Why does a vicar wear a white collar

In a September 8, letter to Ugo Cardinal Poletti, his Vicar for the Diocese of Rome, instructing him to promulgate norms concerning the use of the Roman collar and religious habit, the Pontiff observed that clerical dress is valuable "not only because it contributes to the propriety of the priest in his external behavior or in the exercise of his ministry, but above all because it gives evidence within the ecclesiastical community of the public witness that each priest is held to give of his own identity and special belonging to God.

In a homily on November 8, the Pope addressed a group of transitional deacons whom he was about to ordain to the priesthood. He said that if they tried to be just like everyone else in their "style of life" and "manner of dress," then their mission as priests of Jesus Christ would not be fully realized.

Let's suppose that a priest is required to make pastoral visits to different apartment houses in an area where drug dealing or prostitution is prevalent. The Roman collar sends a clear message to everyone that the priest has come to minister to the sick and needy in Christ's name. Idle speculation might be triggered by a priest known to neighborhood residents visiting various apartment houses dressed as a layman.

A cheerful but diligent and serious priest can compel others to take stock of the manner in which they conduct themselves. The Roman collar serves as a necessary challenge to an age drowning in impurity, exhibited by suggestive dress, blasphemous speech and scandalous actions. A priest out of his collar and, naturally, not wearing a wedding ring can appear to be an attractive target for the affections of an unmarried woman looking for a husband, or for a married woman tempted to infidelity.

The Roman collar provides a reminder to the priest himself of his mission and identity: to witness to Jesus Christ, the Great High Priest, as one of his brother-priests. Believers of diverse ages, nationalities and temperaments will note the virtuous, other-centered life of the man who gladly and proudly wears the garb of a Catholic priest, and perhaps will realize that they too can consecrate themselves anew, or for the first time, to the loving Good Shepherd. Most non- Catholics do not have experience with ministers who wear clerical garb.

Therefore, Catholic priests by virtue of their dress can cause them to reflect- even if only a cursory fashion-on the Church and what she entails.

The prevailing secular morass is not kind to images which connote the Almighty, the Church, etc. When one wears the Roman collar, the hearts and minds of others are refreshingly raised to the "Higher Being" who is usually relegated to a tiny footnote in the agenda of contemporary culture. Two wardrobes can easily lead-and often does-to two lifestyles, or even two personalities.

The sight of a cheerful, happy priest confidently walking down the street can be a magnet drawing young men to consider the possibility that God is calling them to the priesthood. God does the calling; the priest is simply a visible sign God will use to draw men unto himself. Because the Roman collar gives instant recognition, priests who wear it make themselves more apt to be approached, particularly when seriously needed.

The authors can testify to being asked for the Sacraments and summoned for assistance in airports, crowded cities and isolated villages because they were immediately recognized as Catholic priests.

It is a sacrifice to make oneself constantly available to souls by being publicly identifiable as a priest, but a sacrifice pleasing to Our Divine Lord. We are reminded of how the people came to him, and how he never turned them away.

There are so many people who will benefit by our sacrifice of striving to be holy priests without interruption. The priest is a witness-for good or ill-to Christ and his Holy Church. When a "fallen-away" sees a priest, he is encouraged to recall that the Church continues to exist. A cheerful priest provides a salutary reminder of the Church. The best mortifications are the ones we do not look for. Putting up with the discomforts of heat and humidity can be a wonderful reparation for our own sins, and a means of obtaining graces for our parishioners.

The Roman collar makes a powerful statement: the priest as an has accepted the Redeemer's mandate to take the Gospel into the public square, regardless of personal cost. The numbers 24 and 7 should be our special numbers: we are priests 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We are priests, not men who engage in the "priest profession. The "lost sheep" do not make appointments.

Traditionally, we have remarked that those who receive the Sacrament of Confirmation become "soldiers" of Christ, adult Catholics ready and willing to defend his name and his Church. Those who are ordained as deacons, priests and bishops must also be prepared-whatever the stakes - to shepherd the flock of the Lord. Those priests who wear the Roman collar show forth their role unmistakably as leaders in the Church.

For example, Saint Alphonsus Liguori , Patron Saint of Moral Theologians and Confessors, in his esteemed treatise The Dignity and Duties of the Priest, urges the wearing of the appropriate clerical dress, asserting that the Roman collar helps both priest and faithful to recall the sublime splendor of the sacerdotal state instituted by the God-Man. Priests have long provided a great measure of comfort and security to their people. As youths, Catholics are taught that the priest is God's representative-someone they can trust.

Hence, the People of God want to know who these representatives are and what they stand for. The cherished custom of wearing distinguishable dress has been for centuries sanctioned by the Church; it is not an arbitrary imposition. Catholics expect their priests to dress as priests and to behave in harmony with Church teaching and practice.

As we have painfully observed over the last few years, the faithful are especially bothered and harmed when priests defy the legitimate authority of the Church, and teach and act in inappropriate and even sinful ways. When we wake each morning, we should turn our thoughts to our loving God, and ask for the grace to serve him well that day. We remind ourselves of our status as His chosen servants by putting on the attire that proclaims for all to see that God is still working in this world through the ministry of poor and sinful men.

There is a host of reasons advanced for the position that priests should not be required to wear the Roman collar. What follows is a sampling of these opinions, along with our comments. Yet, a priest is a priest- always. What is a Tab Collar? When a man's dress shirt collar is tabbed, it has two small tabs in the middle of the collar points. These connect beneath the necktie, pushing the knot up and out.

How do you prevent collar stains? Hygiene and dress shirts Using shower sponges or washcloths in the shower are great ways to give your neck some love in the shower. Post-shower, if you're a person who uses body lotion or hair products like gel, make sure to wipe your neck before putting on your dress shirt.

How do Catholics dress for church? Catholic customs This is especially true with the Major basilicas. Shirts without sleeves are not permitted, men may not wear shorts, and women's skirts must reach to below the knees. Upon meeting the Pope, or taking part in Papal ceremonies, the preferred mode of dress is either a business suit or in national costume.

What is the difference between a priest and a brother? Traditionally, there was a different division. Diocesan priests--those not in religious vows--were called "Father" or the equivalent in the local language, Pere, Padre, etc , while priests who belonged to an order were called "Brother.

Can you wear shorts to Catholic church? However there's actually a Catholic teaching on modesty while inside a church. What is the difference between a bishop and a pastor? The main difference between Pastor and Bishop is that the Pastor is a ordained leader of a Christian congregation and Bishop is a ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy for Catholic bishops, use Q, for Orthodox bishops, use Q What were the trends in the s?

In this article, The true origins of the Clerical Collar , it has a long section on the scriptural importance of the collar:. Today, when you look at the clerical dress of the majority of religions, you will see that the leadership attire is very similar. The adaptations in headgear may be different but the style of robe and neckband are ostensibly the same.

Because the Judeo-Christian faith is born out of middle eastern customs the origin of Christian clerical attire can be narrowed down to a very definite style. The thirty ninth chapter of the book of Exodus describes in detail how the Lord commanded Moses to make "the garments of ministry". Again in the book of Leviticus in the eight chapter and verse thirteen, tunics were brought for ministry.

The most abominable thing to God is for someone to minister to Him in a secular dress code, using the system of the world's style of attire to flaunt in worship before Him. The spiritual significance of the garments, or covering, before God when conducting Worship, is of absolute importance and reverence in His presence and will affect His presence.

For more information read the entire section on this subject: A distinct dress code is Scriptural! A Catholic seminarian wearing a cassock with a clerical collar.

The Roman Catholic Church did not adopt them as streetwear for clergy until the 19th century. I am aware of two distinct styles of clerical collar: the all-round style, which sits over the top of the shirt — this is what I would nowadays C21 usually understand by 'dog collar' and may I confirm that in British English, the term 'dog collar' is the standard way of referring to this item and has NO pejorative overtones.

This was still the overwhelmingly predominant style for Anglican and many other non-Roman denominations until the last third of the 20th century. My recollections from mid-C20 are that the 'tab collar' inserted into slits at the front of a clerical shirt with a vertical collar in the same fabric as the shirt was originally characteristic of Roman Catholic and some Anglo-Catholic 'high church' Anglican clergy, and that is what I have always understood by the term 'Roman collar'. I agree with the earlier commentator that there was certainly a perception that it was distinctively Catholic — hence the name.

At that time, incidentally, Baptist clergy did NOT wear clerical collars at all. But in the C21, the all-round dog collar has almost disappeared in western and northern Europe, replaced by the Roman collar tab collar among Anglicans and Lutherans and many other denominations — including many Baptist clergy — as well as in the Roman Catholic Church.

The striking context where the all-round collar continues to be the norm is in the Anglican Episcopal Church based in the United States; perhaps one could go so far as to say it has become distinctively Episcopalian. Anglican clergy in Canada, however, seem to be following the shift to Roman collars. I suspect this is not least because they are much simpler to wear. Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group.

Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. Ask Question. Asked 4 years, 9 months ago. Active 1 year, 4 months ago. Viewed 18k times. Improve this question.