White, green, red––sometimes from one Sunday to the next, or one day to the next, the priest wears a different color at Mass. Liturgical colors, used as we worship God, are one of the ways that the Catholic Church communicates to us the themes of our faith and guides our spiritual focuses in the course of a year.
What are the colors, why are these chosen, and when are they used? Here’s a full guide to the rotation of Catholic liturgical colors.
White
What It Signifies: innocence, purity, celebration, joy, triumph, glory.
White is already the base color for many of the altar linens used in the Mass and some vestments that the priest wears, but some occasions call for a more regal kind of white because they unite us to heaven in a special way.
When White Is Worn:
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Christmas day and during the 12 days of the Christmas season
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Feast of the Annunciation
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Any feast days of Our Lady
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Holy Thursday
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Easter Season
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Trinity Sunday
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Corpus Christi Sunday
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Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
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Birthday of St. John the Baptist
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Feast Days of Christ that don’t relate to his passion
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Feast of the Archangels and Guardian angels
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All Saints Day
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Christ the King Sunday
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Feast of the Chair of St. Peter (February 22)
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Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul (January 25)
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Feast of St. John the Evangelist (December 27)
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Feasts of non-martyr saints
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Nuptial (wedding) Masses
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Requiem Masses for children who died before they reached the age of reason
Green
What It Signifies: life, growth, hope, eternity.
Green reminds us of the hope and spiritual growth of Ordinary Time, the longest season of the Catholic liturgical year.
When Green Is Worn:
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On Sundays in Ordinary Time
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On weekdays during Ordinary Time that only have optional memorials or have no scheduled feasts or commemorations of saints
Ordinary Time starts on the Monday after the feast of the Baptism of the Lord (which is the end of the Christmas season) and lasts until Ash Wednesday, and then starts again on the Monday after Pentecost, ending the day before the first Sunday of Advent.
Purple
What It Signifies: penance, sacrifice, waiting, purification, royalty.
All of these themes come together for the two seasons––Lent and Advent––that prepare us for the two highest celebrations: the Nativity and Resurrection of Jesus.
A priest also wears a purple stole when administering the Sacrament of Reconciliation, as a reminder of the repentance and humility that must be in our hearts when we go to Confession.
When Purple Is Worn:
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Every day of Advent except the 3rd Sunday
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All 40 weekdays of Lent except the 4th Sunday and any of two solemnities that might fall during Lent (the Annunciation and St. Joseph)
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Masses for the dead
Red
What It Signifies: Jesus’s passion, the Holy Spirit, fire, martyrdom, sacrifice, offering of life.
Red shows up throughout the Catholic liturgical year on certain days, rather than being for an entire season like the green of Ordinary Time, the white of Easter and Christmas, or the purple of Advent and Lent. This liturgical color is a reminder of the power of the Holy Spirit and the Christian calling to sacrifice, encapsulating Christ’s words “those who lose their life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25b).
When Red Is Worn:
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Palm Sunday
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Good Friday
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Other celebrations of the Lord’s Passion (i.e. Exaltation of the Holy Cross - Sept 14)
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Pentecost Sunday
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Confirmation Mass
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Masses of the Holy Spirit (to begin an academic year, or Red Mass for members of the legal profession)
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Feast of the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist
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Most feasts of the Apostles
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Feasts of the Evangelists (except St. John): St. Matthew on September 21, St. Mark on April 25, St. Luke on October 18
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Memorials and feasts of martyrs
Rose
What It Signifies: joy, softened penance, anticipation.
It’s not pink, it’s rose! This break into color, amid the austere purple of Lent and Advent, is a little reprieve from penitence because glory and victory are approaching. The third candle on an Advent Wreath is rose colored.
When Rose Is Worn: only twice a year!
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The 3rd Sunday of Advent, called Gaudete Sunday
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The 4th Sunday of Lent, called Laetare Sunday
Black
What It Signifies: mourning and grief, reminder of our mortality.
Although part of the traditional lineup of Catholic liturgical vestments, the color black is more rare today in the context of the liturgy. Parishes in the United States may not even use it, but it is worn in Slavic traditions (Catholic and Orthodox) on weekdays during Lent.
When Black Is Worn:
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All Souls Day
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Requiem Masses (Masses for the dead)
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In some cases, Good Friday
Gold/Silver
What It Signifies: glory, victory, light, festivity.
The Catholic faith is one of deep celebration! The regal colors of gold silver often show up as a highlight color on white vestments, but are permitted as a liturgical color of their own on the highest feasts of the church year.
When Gold or Silver Can Be Worn:
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Instead of white, on the solemn feasts of Christmas and Easter
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During the Easter Octave
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Throughout the 12 days of Christmas.
A Special Note About Blue
Blue is only permitted by special privilege, specifically in Spain for feasts of the Virgin Mary. It is not an official liturgical color in the Catholic Church at large. White vestments with blue detailing are allowed without restriction, however, to honor Our Lady.
Blue is an important Catholic color, nonetheless, found everywhere to remind us of Our Lady!
What Catholic Items Change Colors Liturgically?
What The Priest Wears
The following vestments worn by a priest, deacon, or bishop are different from day to day depending on what is on the Catholic liturgical calendar.
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Chasuble: the sleeveless outer vestment that the priest wears while celebrating Mass. The entire chasuble is typically made out of the liturgical color of the day. It represents the yoke of Christ, the authority of the priest as mediator between God and the people, and God’s all-encompassing grace and charity. As a single-piece poncho, it also represents the seamless tunic that Jesus wore during his passion.
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Stole: a long, scarf-like band of cloth worn down from the shoulders by deacons, priests, and bishops over the white alb that is the basis of their liturgical vestments. Priests and bishops wear it over the shoulders, hanging straight down, while deacons wear it diagonally from the left shoulder to their right side.
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Dalmatic: a wide-sleeved tunic that is the official liturgical vestment for a deacon to wear for Mass, solemn processions, or Eucharistic services. A deacon wears it over a white alb and a stole.
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Mitre: the traditional ceremonial headdress worn by Catholic bishops to symbolize their identities as shepherds and successors to the apostles. It is tall and shield-shaped, with a peak at the top in front and back, and two hanging streamers (lappets) hang down the back. The shape resembles the tongues of fire through which the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles at Pentecost, while the two peaks signify the Old and New Testaments.
What We See in Church
These items found on the altar or around the sanctuary of a Catholic Church reflect the liturgical color of the main seasons of the year: purple for Advent and Lent, white (perhaps with gold or silver) for Christmas and Easter, green for Ordinary Time, red for Pentecost and Palm Sunday.
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Altar cloth: usually, the superfrontal of the altar cloth reflects the liturgical color of the season or feast. This part of the altar cloth is the detachable panel that faces outward. It is secured to the altar top, changed out to match the liturgical color of the season or feast day, and usually adorned by Catholic liturgical symbols.
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The chalice veil: a large square cloth that spreads over the chalice and is made out of the same material as the priest’s chasuble. It reflects the hiddenness of the sacred mystery inside the chalice.
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Burse: a square, stiff, and flat, made out of same material and priest’s chasuble. Along with the purificator and pall, it is used to cover the chalice during times when the chalice is not in use.
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The tabernacle veil: a traditional piece still found in some churches today. It surrounds the outside of the tabernacle, guarding the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and signifying the mystery of it, like the veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple.
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Decorative liturgical linens around the sanctuary, including: banners, ambo hangings, linens around flower arrangements.
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