Quote Originally Posted by Jock Scot View Post
I wonder Bill, without breaking some rule or other, could you explain to this non religious type and perhaps others too who may be interested, just what the problem might be, for some, with the purple?
I needn't break any rule because I'm merely sharing the facts and history of the clothing, but thanks for your caution!

In episcopal (bishop-led) churches, purple is reserved for the bishops. They wear (or can wear) purple shirts & cassocks. In the Roman church, the Pope wears white and the cardinals wear red. The rest of the clergy traditionally wear black. It's sort of like wearing your rank on your epaulettes. While a purple kilt is not technically reserved to the episcopacy, the culture in my little branch of the church is that a common parish priest like myself avoids mixing any purpure with any indication of being part of the clergy. That means I can wear a purple polo shirt on my day off, but if I have on a collar, any hint of "purpleness" might be considered by some (not likely the bishop him/herself) to be inappropriate.

Humorous (to me anyway) sidebar on this: In the post-hippie seventies, the general clergy began to wear shirts of "other" colours - greens, white, reds, blues, etc. Some shades of grey, blue, and brown had traditionally been worn by those of "secondary" orders - those clergy who in addition to their ordination, belong to a specific religious order. (I own one light grey clerical shirt that I wear when it's horribly hot. I belong to the order of heat-suffering fatties.)

One day, a dear colleague of mine was wearing an electric blue shirt as he ascended in the lift to an upper floor of a Roman-led hospital to visit an ill parishioner. (They're not segregated by faith, but this hospital was owned, led, and operated by the Sisters of St. Joseph.) On the lift with him was a nun in traditional black and white habit who kept darting discreet sideways glances at him. As he reached his floor and moved towards the opening door, the sister dredged up her courage and plucking at his sleeve, asked in a voice betraying absolute horror, "Father... what order!?"

Doug enjoys the story to this day, and so do I. Hope others do too.

Now back to your regularly scheduled discussion.