St. Thomas

Question: Father, why were you wearing purple vestments at Mass?
Answer:    I wear purple for Lent. Purple is the color of the penitential seasons within the Catholic Church. Pope Innocent III (Pontiff in the Twelfth Century) set the colors for liturgical vestments as: white, red, black, and green. The Council of Trent added purple to the list for penitential seasons in place of black. In the Western world, black is traditionally associated with grief and mourning. Black was the color for penance expressing our sorrow for our sins. Purple, while a color, is still dark. It has been traditionally the color one wears coming out of mourning. Since Reconciliation is about more than just the sorrow for our sins, but also the gratitude for forgiveness, the color was changed to purple to express that sense of hope. That is why you will see deacons, priests, and bishops vested in purple for Lent, Advent, and penitential liturgies.