Chasuble for Catholic priest | Colors and definition
The colors of the priests' chasubles are a very important element in the Masses and Offices that are celebrated throughout the Liturgical Year. The colors of the chasuble, as in the other sacred vestments, are identifying the mysteries of faith that are celebrated in each Liturgy.
The priests wear chasubles of one color or another depending on the moment of the Liturgical Year in which the celebration takes place. The colors of the chasuble are in accordance with the feeling of the liturgical season and invite the faithful to pray, in addition to showing a progressive sense of Christian life during the liturgical year.
The colors of the chasuble according to the liturgical cycles have a deep religious meaning. For this reason, in today's post, we will focus on talking about the meaning and use of each of the colors of the chasuble.
If you are only looking to buy a chasuble or want to know the price of a chasuble to buy or give as a gift, we recommend that you visit the Catholic chasubles section of our online store.
On the other hand, if you have ever wondered why the priests change the color of the chasuble you wear depending on the celebration? Or, for example, why do you usually wear a purple chasuble at the Advent Sunday Masses? Or, if you would like to know the meaning of the colors of the chasuble , read on.
Catholic chasubles colors meaning
The Church has a series of powerful symbols with great religious significance. Symbols that help us remember Christ, that make it easier for us to bring our souls closer to heaven: the Cross, the anagram of the Virgin Mary, the Bread and the Wine, etc...
Also the colors have an important Christian meaning. Each color that adorns the clothing of the priests or adorns the altar of our Church recalls a series of feelings and virtues linked to moments, with celebrations of the Liturgical Calendar.
Chasubles are no exception. The Holy Mother Church determines what color the chasuble should be in each of the liturgical celebrations.
The chasubles can be of different liturgical colors:
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White chasubles .
- Beige chasubles .
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Red chasubles .
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Green chasubles .
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Purple chasubles .
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Blue chasubles .
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Pink chasubles .
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Chasubles Golden color.
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Black chasubles.
Chasuble colors: white and beige
The white or beige chasubles are worn during the Christmas and Easter celebrations. Dates full of joy for the Birth and Resurrection, respectively, of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
White ornaments and chasubles are used in the festivities and celebrations of the Virgin Mary. Celebrations in which we honor the purity, life and light that emanates from Our Holy Mother, the Virgin.
Priests also wear white chasubles during the celebrations of the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony.
Other celebrations in which the color white is used is in celebrations linked to Our Lady Jesus Christ (such as the Epiphany or the Ascension of Jesus to heaven). White chasubles will not be worn during the celebration of the Passion of Jesus.
In addition, white chasubles are worn on the festivities of the Angels and the Saints (not martyrs).
The General Instruction of the Roman Missal, in article 346 also establishes the solemnity of All Saints (November 1), on the feast of Saint John the Baptist (June 24), on the feast of Saint John the Evangelist (December 27) , of the Chair of Saint Peter (February 22) and of the Conversion of Saint Paul (January 25) as dates on which white chasubles can be worn.
Finally, it should be noted that the color white, and the white ornaments, are closely linked to the sacred vestment of the Pope.
The image of the white chasuble that accompanies this explanation is a Roman chasuble for sale in our online store. Roman chasubles , also popularly known as guitar chasubles, have a characteristic shape. Both the front and back are wider at the top and bottom and thinner in the middle.
The front of this white chasuble model is decorated with golden braid and embroidery of plant shapes. The back of the chasuble is decorated with golden braid that forms a Cross. The interior area of the Cross is decorated with JHS embroidery and plant elements similar to the front.
The sale price of this white Roman chasuble includes a mantle, a chalice cover and a pallia with bellows.
Chasuble colors: red
The red chasubles are usually used fundamentally in three moments of the Liturgical Year.
The first of these are in the celebrations linked to the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ during Holy Week (Palm Sunday and Good Friday). During the ceremonies linked to the Passion, the priests wear red chasubles.
The second moment in which red chasubles are worn are the festivities linked to the Holy Spirit. Pentecost is perhaps the most important celebration related to the Holy Spirit in which the priests wear red chasubles. On the day of Pentecost the priests wear a red chasuble to celebrate the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in the form of tongues of fire.
The third place will be the ceremonies with red chasubles during the birthday parties of the Apostles, the Evangelists and those Saints who were martyrs. Saints who died for love of Jesus.
The image of a red chasuble that can be seen, just above this paragraph, is a type of chasuble that can be purchased in our online store. This red chasuble model (also for sale in white, blue and green) stands out especially for its embroidery.
The embroidery of this chasuble model is made up of three well-differentiated blocks. In the upper part, just below the collar of the priestly garment, the chasuble is decorated with a golden Cross, some ears of wheat also made of golden thread and a small bunch of grapes embroidered in purple.
The second block of embroidery on this chasuble is made up of two ears of ripe golden wheat. Both ears of wheat unfold from the central axis of the chasuble symmetrically.
The third block of embroidery on this red chasuble is the same as the second block, two symmetrical ears of ripe wheat.
Chasuble colors: green
Ordinary time , within the Liturgical Calendar, covers, fundamentally, all the Offices and Masses of two periods:
A liturgical period that goes from the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which we celebrate the Sunday after the Epiphany of the Lord, until Lent.
The second period that integrates ordinary time is the time that goes from Pentecost, which we celebrate five days after Easter, until Advent, the first time of the Liturgical Year.
The image of a green chasuble that accompanies this paragraph corresponds to a model of ornaments that can be purchased on our website. It is a model of a priest's chasuble made of green polyester, but it is also available in three other colors (white, red and purple).
The central part of the chasuble is decorated with a golden braid with golden figures and Crosses. A simple and elegant decoration in a chasuble with a very affordable price.
Chasuble colors: purple
The purple chasubles are used in Advent, the first season of the Liturgical Year, in which we must prepare our body and mind for the Birth of Our Savior. The purple chasubles, together with the candles of the Advent wreaths, are the most recognizable elements of the Four Sundays of Advent.
Another time of the liturgical year in which purple chasubles are worn is during Lent, a time when we prepare for Holy Week. We must seek conversion, the approach to Christ.
During some Holy Week celebrations and in masses for the dead, purple chasubles are also worn.
The purple chasuble that you can see in the image that accompanies this paragraph is a model for sale in our online store. It is a chasuble that we have included in our catalog of liturgical vestments because it has modern-style embroidery, with irregular and asymmetric shapes. Embroidered with an aesthetic far from the classic criteria. This model of chasuble confers variety in our catalog of purple chasubles.
As for its manufacture, it is a chasuble that is made of purple damask fabric. The sale price includes a matching purple stole . The central stolon is decorated with three embroideries related to the Passion of Our Lord Jesus:
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A Cross embroidered in gold and white thread.
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A crown of thorns embroidered in white thread.
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Three nails embroidered in gold thread.
Chasuble colors: blue
In 1858, the Holy See granted priests who so wished the privilege of wearing blue chasubles (instead of white-scented chasubles) during the celebration of the Immaculate Conception.
In our days, the blue color in the chasubles and in the liturgical vestments is linked to all the celebrations related to the Virgin Mary.
The image that accompanies this paragraph corresponds to the cheapest chasuble that we have for sale in our online store. This chasuble model, in addition to blue, is for sale in five other colors: white, pink, green, red and purple. Garment made of polyester fabric. Blue chasuble decorated with gold trim all around, as well as liturgical embroidery on the front and back. It is important to note that, despite being the cheapest chasuble in our catalogue, its sale price includes a matching plain stole. It has never been so economical to buy a Marian chasuble for the day of the Immaculate Conception.
Chasuble colors: pink
The third Sunday of Advent and the fourth Sunday of Lent are a brief celebration of joy within the penitential season of Advent and Lent. The pink chasubles show the happiness of the faithful. But it is a temporary joy, since we have to prepare our body and our soul through penance.
The image of the pink chasuble that accompanies this text corresponds to a chasuble that is for sale in Religious Articles Brabander. This chasuble, available in six colors (white, red, green, blue, purple and pink), is a simple and cheap model. It is one of the cheapest models of chasubles that can be purchased on our website. The chasuble is made of polyester and decorated with a small embroidery on the front. A simple and inexpensive ornament to give a joyful and colorful touch to the liturgical celebrations of Advent and Lent.
Chasuble colors: gold or gold color
In most cases, chasubles of 100% gold or golden color are not worn, but they are usually used with a white gallon.
For example, gold-colored chasubles have been worn at the opening celebrations of World Youth Days and at other Masses of similar solemnity.
The image that accompanies this text is of a golden chasuble for sale in our online store. This model of liturgical ornament is made with gold-colored damask fabric and a central white embroidered and printed stolon. The upper part of the stolon is decorated with a stamped image of Merciful Jesus. The central part is decorated with the text Jesus, I trust in you! embroidered in gold thread. The lower area has been decorated with embroidered Eucharistic elements and gold and green thread.
Chasuble colors: black
Black chasubles can sometimes be used instead of purple chasubles to give it more solemnity.
The chasuble in the image that accompanies this paragraph corresponds to a black ornament that can be purchased in our online store. It is a chasuble made of two different fabrics, on the one hand black damask fabric and on the other hand black velvet fabric in the central stolon. This model of chasuble is very sober, it is only decorated with gold embroidered elements on the central stolon and gold trim all around.
The colors of the chasubles, local variations
The colors of the chasuble can vary because, as we can read in the last paragraph of article 346 of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, the Conferences of Bishops can propose to the Apostolic See different variations depending on the needs and traditions of each town.
Types of chasubles | Other characteristics of the chasubles
In addition to the colors of the chasubles, these priestly vestments, like most liturgical garments, have other characteristics that define each piece and give it its own meaning.
In our store of liturgical vestments we have a wide variety of types of chasubles for sale. Within the catalog of models of chasubles that can be purchased, each of these religious ornaments is defined by a series of attributes:
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The embroideries for priestly chasubles
Chasubles with Marian embroidery specially designed for Virgin Mary festivities, such as the day of the Immaculate Conception, or the celebration of the Virgen del Carmen. Chasubles with Eucharistic embroidery like the Bread and the Wine, or the vine and the ears of wheat. Other liturgical embroideries linked to the symbols of Jesus such as fish and bread, the Cross, the Lamb of God, etc...
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Fabrics for priest's chasubles
The fabric with which the chasuble is made is very important to attribute to the priestly clothing certain characteristics of brightness, weight, ease of washing, etc... There are chasubles made with brocade fabrics, polyester fabrics, polyester fabrics,...
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The price of priestly chasubles
The price of chasubles, like most priestly vestments, can vary greatly depending on the other attributes. Generally, the price of a chasuble depends fundamentally on the embroidery and the fabric. For example, a polyester chasuble with simple embroidery is much cheaper than a wool chasuble with the Virgin of Perpetual Help embroidered on it.
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The shape of chasubles for priest
Roman chasubles (also known as guitar chasubles), Gothic chasubles, chasubles with a monk's collar, etc...
Although there are small differences, most of the chasubles that are sold have a very similar cut: they are wide garments that rest on the shoulders of the priest. They are the same length at the front and back.
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Chasubles and stole
The stole, like the liturgical albs , are some of the ornaments worn by the priests during the celebrations. The stole is another of the fundamental liturgical garments for a priest. Some of the models of chasubles for sale in our online store include a matching stole in the purchase price. Others include a plain stole and the last group does not include the stole.
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The meaning of the colors of the priest's chasubles
All the mentioned attributes that make up a chasuble are important. Each of them gives the priestly clothing certain properties and meanings.
Is there a color that has a special meaning for you?
Have you seen any priest with a chasuble of a color other than those mentioned?
Is some chasuble color information wrong? Let us know.