chasuble like regular clothing, and deacons wore the dalmatic as regular clothing.

Already by the sixth century, priests in France were being distinguished by their use of the black cassock, or full-length tunic; a trend which eventually spread through Europe and become the normative dress for the Roman Church. It was during the 12th and 13th centuries that priests adopted the Roman cassock as the piece of ordinary clothing that distinguished them from the laity. Soon after this decision the Church made further regulations that required priests to wear the distinctive garb.

At first the cassock only consisted of a robe-like garment tied at the waist with a sash and did not feature a white collar as we are familiar with today. The color of the cassock did not receive regulation until much later and likely rose from the easy availability of black dye. Historically black was the cheapest dye to use and so was fitting for the simple parish priest. Other clergy members wore different colors to distinguish their rank. 

The colour of the ordinary Roman cassock and clerical attire in general is black. For the regular parish priest, the cassock is totally black. For cardinals, the buttons, trim, and inside hem are scarlet silk; for patriarchs, archbishops, bishops, protonotaries apostolic and prelates of honor, the buttons, trim and inside hem are amaranth red; and for chaplains to the Holy Father, purple. So, the black cassock is still a garment worn by many priests, though most bishops conferences around the world have permitted the use of a black shirt instead. In hotter locations, dispensations allow priests to wear a more tolerable white.

The symbolism of the cassock is as follows: The Roman collar symbolizes obedience; the Sash or cincture around that waist symbolizes chastity; and the colour black symbolizes poverty. Generally, black is associated with simplicity and humility and reminds priests of their need to imitate those virtues. Black is also a color that represents death and mourning and symbolizes how a priest is to die to oneself and decrease so that God may increase in his life. He is called to take up the cross of Our Lord daily, dying to sin so that he may rise in the life of grace.

For liturgical and public ceremonies of the Church, cassocks are of one color; white for the Holy Father; scarlet (scarlet red) for Cardinals; purple for patriarchs, archbishops, bishops, protonotaries apostolic, and prelates of honor: and black for priests. In some dioceses, especially in the tropics, permission is granted for cassocks to be white, and then trimmed in the color (scarlet red, purple) designating the status of the cleric.

In all, the distinctive color of the priests clothing sets him apart from the rest of society. It reminds us of his mission to serve and signals him out in a crowd of people. The presence of a priest is supposed to point our hearts to heavenly things and brings the person of Christ to each one of us. The color simply highlights this reality and should provide a kind of mini-homily every time we see a priest.

© Rev Fr Utazi Prince Marie Benignus Zereuwa

July 24 2024

utaziprince@yahoo.com