I am not sure if it is required in the EF Mass, but most priests would take their watch off so that it would not be visible during the elevations. As well, except for a bishop, a priest would not wear any rings, except those who have a wedding ban as a part of their religious profession (and married priests allowed by the Church).
Also, there isn't any prescription of this, but most priests when they wear a cassock under their alb also have a white shirt with french cuffs (optional I guess).
Today, many priests (and I did up until a few years ago) wear a short sleeve clerical shirt under their alb and no cassock. Thus at the elevations, the priest's forearms are completely exposed, not a very formal look given the formal nature of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
What do you think?
13 comments:
In the Russian tradition the priests do NOT wear their wedding rings on the altar.
So long as it's not a tiara, I don't care.
I don't have a problem with priests wearing watches. It never occurred to me that a priest shouldn't wear one. It doesn't matter if he has a fancy watch or a cheap watch or a smartwatch. What difference does it make?
I have heard the priest’s watch alarm go off during Mass. no pagers or cell phones, either.
FWIW, our priest had to put out the word there are to be NO CELL PHONES IN THE CONFESSIONAL. That is sort of weird to contemplate.
The first pope to sport a wristwatch was JP II in 1978. As I recall it was a stainless steel digital model. The only time a priest should need to check the time is when preaching - no homily should exceed ten minutes.
In the Anglican Church when long sermons were the norm, there would have been an hour-glass on the pulpit. Unless the preacher delivered the full sixty minutes, the congregation would feel they had been short-changed.
John, for that, most of us would be shot today!
Dan, Bless you heart. What do you have against diamonds or amethysts or rubies or sapphires?
A., upon further reflection, I realize that so long as due reverence was given to Pachamama when the jewels were mined, Francis would approve of these tiaras, so 'who am I to judge.'
Dan - Oh, I forgot emeralds!
Dan, I would make an exception for the papal tiara aka triregnum.
I don't worry about whether the priest is wearing a watch or whether he has long sleeves.
If this is what you choose to focus on, the problem is yours, not the priest's.
I don't mind the jewelry. I don't like a colored and patterned secular shirt instead of clericals sticking out under the alb though.
Pope Benedict’s gold (?Rolex) watch could clearly be seen when he celebrated mass!
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