Expert: Fr. Michael - 6/8/2008

Question
Why do priests wear a collar, robes at service, and mostly black in civilian closthes?

Answer
The black suit and Roman collar, or the soutane, are the current form of clerical attire, from earlier times.  They represent the priest's separation from the laity (from the Greek "kleros").

At Holy Mass there are certain vestments (they are not properly called "robes") that are traditionally worn, which arise from a specialized use of garments that originated around the fourth century.  Many of these are mentioned in the Sacred Scriptures.  

Traditionally, there are five:  amice (a cloth around the neck, something like a neckerchief originally), alb (a white tunic-like garment), maniple (a cloth over the arm, something like a handkerchief originally), a stole (a cloth draping over both sides of the neck), and chasuble (originally a kind of pancho garment, which now is specialized into several forms, Roman, Gothic, etc.).

These sacred vestments are explained in the more complete traditional handmissals, such as the St. Andrew Daily Missal, available from St. Bonaventure Press (www.libers.com).