What special clothes do Anglican Ministers wear?


Anglican ministers can wear a wide variety of special clothes. There is however, a wide variety of practice within the Anglican Church of Australia, with some ministers wearing very formal clothes and others informal ones the same as members of their congregation.

Probably the most common special article of clothing is the "clerical collar". Many ministers wear these when leading services, visiting, or just for general use.

It is when they are leading services that many Anglican ministers wear special clothes or "vestments" as they are known. Once again, the type of vestments varies significantly from place to place and church to church.

(From an article in Anglican Encounter, November 2000, by Sally Gero)

Vestments means "official dress" or "robes", and can refer to any type of ceremonial clothing worn not only by clergy, but by anyone in a ceremonial capacity. In the early days of the church no special clothing was worn, apart from a long white garment put on at baptism to signify "putting on Christ".

The long white garment worn in Roman society by professional people did not become a specifically Christian vestment until the fifth century, although Jerome (341-420 CE) distinguishes between everyday clothes and a special 'suit of clean clothes' for church wear. By the fifth century, priests and bishops were wearing the long white garment called the alb (meaning 'white' as in albino and albatross).