Colors of the Church Calendar
You may wonder why we have different colored paraments (hangings in the liturgical colors used on the altar, pulpit and lectern)[1] that honor special holidays or seasons during the liturgical Church year. Each color changes according to the season and plays an important part in the liturgy of the Church.
The Church seasons are Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent; the three-day season that begins at sundown on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Vigil or Holy Saturday, known as the Paschal Triduum; Easter and Pentecost. There are five basic liturgical colors: blue, white, red, green and purple.
During the season of Advent, St. Martin’s uses the color blue, also known as Sarum Blue or the old English Sarum rite. Other churches may use purple. Advent comes from the Latin, adventus (coming) and is the season of preparation for Christmas and also for the Second Coming of Christ on the last day.[2] The color blue is associated with the Blessed Virgin Mary and during Advent it is a time of hope, preparatory anticipation mixed with penitence, awaiting the birth of Christ.
St. Martin’s is blessed to have two sets of white paraments, Festal White and Seasonal White. The color white is used as a symbol for purity and commemorates Christ’s life on Earth. The purity of white is appropriate for new birth and the Feastal White paraments are used for Christmas, Easter and other feast days, including baptisms, weddings and ordinations of bishops and priests. Our Seasonal White paraments are used for memorial/funeral services and the Great 50 Days of Easter symbolizing Jesus’s presence on Earth before ascending to heaven on Ascension Day.
Red symbolizes both the fire of the Holy Spirit as on Pentecost Sunday and martyrdom during Holy Week. St. Martin’s uses oxblood/black paraments on Palm Sunday through Maundy Thursday while other churches may use the color red during this time.
Green is used between Christmas and Lent, which is recognized as the season of Epiphany. Ordinary Time begins with Trinity Sunday and ends on Christ the King Sunday, known as the season after Pentecost, which is the longest season of the Church calendar. Green symbolizes life and growth.
Finally, purple is used during Lent. This is a time of fasting and prayer, humility, mourning and penance reminding us that we are preparing for the coming of Christ. Purple is also the color of royalty. During Lent, it is a practice that the Church reflects the austerity of the season.[3] For example, prominent crosses are shrouded in purple or black, greenery arrangements replace flowers and the decorative silver or brass cover on the Gospel Book is removed.
It was not until the Tridentine Missal of 1570 that colors were defined by rubric (liturgical instruction) in the Roman Catholic Church and not until the 19th century that the system was universally accepted.[4] During the 12th century, as the use of vestments became more common, various colors were added and today, almost any color is being used in churches for vestments and paraments.
[1] Patricia S. Klein, “Worship Without Words: The Signs and Symbols of Our Faith,” (Brewster, Massachusetts: Paraclete Press, 2000), page 22.
[2] B. Don Taylor, “The Complete Training Course for Altar Guild,” (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Morehouse Publishing, 1993), section 8-7.
[3] Howard E. Galley, “The Ceremonies of the Eucharist: A Guide to Celebration,” (Lanham, Chicago, New York, Toronto, and Plymouth, UK: A Cowley Publications, 1989), page 42.
[4] B. Don Taylor, “The Complete Training Course of Altar Guild,” (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Morehouse Publishing, 1993), section 8-17.
