Wow! So you were chosen to be on the committee to select some new paraments and vestments for your church. You thought missing the meeting would be a small matter but you were elected by default. Lucky for you, there are some places to go for help.

Selecting the color is mostly determined by the season. Advent is violet, purple, or blue, Christmas and Epiphany are white. This is not chiseled in stone and a good committee goes to many sources; their priest, books, the congregation, and any companies that deal with producing altar items.

Once the colors and fabric have been selected, the next step is to choose the symbols to be placed on the vestments and paraments.

Let’s start with Advent, the first season in the liturgical year. Advent is from the Latin advenire which means to arrive. It used to be a period of penitence and preparation for the coming event of Christmas. Some churches have chosen to use blues for their colors for Advent. Symbols used are often Advent wreaths with five candles. An old symbol was a large sun with alternating straight and curvy rays. The center would have either IHS or IHC or the Alpha and Omega symbols. Sometimes, the Jesse Tree is used as a reference to the family background of Jesus. There is an interesting design showing a six point star as representing King David sprouting a Jesse Tree with a flower representing Jesus. (Luke 1:32) You can also choose symbols representing John the Baptist who announces the coming of Christ. These would be a lamb bearing a white banner with a red cross, locusts and honey.

Next in the yearly calendar is Christmas, December 25. Definitely a major holiday. White is the fabric but sometimes gold is used. White represents purity, joy, life, and light. Useful symbols are the manger, a herald angel, a unicorn, or a Christmas Rose.

Epiphany is the remembrance of the coming of the Wise Men or Magi. Again the color is white fabric. The symbols are often a cross and crosslets, three crowns stacked, or a star shining above with one long ray. The word Epiphany is Greek and means manifestation.

Now that everyone has agreed and are still speaking to each other, the next step is to decide on the method to illustrate your ideas. A lot of media are available. There is embroidery, quilting, appliqué, and canvas work. There are many techniques of embroidery alone. You can use silk, cotton, wool, or metal threads. The real key is choosing a medium that can be worked with skill. If you are using a professional group be sure to check out previous commissions. If this is a do it yourself project, try the designs on a practice piece before starting the main project. Both the fabric and the threads are expensive so practice ahead of time.

Creating a new set of liturgical hangings is not done quickly. Extreme care has to be taken with choosing designs and colors. When laying threads on fabric, make sure to use several types of light including natural sunlight. What appears red in one place can look purple in another type of light.

In all, it takes a lot of planning to come up with something that is not only appropriate but also pleasing.

(Ed. Note – Pictures of the symbols mentioned in this article may be found in the following books: Symbols of the Church, edited by C.Whittemore; Symbols of Church Seasons & Days, John Bradner; Saints, Signs, and Symbols, W. Ellwood Post.)