Priest of the Catholic Church explains the liturgical or clerical vestments

Father José de Jesús Aguilar, deputy director of Radio and Television of the Primate Archdiocese of Mexico, published a video in which he explains in a simple way what the liturgical vestments of priests are and how they are used at Mass and in daily life.

Father Aguilar explains that generally priests use a camisa clerical o clergymanwhich has “a kind of white tab that goes on the front of the shirt, and it can be black, white, gray or light blue.”

Another garment of the priests is the front, which can allow them to be “a little more formal and use it in places where it can be very hot. It has a full white collar and ties.”

Like the clerical shirt, it can also be of different colors, not just black, although black is the most common color.

Father Aguilar then referred to the cassock which is usually black but “it is not strictly an element only for priests. It can also be used by bishops and cardinals, and also by the Pope.”

“But he wears it white, the cardinals wear it purple, and the bishops wear it black with purple elements.”

Another element that can be worn over the cassock is the so-called quote the ratchet which “can have a height that goes from the knees or up to the calf. It can be totally smooth. It is usually white in color.” There are several types.

He alba It is also a liturgical vestment and “it is a tunic that can be placed over the cassock and that is adjusted with a kind of belt called cingulum. It is placed folded in half and tied at waist level.”

“When the priest goes to celebrate Mass, at dawn he uses the fur collar. When the priest baptizes he can have a cassock, alb or roquette and the stole, this is also how they are usually seen in the movies,” says Father Aguilar.

In the case of the deacon, the stole is worn crosswise. A second element proper to the deacon is the Dalmatian, “which is called that because it originated in Dalmatia. This one has sleeves and these can be open at the bottom.”

Father Aguilar then describes the chasuble, a priest’s vestment for Mass. “When priests put it on in ancient times it was somewhat conical and hence it was said that it looked like a little house, hence the origin of the word chasuble.”

“Unlike the dalmatic it does not have sleeves,” he adds.

The colors of the chasuble are varied: “green if it is ordinary time, if a martyr or Pentecost is remembered it will be red, if it is a holiday it can be white, gold or silver. If it is a penitential time it will be purple,” the priest continues.

Another element is the rain layerwhich is called that because at first they were made “of leather and They served to protect against rain, and it had a hood in case it started to rain. When cloaks began to be worn in churches, then the hood disappeared.”

“It is placed when the priest is going to take the Blessed Sacrament and allows him to have his hands free,” says Father Aguilar.

He solideo It is also part of the liturgical vestments and is the small cap that goes on the head.

“It is made up of eight segments or parts with a kind of ‘tail’, which allows the acolyte to remove it easily.”

In the case of the Pope it is white, the cardinals wear it purple and the bishops wear it purple. They take it off at the consecration during the Mass.

His name comes from the Latin meaning “only God” and shows, says Father Aguilar, that “only before God do I reveal myself, only before God do I take it off to indicate that above God there is no one, but above the bishop there is God.”

Originally published August 3, 2022. It has been updated for republication.