Memento Mori!
Even though today is not a Holy Day of Obligation (as yesterday was in most places… and if you didn’t go to Mass…), many of you have gone to Mass or will go later.
In the Usus Antiquior, the Traditional Form, the color to by used is black. In the Novus Ordo, there are three options, white, purple and black.
I hope black makes a strong return. I’m with Pius XII:
[O]ne would be straying from the straight path were he to wish the altar restored to its primitive tableform; were he to want black excluded as a color for the liturgical vestments; were he to forbid the use of sacred images and statues in Churches; were he to order the crucifix so designed that the divine Redeemer’s body shows no trace of His cruel sufferings; and lastly were he to disdain and reject polyphonic music or singing in parts, even where it conforms to regulations issued by the Holy See. (Mediator Dei 62)
Let’s have a poll.
The combox is open. You must be registered and approved to comment but anyone can vote.
You might also contribute photos, if you haven’t been to Mass yet and think to take one (discreetly, of course, perhaps during the entrance or recessional).
For All Souls Day Mass 2016 what color vestments did the celebrant use?
- Black (Traditional Latin Mass - Usus Antiquior) (28%, 556 Votes)
- Black (Novus Ordo) (25%, 502 Votes)
- White (23%, 456 Votes)
- Purple/Violet (22%, 428 Votes)
- Other (2%, 36 Votes)
Total Voters: 1,978
Loading ...Here, for reference, are the results of last year’s poll.
For All Souls Day Mass 2015 what color vestments did you see? Total Voters: 2,517
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I haven’t actually gone to Mass yet, but I will be going to an FSSP parish, so black is a given.
At NO Mass (no EF where I live ) the priest used a violet chasuble. I was impressed however upon using Universalis to see black shown as the liturgical colour for today, although below it was written ‘Liturgical colour: Violet or Black.’
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I have a theory that the reason they originally allowed white at requiems is because white is the color of mourning in some Asian countries. However, once this was allowed, there were some (or many?) priests who took this out of context and started using white for requiems on a regular basis for the usual suspected reasons (such as premature canonization of the deceased person).
At the Fathers of Mercy, not only black, but fiddleback chasubles.
Ours was a beautiful black with gold trim. It was without much adornment and I wish I knew my fabrics. It was lovely.
I have not yet been to Mass but I know vestments will be black–it will be a sung Latin Requiem. I will not be able to attend Father’s two other Masses but I bet his vestments will be black then, too.
We are also encouraged to visit and pray at a cemetary. During the octave I am offering my daily rosary for priests specifically for the souls of those in Purgatory.
I offered three Masses today, one EF, two OF. So how to vote? I went with OF, black.
In this parish, black is the color for funerals, except during Easter season. Then I use purple.
I started the morning out-of-town, and was awake much earlier than necessary for my flight so I assisted a Novus Ordo Mass at a nearby parish. The color was white.
I will assist a TLM Requiem at my home parish (FSSP) this evening with my wife and son. Black will, of course, be used.
The Holy Father himself wore violet vestments today. Is this a first?
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-at-cemetery-christ-gives-us-hope-even-in-death-15046/
I didn’t have a public Mass to celebrate today, so I celebrated Mass for All Souls privately. I used purple vestments because I don’t have black ones at home – though if a generous benefactor or benefactors would fund the purchase of black vestments, I promise that I would use them often.
I am curious about the responses to “other”.
My only public Mass today was a funeral. I wore black for the first time (usually violet) and used the first option texts for All Souls.
I also offered a second Mass in black ad orientem at our high altar (with our cook assisting).
Two down, one to go.
Getting ready to go to our sung High Requiem Mass but first a stop at our family cemetery for a Rosary for the dead. We will attempt to complete all of the traditional Rosary before we get to Mass. (that is an 80 mile trip-each way) The wife sings in the choir so we get to church real early. That way she can practice while I attend vespers and compline with the priests.
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I attended Mass this morning in a small town in France, about 70 km outside of Paris. The celebrating priest was a Dominican. He wore a beautiful black fiddleback and offered Mass according to the Dominican Rite.
Solemn requiem in the usus antiquior (Ferdinand Schubert, Requiem g-moll, Op. 9) with Libera me. FSSP, black fiddleback (not as expressive as yours) and extraordinarily full Asamkirche in downtown Munich. Confession and year-of-mercy indulgence. Tomorrow to the graves.
Damenstiftskirche, of course, not Asam. Sorry.
Fortescue in 1920 2nd edition (pg 405) indicates that the color used to be purple before 1911 (which would be Divino afflatu from St. Pius X). He also had the note that Communion was never given when vestments were black and that a purple stole should be used on such penitential days if Holy Communion would be given.
Was actually at 3 Masses today, here in my parish in Ireland, all N.O. Of the chasubles: 2 were violet (at one of which Masses the altar had a black antependium) and 1 black. All of them were well attended, and at all of them we were exhorted to pray regularly for the Holy Souls during ALL of this month, D.G.
Black vestments at novus Ordo mass celebrated by very young, holy and traditional Polish priest in my parish :)
I said “white” but the white chasuble was trimmed in violet with a stole lined and fringed in violet–brand new for our friars.
Priest wore white mass vestments – touched my All Souls Day Names of the Faithful Departed to the Jubilee Year Holy Doors at the Cathedral. Went to confession yesterday. Said prayers after Communion for the Plenary Indulgence.
Black fiddleback at our parish’s very first EF Mass, and it was a Missa Cantata Requiem with a Schola.
Another Traditional Latin Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia – praise God! That Church is so beautiful and especially during a TLM. Vestments were black with gold trim. Very, very reverent Mass and afterwards, we were allowed to go into the crypt for our Plenary Indulgence amidst the tombs of our deceased Archbishops, may they all rest in peace.
Violet here in the BVI. No EF or NO (Latin) option here at all, sadly, but at least we have a Mass.
I am curious about the responses to “other”.
For my “other” vote it was black vestments at the Anglican Use Ordinariate.
One of the first things the priest mentioned during his sermon was the getting rid of black vestments in exchange for white vestments and celebrations of life.
I voted for white, but vestments appeared to be a very pail cream at the noon O.F. Mass. As always, the Mass was correctly and reverently offered at my parish.
Pale cream, not pail cream, although cream in a pail should be a pale cream :-{)>
Attended the Tridentine Mass for All Souls so black is a given. The catafalque was draped in black with the six tall candles surrounding it.
At the Canons of the New Jerusalem, such a sombre beautiful Mass with an able schola and polyphony choir [never any instruments, always a cappella].
Boy, when the black catafalque [representing all the dead faithful] is sprinkled with holy water, accompanied by ethereal singing, that moment strikes deep into the heart as we hope those droplets mitigate the torments of the Poor Souls. I sure hope souls were released into Heaven as a result of that beautiful Mass.
There’s something about that intense black that gets my attention, grips me, centers me on my own demise on that ‘bitter’ day and brings out sorrow for the tormented souls united to God. I forget everything and pray.
@fishonthehill, I put “other” because I served at Mass according to the Divine Worship Missal. All music was chanted acapella, Father sung most of the Mass, the Mass parts were all in Latin, as was the prayers of consecration and the Last Gospel. Father wore black fiddle back and maniple and the two seminarians at the parish and I served at Mass. The Divine Worship missal requiem is very much like the EF requiem Mass, it was absolutely beautiful.
For the first time ever I wore black. I found a nice old roman cut black chasuble in a closet in the rectory. It didn’t have a black stole so I wore a plain white one underneath it. The folks had allot of positive comments to say about it. Time to go looking for one of my own.
Black chasuble, chalice veil, altar frontal. Novus Ordo.
I went to two Masses: OF (black) and TLM Requiem (black). Was interested to hear from several people in both churches that they “had never seen” black vestments before! Really?
At Christ the King Catholic Parish in Gothenburg Sweden we had a Requiem in the extraordinary form. The choir sang Mozart. Heavenly in all respects. Black vestments. (How do I post a photo?).
I set up everything for daily Mass most mornings so I was privy to an interesting exchange. Our parish is served by a fairly conservative order. The pastor is in his mid-sixties. The associate pastor is newly (6 months) ordained and in his early thirties. The associate pastor and pastor were concelebrating the All Souls Mass and the associate pastor had not vested yet when he said that there needed to be black vestments for today. The pastor said that white is just fine and the conversation ended. What a difference a generation makes.
I used the black set at one church in my OF parish. The other church doesn’t have a black set, so I used violet there. I’ve pretty consistently worn black for requiems since I arrived here, so the congregation is getting used to them.