Why special vestments?

 

Question: Why do priests wear vestments at Mass?
Answer:  For persons not familiar with Catholic ritual and practice the sight of priests or ministers wearing colourful robes and vestments may seem puzzling, if not quaint.  What has any of this to do with what is going on, one may ask?  The wearing of vestments is symbolic – it represents and signifies something sacred and set apart.  The priest acts ‘in the person of Christ’ (‘in persona Christi’) and not only leads the prayers but becomes a sacramental sign of Christ in the mystery of his death and resurrection.  The focus is not on the priest so much as on Christ who offered himself once for all on Calvary. In the Eucharist the fruits and graces of that one sacrifice are made present and applied to us.
Each liturgical season is associated with different colours so that, for example, in Ordinary Time (from Pentecost to Advent as well as immediately before Lent) the vestments as well as the altar cover and frontal as well as  the hanging lectern cloth are usually green.  During Advent and Lent, purple is used while red is used on feast days of the apostles, martyrs or at Pentecost. White is used on the great feasts of the Lord, on Marian feasts and on many solemnities and saints' days.
The make-up of the vestments are as follows (refer to the GeneralInstructions of the Roman Missal):
The alb – as the word alba in Latin suggests – is the white garment worn by all priests and deacons during the celebration of Mass. It is the common baptismal garment of ordained ministers and symbolises the purity and dignity of those who have been clothed with Christ in Baptism. (We may also wear white when being baptised as adults or receiving the sacrament of marriage).
Over the alb is placed the stole. For a priest, the stole hangs around the neck and falls down in front while for a deacon – if he is present - it is worn across the body from one shoulder. It is a sign of ordained ministry and the authority given to the Minister.
Finally, the chasuble is the outer vestment proper to the priest at Mass and is usually coloured according to the liturgical season or feast being celebrated. It signifies the priest's role in presiding at the Eucharist and has traditionally been associated with the love of Christ which should cover all the priest's actions.
Unlike the Roman Catholic Church, which has universal norms for liturgical vestments, Anglican practice varies. Anglo-Catholic churches often use vestments almost identical to those of the Roman Rite, while other congregations may prefer simpler choir dress such as the cassock and surplice, familiar in many Catholic churches as the traditional dress of altar servers and clergy. When celebrating the Eucharist, Anglican priests commonly wear a stole and, in some parishes, also a chasuble, while some traditions employ simpler forms of dress.
The vestments worn today by priests, deacons and bishops originated not as specifically religious garments but as ordinary clothing in the ancient world. As fashions changed, the Church retained some of these older garments for worship. Over time they acquired symbolic meanings and came to signify the sacred ministries exercised within the liturgy.
Language, dress and ritual are human constructs but serve useful purposes in signifying the sacred. They help us recognise that something sacred is taking place and point us beyond ourselves to God. While we should avoid becoming overly preoccupied with minor details, the Church rightly values beauty, reverence and order in worship.  All should be done in such a way as to keep unity and to help raise our minds and hearts to God who is the purpose of our worship.