By Fr. Christopher Odeluyi
Yesterday at Mass in my new parish, something happened that deeply unsettled me as a priest.
As I processed to the altar wearing a pink (rose) chasuble, I noticed the puzzled looks. Then questions came, some whispered, some spoken openly, some accompanied by laughter. “Father, why pink?” “Is it a mistake?” “Is it for a special occasion?” A few even thought it was simply a personal choice or a decorative experiment. And when I asked, only a very few have ever seen a priest putting on pink Chasuble.
What alarmed me was the discovery that almost 95% of the parishioners had no idea why a priest would ever wear pink vestments at Mass. Many of these faithful men and women have been Catholics for over four decades. They have attended Mass faithfully, received the sacraments, served in parish groups, and raised Catholic families, yet this aspect of our rich liturgical life was completely unfamiliar to them.
That moment revealed something painful and sobering: *that our Catholic traditions are slowly being erased, not by persecution, but by neglect.* And painfully, this erosion has happened largely through the actions and inactions of us, the priests.
The Catholic Church is not only a believing Church; she is also a remembering Church. Our faith is expressed not only in words, but in signs, symbols, colours, seasons, gestures, and rhythms. When these are ignored, simplified, or abandoned, the faithful gradually lose their sense of the Church’s depth and beauty.
Many Catholics today do not know:
The liturgical colours of the Church
The meaning of the liturgical seasons
Why certain prayers change at certain times
Why the Church fasts, feasts, rejoices, and mourns in different ways
And when these are lost, the Mass risks becoming routine. Something attended, not something entered into or lived.
*When Does the Priest Wear Pink Vestments?*
Pink (more properly called rose) is worn only twice in the entire liturgical year:
1. Gaudete Sunday – the Third Sunday of Advent
2. Laetare Sunday – the Fourth Sunday of Lent
These two Sundays are moments of joyful pause within otherwise penitential seasons.
<span;><span;>* Advent is a season of waiting and preparation
<span;><span;>* Lent is a season of repentance and conversion
Yet on these two Sundays, the Church gently interrupts the austerity and says:
“Rejoice!”
*Why Pink?*
The colour rose is not chosen at random. It carries deep symbolism.
<span;><span;>* Purple signifies penance, expectation, and preparation
<span;><span;>* White signifies joy, glory, and celebration
<span;><span;>* Rose is purple softened by white. It is joy breaking through discipline. It is hope shining through waiting. It is light visible before the dawn.
The Church is saying to us: *“Yes, the journey is still ongoing, but the joy is already near, so rejoice for salvation is at hand.”*
Gaudete comes from the Latin Gaudete in Domino semper’ which is “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4)
Laetare comes from Laetare Jerusalem, which is “Rejoice, Jerusalem” (Isaiah 66:10)
On these Sundays, the readings, the prayers, and even the vestments all proclaim one message: God’s saving work is close at hand. Do not lose heart.
.
The tragedy is not that people did not know.
The tragedy is that no one ever taught them.
For years, perhaps decades, pink vestments were simply not worn. Not explained. Not seen. And so, an entire generation of Catholics grew up without experiencing this tradition. What was meant to be a moment of catechesis became an absence. And absence eventually becomes ignorance.
This is why I found the situation alarming.
Not embarrassing.
Not amusing.
But alarming.
Because when symbols disappear, meaning disappears with them.
The priest is not only a celebrant of the liturgy; he is its guardian and teacher.
When we simplify the liturgy to suit convenience, when we ignore the Church’s wisdom for the sake of speed or comfort, we unintentionally impoverish the faith of our people.
The faithful deserve more than a valid Mass.
They deserve a rich, faithful, well-celebrated, well-explained liturgy.
Every colour teaches.
Every season forms.
Every symbol catechizes.
.
I am explaining this not to show knowledge, but to restore memory.
Not to criticize, but to reawaken appreciation.
Not to confuse, but to invite deeper participation.
The Church is ancient, wise, and intentional. Nothing in her liturgy is accidental. When we rediscover these traditions, our worship becomes more meaningful, our faith more rooted, and our identity more clearly Catholic. Hence, my hope is simple:
<span;><span;>- That we return to knowing why we do what we do.
<span;><span;>- That the Mass ceases to be routine and becomes once again a sacred journey.
<span;><span;>- That symbols speak again.
<span;><span;>- That colours teach again.
<span;><span;>- That our Catholic identity is not only inherited, but understood.
Pink vestments are not a novelty. They are a quiet proclamation of hope. And in a world, and a Church, often weighed down by burdens, that message is more necessary than ever.
Dear parishioners, always seek understanding of the Church’s teachings, liturgies and activities.
May God bless you all.
*Jesus I Trust in You*