The color of the priest’s vestments and the altar cloths changes with the seasons and feasts of the Church year. Green is worn in Ordinary Time, violet in Advent and Lent, white at Christmas and Easter, red on Pentecost and the feasts of martyrs. These colors are a visual catechism: they tell us at a glance what the Church is celebrating and help us enter into the mood of the season.
Below is each liturgical color with its meaning and the days it is used, according to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (346), with the colors for the coming liturgical year.
The liturgical colors at a glance
| Color | Meaning | When it is used |
|---|---|---|
| White (or gold/silver) | Joy, purity, glory, the Resurrection | Christmas and Easter seasons; feasts of the Lord (except his Passion), of Mary, of the angels and of saints who were not martyrs; All Saints; weddings; funerals (USA) |
| Red | The fire of the Holy Spirit; the blood of martyrs | Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Pentecost; feasts of the Passion; apostles, evangelists and martyrs; confirmations |
| Green | Hope, life, growth | Ordinary Time |
| Violet (purple) | Penance, preparation, waiting | Advent and Lent; may be used for funerals and Masses for the Dead |
| Rose | Joy breaking into a penitential season | Gaudete Sunday (Third Sunday of Advent) and Laetare Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Lent) |
| Black | Mourning | May be used at funerals and Masses for the Dead (USA), and on All Souls’ Day |
| Gold or silver | Special solemnity | May replace white (or other colors) on more solemn occasions (USA) |
White
White is the color of light, joy and the glory of the risen Christ. It is used throughout the Christmas and Easter seasons; on feasts of the Lord other than those of his Passion (for example the Transfiguration, Christ the King and Corpus Christi); on feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the holy angels and saints who were not martyrs; on All Saints, the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, St. John the Evangelist, the Chair of St. Peter and the Conversion of St. Paul (GIRM 346). It is also used for weddings and baptisms, and in the United States may be used at funerals, recalling the white garment of baptism and the hope of resurrection.
Red
Red has a double meaning: the fire of the Holy Spirit and the blood of martyrs. It is worn on Palm Sunday and Good Friday, on Pentecost, on celebrations of the Lord’s Passion (such as the Exaltation of the Cross), on the feasts of the apostles and evangelists (except St. John) and on the memorials of martyrs. Bishops often wear red for confirmations, the sacrament of the Holy Spirit.
Green
Green, the color of growing things, is used in Ordinary Time, the longest part of the year, when the Church grows in her knowledge and love of Christ by following his public life Sunday after Sunday. See Ordinary Time.
Violet (purple)
Violet is the color of preparation and penance. It is used in Advent, as we prepare for the coming of Christ, and in Lent, as we prepare for Easter by prayer, fasting and almsgiving. It may also be used at funerals and Masses for the Dead. Some parishes use a bluish violet in Advent to distinguish it from Lent, but blue as such is not an approved liturgical color in the United States.
Rose
Rose, a lightened violet, may be worn on two days: Gaudete Sunday (Third Sunday of Advent) and Laetare Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Lent), when the Church rejoices halfway through her time of waiting. The third candle of the Advent wreath is rose for the same reason. See Gaudete Sunday.
Black
Black, the traditional color of mourning, may be worn at funerals and Masses for the Dead, and many priests wear it on All Souls’ Day (November 2). It expresses the Church’s grief and her prayer for the dead. See All Souls’ Day.
Gold and silver
In the United States, gold or silver vestments may be worn on more solemn occasions, such as Christmas and Easter, in place of white.
Liturgical colors for 2026–2027
| Season or day | Dates | Color |
|---|---|---|
| Advent | November 29 – December 24, 2026 | Violet (rose on December 13) |
| Christmas season | December 25, 2026 – January 10, 2027 | White |
| Ordinary Time | January 11 – February 9, 2027 | Green |
| Ash Wednesday and Lent | February 10 – March 25, 2027 (Holy Thursday morning) | Violet (rose on March 7) |
| Palm Sunday | March 21, 2027 | Red |
| Holy Thursday evening | March 25, 2027 | White |
| Good Friday | March 26, 2027 | Red |
| Easter Vigil and Easter season | March 27 – May 16, 2027 | White |
| Pentecost | May 16, 2027 | Red |
| Ordinary Time | May 17 – November 27, 2027 | Green |
For every date and feast, see the liturgical calendar 2026–2027 and the saint of the day.
Frequently asked questions
What color does the priest wear for a funeral?
In the United States, white, violet or black (GIRM 346). White is most common today.
Why is purple used in both Advent and Lent?
Both are seasons of preparation: Advent for the coming of Christ at Christmas and at the end of time, Lent for his Passion and Resurrection. Advent’s violet is more hopeful; Lent’s more penitential.
Is blue a liturgical color?
Not in the Roman Missal for the United States. Some Spanish and Latin American dioceses have a historic privilege to use blue for feasts of the Immaculate Conception.
What color is used on Christ the King Sunday?
White. See Christ the King Sunday.
More liturgy guides
- Sacristan guide
- The liturgical year
- Liturgical calendar 2026–2027
- The order of the Mass
- Advent 2026 and Lent 2027
Sources
- General Instruction of the Roman Missal (2011 English translation, USA), nos. 345–347.
- Dates calculated for the liturgical year 2026–2027 (Year B; weekday cycle I).