Choir dress

Choir dressis the traditional vesture of theclerics,seminariansandreligiousofChristian churchesworn for public prayer and the administration of the sacraments except when celebrating orconcelebratingtheEucharist.It differs from thevestmentsworn by the celebrants of the Eucharist, being normally made of fabrics such as wool, cotton or silk, as opposed to the finebrocadesused in vestments. It may also be worn by lay assistants such as acolytes and choirs. It was abandoned by most of the Protestant churches that developed from the sixteenth-centuryReformation.

Bishop in choir dress withtrain

Choir dress of aCistercian nun:a long whitecowl

Norbertineabbot in white prelate choir dress, 18th century

Monsingnor Herrincx inFranciscanbrown prelate choir dress

Benedictine Abbot Schober in black prelate choir dress and black furcappa magna

Roman Catholic secularcanonsin choir dress: cassock, rochet,mozzetta,and pectoral cross on chain.

MonsignorGilles Wachin the blue choir dress of theICKSP

LikeEucharistic vestments,choir dress derived originally from the formal secular dress of the Roman Empire in the first centuries of the Christian era. This survived in church usage after fashion had changed.Choir dress differs from "house dress," which is worn outside of a liturgical context (whether in the house or on the street). House dress may be either formal or informal.

Roman Catholic choir dress

Choir dress in theCatholic Churchis worn by deacons, priests, regular prelates, bishops and cardinals when presiding at or celebrating aliturgythat is not theMass,especially theLiturgy of the Hours. Before the Second Vatican Council, the dress was more elaborate. It had dozens of varieties and colours. After the Second Vatican Council, it was reduced; however, exceptions are sometimes granted for cathedral chapters.

The current dress is worn when attending Mass without celebrating or observing the Eucharist. It is worn by seminarians, instituted lectors and acolytes, and altar servers and choir members at Mass or other liturgical events.

The basic components of choir dress are:

• thecassock,with or withoutfascia(fringed sash worn around the waist),
• if the person is a brother or priest in areligious orderthat has its ownhabit(Benedictines,Franciscans,Dominicans,etc.), the habit is worn in place of the cassock,
• thesurplice(orrochetif the wearer is abishop,cardinal,orcanon), and
• thebiretta(optional for secular priests unless their bishop requires its use, in which case it is mandatory).

Forseminarians,deacons,andprieststhe cassock is exactly the same as their normal cassock: a black cassock with black buttons, girded with a black fascia.

Priests who hold additional honors may wear a different cassock:Chaplains of His Holinesswear a black cassock with purple piping, buttons, and fascia; whileHonorary PrelatesandProtonotaries apostolicwear apurplecassock withscarletpiping and buttons, with a purple fascia. A black cassock withamaranthpiping and buttons, girded with a purple fascia, serves as pian dress (academic dress) for an honorary prelate or protonotary apostolic.Canonsmay wear therochet(if the chapter has been grantedusus rochettiby papalindult) with a distinctivemozzetta,the particular colors of which are determined by thechapter.

Bishops wear the above-mentioned purple cassock with scarlet piping, and add apectoral crosssuspended from agreenandgoldcord, amozzettaover the rochet, and a purplezucchettounder the biretta. Acardinalwears ascarletcassock with scarlet trim, pectoral cross on a red and gold cord, and a red mozzetta over the rochet, with a red zucchetto. ThePope's choir dress includes a white cassock, rochet, red silk mozetta, and red brocade stole; his pectoral cross hangs from a golden cord. Some canons wear their cross on a ribbon, but only a bishop may wear the cross on a cord. Under new regulations, neither bishops nor canons wear fur-trimmedcappas.

Thecopeand/orstolemay be worn over choir dress when a cleric presides over asacrament(for instance, atmatrimony,if not celebrated during Mass), or by the cleric presiding over prayers. (For instance, the priest presiding at a solemn celebration ofVespersin the Liturgy of the Hours might wear cope and stole over choir dress, while other clergy present would wear simple choir dress of cassock and surplice).

Lay brothersalso have a form of choir dress: the full monastic habit with the monastic cowl is their formal wear for attending the Liturgy of the Hours or Mass.

Pope	Cardinal	Bishop
Higher prelates of the Roman Curia and protonotaries apostolicde numero	Supernumerary protonotaries apostolic and honorary prelates	Chaplains of His Holiness
Priests, deacons, seminarians and acolytes	Canons (designs vary)

Since 2006, priests of theInstitute of Christ the King Sovereign Priesthave had their own choir dress, given to them by the CardinalArchbishop of Florence.Their choir dress includes a rochet, a mozzetta, the cross of St.Francis de Saleson a blue and white ribbon, and a biretta with a blue pom. According to the Institute,

The blue stands for our complete dedication to theBlessed Motherand is traditionally the color shown on St. Francis de Sales in most paintings of him, "and" The choir dress expresses the strong unity, spiritually, and identity of the Institute and adds solemnity to theliturgy."

— "Frequently Asked Questions".institute-christ-king.org.Archived fromthe originalon 8 September 2018.Retrieved17 September2018.

Priests, superiors and prior general of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest

Eastern choir dress

Saint John (Maximovich)wearing choir dress of an Orthodox bishop:klobuk,outer riassa,Panagia,and episcopalmandyas;holding hispaterissa(crozier).

Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch,Ignatius Zakka I Iwas(in red cassock) and a priest (in black).

The choir dress of clergy in theEastern Orthodox,Oriental OrthodoxandEastern Catholic churchesare relatively similar. Over the innercassock(rassonorpodrasnik), a deep-sleevedexorason(riassa), which is often black, is worn. In theRussian Orthodox Church,married clergy often wear grey, while monastic clergy wear black. During thepaschalseason, both monastic and married clergy will often wear a white inner cassock. Some RussianMetropolitanswear a white inner cassock and a blue outer when formally arriving to celebrate theDivine Liturgy.

Byzantine Rite

In Eastern Orthodoxy andByzantine Catholicism,monkswear a black cloak, themandyasover the outer cassock. The mandyas completely covers the monastic below the chin and reaches to the floor. In the Greek usage, the mandyas is usually worn only when performing certain liturgical roles; in the Slavic usage, all monks andnunsof the rank ofStavrophoreor above wear the mandyas at every service, so long as they are in their ownmonastery.The mandyas of anhegumen(abbot) is of black silk, that of anarchimandriteorbishopis of colored silk (specific usages will differ by jurisdiction), and has four square "tablets" on it: two at the neck and two at the feet. A bishop's mandyas additionally has "rivers" on it: three horizontal stripes either of gold (Greek practice) or red and white (Slavic practice).

Monastic clergy wear different headcoverings than married clergy. Married clergy wear either a coloredkalimaukionorskufia;monastic clergy wear a black kalimaukion andveil(together known as theklobuk). For monastics, the skufia is reserved for house dress, and the klobuk is worn in church. Russianarchbishopshave a jewelled cross attached to the front of their klobuks; Russian Metropolitans wear a white klobuk with jewelled cross. Several OrthodoxPatriarchswear a rounded headcovering called akoukoulion.

Priestswho have been awarded apectoral crosswear it with their choir dress (these pectoral crosses are of several degrees: silver, gold, or jewelled). Bishops wear apanagia(iconof theTheotokos) in place of the pectoral cross. Archbishops may wear a pectoral cross and a panagia. Allprimatesand some bishops below primatial rank have the dignity of wearing anenkolpion(icon of Christ), a pectoral cross, and a panagia.

A ruling Igumen (so long as he is inside his own monastery) and a bishop may carry hispaterissa(crozier) when he is in church. However, the paterissa is never to be carried inside the sanctuary; instead, when the priest goes into thealtar,the paterissa is either handed to analtar serveror left leaning against theiconostasisoutside theHoly Doors.

In North America and Great Britain, some Orthodox clergy have begun to wear aRoman collar(clergy shirt). This practice is discouraged among the more traditional Orthodox.

Examples

There exist color and design variations in eachautocephalousChurch, but these diagrams give some examples of Eastern Orthodox choir dress vestments:

Patriarch (Slavic)	Metropolitan (Slavic)	Bishop (Slavic)	Bishop (Greek)

Priest	Hieromonk	Schemamonk	Monk	Reader/Subdeacon/Deacon

Oriental Orthodox

Syriac Patriarch	Syriac Bishop	Coptic Priest	Syriac Priest	Syriac Priest (monk)

In theSyriac Orthodox Church,married priests wear a blackskullcap,orphiro,while monastic priests wear theschema,eskimo.For certainsacramentalfunctions, a priest or bishop wears theepitrachelion(stole).

Anglican choir dress or choir habit

An Anglican priest delivers a homily, dressed in choir habit withCanterbury cap

AnAnglicanpriestin choir dress: cassock,surpliceandtippet.The dark red of hisacademic hoodcan be seen on his shoulders.

AnAnglicanbishopin choir dress: purple cassock,rochet,redchimereand cuffs,tippet,and pectoral cross.

Choir dressinAnglicanismtraditionally consists of cassock, surplice and scarf (or tippet).An academic hood may also be worn. Since 1964 in the Church of England, acopemay be worn at the discretion of the minister.

But, the basic garment was, and is, the surplice, which by the fourteenth century had become the essential choir vestment everywhere.The surplice was the only vesture permitted to the clergy in the 1552 Prayer Book, except for bishops, who should use arochet(both wore cassocks as the standard undergarment).The Elizabethan Prayer Book of 1559 included the so-calledOrnaments Rubric.Its legal interpretation was disputed in the nineteenth century;it was claimed that its inclusion in the 1662Book of Common Prayercommanded the pre-Reformation Eucharistic vestments (chasuble, dalmatic, tunicle, alb, amice, and maniple) that had been in use during the reign of Edward VI.However, the Elizabethan bishops struggled to enforce the use of the surplice.The use of Eucharistic vestments was discontinued until after theOxford Movement,in the middle of the nineteenth century, when it was restored in many cathedrals and parish churches.In many low-church dioceses and parishes, the choir dress continued to be the norm, even at the Eucharist. The cope continued in use for coronations and in certain cathedrals, but this may be considered an extension of "choir dress" and was sanctioned by the canons of 1603/4.

Thecassockis almost invariably black for priests and deacons. A traditional Anglican cassock is double-breasted, being buttoned on the shoulder rather than up the front (there may be a single button sewn to the center of the chest used to fasten the academic hood if worn). Many Anglican clergy, especially (though not exclusively) those within the Catholic tradition of Anglicanism, prefer to wear the Latin single-breasted cassock. The cassock is worn with a cincture, which may take the form of a cloth sash resembling afascia,or a simple rope girdle or leather belt. Over this is worn thesurplice,which is longer and fuller than that worn by Roman Catholic clergy, sometimes reaching well below the knees. Traditionally, anacademic hoodis worn around the shoulders and down the back, along with a blacktippetor scarf worn around the nape and hanging straight down in front. The hood and tippet were once a single garment called analmuce.(The tippet is not to be confused with thestole,which is also worn in a similar manner, but is not part of choir dress. It is worn at the Eucharist and other sacramental services.) Some clergy also wearGeneva bands(or "preaching tabs" ) from their collars. Though not worn at service time, theCanterbury capis the traditional headgear ofChurch of Englandclergy; some prefer the biretta (see below) ormortar board.Neither is widely worn. A square cap, with cassock, gown and tippet, was specified in Englishcanon lawas part of the "outdoor habit" or "house dress" of the clergy until the promulgation of new canons in the 1960s.At some periods of history a black gown, either academic or 'Genevan', was worn forMorningandEvening Prayerinstead of the surplice, which was reserved for use at theHoly Communion.The cassock, bands, gown, academic hood and tippet are still the normal liturgical costume for an ordained minister of theChurch of Scotlandand otherReformedandPresbyterianchurches.

Chaplains in the Armed Forces wear tippets with officially sanctioned badges and any medals they have achieved. A bishop or priest may wear a tippet with the arms of theseminaryfrom which he or she received their degree. In England, some cathedral clergy wear tippets on which is embroidered the distinctive symbol or cathedral coat of arms. Members of thehigh church,orAnglo-Catholicparts of the church, sometimes wear choir dress of a more Roman Catholic style, including a shorter surplice (orcotta), a stole (and sometimes abiretta), excluding hood and tippet.

Readerswhen officiating often wear a blue tippet, or, in the United States, a black tippet displaying thearmsof the diocese. At the Eucharist, readers of Scripture may wear street clothing to emphasize the role of the laity, as expressed in recent versions of thePrayer Book.But, in some parishes readers wear the traditional vestments of the subdeacon at High Mass: alb fastened with a white cincture and a tunicle. In other parishes they wear the cassock and surplice, as do members of the choir.

Anglicanbishopsusually wear a purple cassock. Over this they wear therochetwith red or blackchimereand matching cuffs, black tippet, and sometimes an academic hood.

Bishop	Canon (cassock colors vary)	Priest or Deacon	Reader	Layperson

References

Sources

• Cross, F.L.; Livingstone, E.A., eds. (1974).The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church(2nd ed.). Oxford: University Press.

• Davis, C.H. (1869).The English Church Canons of 1604: With Historical Introduction and Notes, Critical and Explanatory, Showing the Modifications of Each Canon by Subsequent Acts of Parliament, Etc.H. Sweet.

• Grisebrooke, W. Jardine (1978). "Vestments". In Jones, C.; Wainwright, G.; Yarnold, E. (eds.).The Study of Liturgy.SPCK.ISBN978-0-281-03578-6.

External links

• Dress of Roman Catholic Clergy
• The MozzettaInformation and photos
• The Mantelletta
• Canons
• Chaplains of His Holinessdetailed information on the choir dress of prelates of thepapal householdboth before and after Vatican II