Rose Colored Vestments

Color plays an important role in our daily lives. It varies by seasons in nature and in the colors we wear.  Color also plays an important role in the life of the church. The basic colors used in the church year are white, ivory, or gold for festivals such as Christmas, Easter, Trinity Sunday, and All Saints Day, to name a few. Meanwhile, on Pentecost, Feasts of the Martyrs, and frequently during ordinations and installation services, clergy use Festival Colors such as rose-colored vestments, vibrant red chasubles, and stoles. During ordinary times, clergy use green, and some churches use blue for Advent and Mary Festival days. Vivid purples and deep violets are the colors used for Lent to denote a Penitential season. Many other colors fall under this season, including scarlet, black, indigo, and rose.

The Rose Vestment

Rose is a color that falls under the heading of the purples and violets of the seasons of Advent and Lent. Rose as a vestment color is seen and used twice during the church year calendar. The days set aside for rose vestments and altar hangings are the Third Sunday of Advent and the Fourth Sunday of Lent.  Often the question someone unfamiliar with the use of rose is, “Why is the priest wearing pink vestments!????!”And that is where the learning begins. Using rose vestment can be an aid to a pastor or priest to teach about the seasons of the church year.

The seasons of Advent and Lent are intended to be thoughtful, reflective, and mournful, as well as times of anticipation. The readings of the church year reflect that penitential mood, often for weeks on end.

We often get weary, and yet amid this season, there is a brief glimpse of things to come. That glimpse comes in the third week of Advent and the fourth week of Lent. For one brief week during these seasons, the readings appointed for the day lighten a bit, giving a hint of the joy that awaits on Christmas and Easter mornings.

The message tells us to hold on – the penitential season will soon come to an end. To help the pastor and priest with this change amid the season is the rose vestments. The colors lighten to reflect a momentary change amid the season. They are a way of letting people know that something special is happening for two distinct Sundays during the life of the church.

So too, our workroom lightens for a moment amid sewing Advent. Our rose monastic chasuble and stole are now available as part of the Saint Ignatius of Antioch Ecclesiastical Collection of Church Vestments.

Choosing Colors and Fabrics

The color is a rose accented by a cranberry orphrey with Rose Pugin trim. The original Rose vestment set planned for this year was completely different. Yet, plans have a way of sometimes not working the way they were intended. The colors may not go together, or the fabrics look too dull. One tries everything and learns a thousand ways why colors refuse to work together, despite what the experts’ color charts claim.

In frustration, one is tempted to give up, yet the desire is there to persevere. Suddenly the unexpected happens and the colors sing aloud! They blend with perfect harmony.  Everything is right and the project comes together in an instant, down to the final details. Such is the case with this set. It almost did not happen this year. Yet we rejoice that God is good and through Him, all things are possible.

It is finished. Advent will come, and for a moment in the season, there will be a rose of hope to point us to the coming Messiah!

Soli Deo Gloria

A note of thanks:

There is a lovely lady who was my encouragement to keep going throughout this project, even when it wasn’t working. Her perseverance was a tremendous aid that encouraged me to work on the design and color issues that plagued this project for months delighting joy and delight every time we chat, albeit by email. She works diligently for the church and it is her joy to serve others. I benefit from and am blessed with her kind heart and spirit. Thank you, L. J. for helping to bring this project to life. Because of her kindness, many may learn and rejoice in the joy that awaits us on Gaudete and Laetare Sundays.

Be sure to visit our online store front Ecclesiastical Sewing where you may shop for Liturgical Fabrics, altar linen fabrics, church vestment-making patterns, liturgical machine embroidery designs,  church vestment trims and notions and so much more. You may also find us on  Ecclesiastical Sewing on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Sign up for our mailing list at the bottom of the page on our online store front and receive a free copy of our Small Linens Booklet as our way of saying thank you for following along.

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Violet, Blue and Rose Liturgical Brocade Church Vestments Fabrics

The Rose of the Lutherans

New Projects in the works soon

Rose Chasuble and Stole Vestments for Advent and Lent