Custom-Sewn Traditional Roman Catholic Vestments

“The Mass vestments were originally ordinary garments of the ancient Roman world. Although the fashions of dress changed with the passing centuries, the priest continued to wear at the altar the ancient Roman costume of his predecessors. Thus, the priest vested for Mass is a wonderful witness to the historical continuity of the Catholic Church of Rome, founded by the Prince of the Apostles.” – St. Joseph’s Daily Missal

Catholic vestments include not only the chasuble “the modern cloak,” but also a number of other pieces, a stole and a maniple. Originally, the stole was a large piece of linen cloth worn over the deacon’s left shoulder. Used to purify the sacred vessels, it was later replaced by a smaller cloth called a purificator. Today, the stole serves only a symbolic function. The maniple (Roman style) originally served a similar purpose to the stole. It was used to cleanse sacred vessels, but it was also used to wipe the celebrant’s eyes and mouth. It became an ornamental piece of the vestment in the 12th century.

The origins of the traditional Catholic vestment date back to the early Christians in Rome . Early Christian vestments were not unique. If fact, they were the garment of the day. The chasuble, a modern term, was a cape or cloak worn by everyday Roman citizens. In those days, the presbyters and deacons wore the same garment whether they were celebrating the Eucharist or tending to daily life. But over time, as garment styles changed, the early clergy deemed the new styles unsuitable for worship, and so they preserved the old style garments for their celebrations.

The Roman vestment of today, which was the Italian style of chasuble, dates back to the Middle Ages.

The original cloak was simply a large semicircular piece of fabric that covered the whole body with only an opening for the head. St. Paul mentions his cloak in the second Epistle to Timothy (4:13) when he writes, “The cloak that I left at Troas.” The cloak of that day was worn by the poor and middle class people who were not Roman citizens, and because they were not citizens, they were not permitted to wear the Roman toga.

The Gothic vestment of today dates back to the Gothic Revival period.

Liturgical vestments were neither invented by the Church or imitations of the Jewish clergy. The vestments simply evolved from the early Christian garb of Roman times and acquired a sacrificial significance because the early martyrs wore cloaks during the persecution. And thus today, the vestment is meant to be a continual reminder and tribute to the sufferings that the early Christians endured.