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Deacon Vestments:

The Deacon is one of the three ordained orders of Clergy in the Roman Catholic Church. As such they wear some vestments in common as do the priests. But some vesture is specific to only the deacon.

Deacon Dalmatic:

The outer vestment that is worn over the alb and stole is called the Dalmatic. It is different from the garment that the priest wears. The priest wears a Chasuble as his outer vestment.

The Dalmatic takes its name from Dalmatia, a historic region of Croatia, along the Adriatic Sea. In the early centuries of the Christian era, it was the garb of rank and prestige in civil society. Only privileged members of the community were entitles to the Dalmatic, in much the same way as only persons of rank in ancient Rome were permitted to wear the purple cloak.

The Dalmatic was granted to the Order of Deacons by Pope St. Sylvester in A.D. 332.

The ancient link between deacons and bishops is preserved in the Dalmatic. A common opinion is that at first only the pope wore it. The pope granted the privilege to the Roman deacons.

Historically the deacon’s Dalmatic was a counterpart to the priest’s chasuble at the Eucharist. Just as the priest generally does not wear the chasuble except when he presides at Mass, so the deacon should not wear the Dalmatic when he presides at such services as baptisms, funerals, exposition and benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, or the Liturgy of the Hours. At such celebrations the deacon may wear a cope over the Alb and Stole. The second option would be that the deacon wears an Alb and Stole.

Stole:

The deacon’s stole is worn over the alb from the left shoulder and crosses over the front and back to the right side of the deacon. A priest’s stole is worn around the neck and hangs straight down.

The Stole like many of the sacred vestments of the Church comes to us from a functional background. Its origins lie in the primitive scarf used both in life, to keep the neck and upper body warm and in death, to cover the face before wrapping the body in the burial shroud.

St. Ambrose, in the year 386, wrote that St. Lazarus was wrapped in an orarium, or scarf, as he was laid in the crypt. Orarium is the original Latin word for Stole. By the fourth century, Roman society adopted the orarium as a sign of dignity similar to that of public honors. Persons entitled to use the orarium or stole were awarded this honor for specific services to the state. Messengers of the emperor were entitled to the simple orarium. Individuals entitled to use of the colored stole over the alba were further identified for their heroic service.

By the sixth century the stole was used universally throughout the Latin rite. By the Council of Mayence in A.D. 813, all clerics (bishop, priest and deacons) were required to wear the stole. The early writers of the Church speak of the stole as symbolic of Christ washing the feet of the twelve apostles.

The word stole is a Greek word derived from the early Greek word for towel, stolas. All clerics are entitled to the stole. In fact it is required of them when vested or performing the sacramental role of their office. The Stole is a symbol of the sacrament of Holy Orders.

 

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