Catholic Liturgical Colors (2024)

FAQs

What are the liturgical colors for Catholics? ›

Red – Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Pentecost Sunday; celebrations of the Lord's Passion, of Apostles, and of Evangelists; celebrations of Martyrs. Green – Ordinary Time. Violet – Advent and Lent; Masses for the Dead.

In the Greek tradition, maroon or burgundy are common for solemn feast days, and a wide variety of colours are used at other times, the most common of which are gold and white. Churches dedicated to the Theotokos may use light blue for the default, instead of gold. In some places, blue is also used for Holy Theophany.

The liturgical vestments worn in all Oriental Rites as well as in western Europe are: the under-tunic (alb), the cincture, stole, chasuble, and omophorion (pallium). In the East the chasuble is still bell-shaped, but, according to present usage, is slit in front in some rites.

Penance, humility, melancholy

Violet or purple represents sorrow and penitence. It is the color for Advent and Lent, as well as the color of the stole the priest wears when he hears confessions.

Red – used on Palm Sunday and Good Friday symbolizes the fire of the Holy Spirit and the suffering of the Lord and the apostles. Violet or Purple – used in Advent and Lent to reflect sorrow, mourning and repentance.

This event marks the beginning of the Church. In honor of this joyous occasion, it is popular tradition to wear red to Mass, to signify the presence of the Holy Spirit in our community and our unity in Christ. Hopefully, our church will be blazing in red. Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful.

Red is symbolic of passion and blood. It is worn during the feasts of the martyrs, Good Friday, Palm Sunday, and the Pentecost. The Cardinals wear red as a symbol for their devotion to the church and the Pope. It is to show their blood, which they would shed for Christ and the church.

What color do I wear to Catholic mass today? ›

There are four basic colors worn by priests in the Catholic Church: green, white, red and purple. The green stands for ordinary time, which is a period of growth.

Worn by the clergy as early as the 5th century, it became in time the standard day wear for prelates and priests, hierarchical rank being indicated by colour: bishops, archbishops, and other prelates wore purple; cardinals, red; the pope, white; and ordinary clergy, black.

The Church year consists of six liturgical seasons: Advent, Christmas, Ordinary Time after Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Ordinary Time after Pentecost.

Mary is almost always decked out in blue, while Jesus typically wears red. Throughout history, blue has been considered a sacred and valuable hue.

The Church year consists of six liturgical seasons: Advent, Christmas, Ordinary Time after Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Ordinary Time after Pentecost.

White and gold symbolize days and seasons of joy and mark pivotal events in the life of Christ. Red symbolizes the work of the Holy Spirit and the sacrifices of martyrs. Purple (and sometimes blue, in Advent) designates a season of penitence and preparation, such as Lent.

Purple. Worn during Lent or the Advent, purple represents penance, preparation, and sacrifice. It is also worn at funerals because of its connection to mourning. Purple vestments are donned to remind the funeral-goers to pray for the penance and absolution of the departed.

Green represents the optimism and life that each new day brings. Purple is especially popular during Advent and Lent. Purple liturgical garments distinguish the Mass for the Dead, and they can be substituted by black vestments. Purple signifies penance, preparation, and sacrifice when worn during Lent or Advent.