Clerical clothing: Encyclopedia - Clerical clothing

Clerical clothing

Clerical clothing is non-liturgical clothing worn exclusively by clergy. It is distinct from vestments in that it is not reserved specifically for services. Practices vary: clerical clothing is sometimes worn under vestments, and sometimes as the everyday clothing or street wear of a priest, minister, or other clergy member. In some cases, it can be similar or identical to the habit of a monk or nun.

In modern times, many Christian clergy have adopted the use of a clergy shirt with a clerical collar.

Clerical clothing - Orthodox Christianity

In Orthodoxy, a useful distinction between vestments and clerical clothing is that if you have to bless it (or have it blessed) before you can wear it, it's a vestment. Otherwise, it's just clothes.

• Inner Cassock The inner cassock (more commonly, simply Cassock) is a floor length garment, usually black, worn by all clergy members, monastics, and seminarians.
• Outer Cassock Called a Ryasa (Russian: ряса) or Exorason, the outer cassock is a large, flowing garment worn over the inner cassock by bishops, priests, deacons, and monastics.
• Skufia A soft-sided cap worn by monastics or awarded to clergy as a mark of honor.
• Kamilavka A stiff hat worn by monastics or awarded to clergy as a mark of honor.
• Apostolnik A veil worn either by nuns, either alone or with a skufia.
• Epanokamelavkion A veil extending over the back, worn with the kamilavka by all monastics and bishops.
• Klobuk A kamilavka with an epanokamelavkion permanently attached; more common in the Russian tradition.

Clerical clothing - Catholicism

Cassock: A long-sleeved, hoodless garment most often made of lightweight black fabric. Cassocks are generally ankle-length.

Clergy Shirt: There are several types of clergy shirts:

• Neckband: A collarless shirt (similar to a banded collar shirt) with a thin strip of cloth that fits over the neck of the shirt, creating a solid white collar that sourrounds the neck, like a turtleneck sweater. The collar may be fastened with collar stays or buttons. These shirts are most familiar for Anglican clergy.
• Tab-Collar: A collared shirt that resembles a standard dress shirt, but with a smaller collar. The collar either buttons or pins flat against the shirt, and a white strip (about the size of a tongue depressor) is inserted to form a small white square. These shirts are most familiar for Roman Catholic clergy.
• Full collar shirt and cassock: These are very similar to banded collar shirts, except the collar is higher. These are worn under a cassock or a waist length shirt modeled after a cassock, so that only the white square shows up (as in the tab collar shirt). When the cassock is placed over the shirt, the Nehru-like collar of the cassock (or cassock-style shirt) exposes only a small white square of the full collar shirt, creating the familiar "Roman" collar. It is not, however, a white collar attached to a contrasting color shirt, as in the case of the neckband shirt, but a all-white, high-collar shirt worn under the cassock or cassock-like shirt, so that only the white at the collar shows forth.
• "Dickie"-style: These shirts are similar to tuxedo vests; they are only shirt fronts with a neckstrap and waist strap to hold them on. They generally have a raised black collar (like a Nehru jacket) with a cut out section that reveals a white collar from behind. These shirts are very popular for clergy who do not normally wear clericals, as they may be slipped over the existing shirt in a situation where a clerical shirt is required. "Dickie"-style clerical shirts are designed to imitate a full collar shirt with a cassock-like shirt over top, and are typically indistinguishable from a full collar shirt when worn under a jacket.

Clergy shirts may be of any color; they are most often black, but some bishops choose to wear purple, and some cardinals wear scarlet. Clergy from other denominations may chose different colors to distinguish themselves from Roman Catholic and Anglican clergy.

Clerical clothing - Anglicanism

Clerical clothing - Protestantism

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Clerical clothing", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki