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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

What Should Female Lectors Wear At Mass?

Jeff Ostrowski · July 7, 2014

293 Comic AMICE HE COLLEGE GIRLS who acted as lectors for the Newman Center in Lawrence, KS, often wore mini-skirts so revealing it seemed they weren’t wearing pants. I know this because I attended daily Mass at the St. Lawrence Center while studying at the University of Kansas. (For the record, I’m told a new priest “cleaned house” after I left in 2005.)

As a young piano student, I remember being dumbfounded by lectors dressed immodestly and asking the question: What attire should lectors wear? I was taught that women should never wear cassock and surplice.

An ALB is also out of the question, because it’s traditionally a priestly vestment. Current legislation does allow women to wear an alb, but when they do, they’re told they must also wear “a cincture and an amice,” which strikes me as absurd. 1 But here we are not considering what a women lector is allowed to wear: we are asking what they ought to wear.

I SAY AGAIN: THE ALB is traditionally a priestly vestment. The amice and cincture are, too, and have special prayers said by the priest as he puts them on. To my knowledge, there is not one shred of iconographical evidence contradicting the idea that the alb is exclusively a priestly vestment. (Here I am considering iconographical evidence from 1960 going back to the 10th century.) Liturgists in the 1980s put forward the idea that lay Christians might have worn the alb in the earliest centuries of the Church, but selectively “plucking” a vague idea from that time period seems fraught with problems, since we have so little concrete evidence.

Pick up a copy of the Jogues Missal to see how this issue was addressed:

      * *  Jogues Illuminated Missal — A Pew Book for the Ordinary Form


Which of these possible solutions do you prefer?

            298 Lady Lector         301 Lector Woman

The blue cassocks are used for ladies at the Lateran Basilica in Rome.


UPDATE :

Some people have been quoting St. Paul in who said women should be quiet and never speak in Church (I Corinthians 14:34). I’m not sure how that quote should be interpreted in modern times. For example, Pope Pius XII encouraged women to speak in Church (the so-called “Dialogue” Mass), and the 1962 Missale Romanum allows women to make the responses if no male server is present. Furthermore, nuns inside convents have been “speaking” and singing in Church for centuries. But which of us would accuse Pope Pius XII of being ignorant of St. Paul?

However, St. Paul’s quote reminds us to guard against Bugnini’s idea of picking and choosing from a “pristine” age of the Church (while denigrating the organic development that took place through the centuries). Bugnini was either confused or dishonest about what he was doing when he declared: “Here in the Consilium we are not working for museums and archives, but for the spiritual life of the people of God.” Some people have suggested the worst example of Bugnini’s antiquarianism was the “restoration” of the Responsorial Psalm. It’s true that Pope Leo and St. Augustine alluded to something akin to the Responsorial Psalm, but we have absolutely no idea what it actually looked like or sounded like in the 4th century. In fact, I’ll give 10 million dollars to anyone who can show me just one musical score of an “original” Responsorial Psalm from the 5th century.



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   General Instruction of the Roman Missal — §119

In the sacristy, according to the various forms of celebration, there should be prepared the sacred vestments (cf. nos. 337-341) for the Priest, the Deacon, and other ministers:
a) for the Priest: the alb, the stole, and the chasuble;
b) for the Deacon: the alb, the stole, and the dalmatic; the latter may be omitted, however, either out of necessity or on account of a lesser degree of solemnity;
c) for the other ministers: albs or other lawfully approved attire. All who wear an alb should use a cincture and an amice unless, due to the form of the alb, they are not needed.

General Instruction of the Roman Missal — §339

In the Dioceses of the United States of America, acolytes, altar servers, readers, and other lay ministers may wear the alb or other appropriate and dignified clothing.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Reform of the Reform Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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President’s Corner

    2-Voice Arr. • “Creator of the Starry Height”
    Do you direct a choir consisting of women or children only? (Some call this a “treble” choir.) Download a two-voice arrangement of Creator of the Starry Height set to the tune of IOANNES by clicking here and then scrolling to the bottom. In our times, this hymn is normally used during ADVENT, and the Latin title is: Cónditor alme síderum. It’s important to say “cónditor”—placing the accent on the antepenult—because ‘condítor’ in Latin means “one who embalms the dead.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Equal Voices” Choir Pieces
    My colleague, CORRINNE MAY, has posted some delightful compositions for equal voices: that is, choirs consisting of all men or all women. Included there are settings of the “Ave Maria” and “Tantum Ergo.” They strike me as relatively simple and not excessively lengthy. (In other words, within reach of volunteer singers.) Even better, all the scores have been made available as instant PDF downloads, completely free of charge. Bravo!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Typo in the “Missale Romanum” (1962)
    The 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM was a transitional missal. It was on its way to becoming the 1970 version, but wasn’t there yet. It eliminated certain duplications, downplayed the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar, expanded the role of laymen, minimized the Last Gospel, made many items optional, and so forth. Father Valentine Young spotted many typos in the 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM, especially incorrect accents. The Offertory Antiphon for this coming Sunday (OF kalendar) contains an error, citing the wrong verse from Psalm 118. It should be 118:107b, not 118:154. If you read verse 154, you’ll understand how that error crept in. [In this particular case, the error pre-dates the 1962 Missal, since the 1940s hand-missal by Father Lasance also gets it wrong.]
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “Our Father” • Musical Setting?
    Looking through a Roman Catholic Hymnal published in 1859 by Father Guido Maria Dreves (d. 1909), I stumbled upon this very beautiful tune (PDF file). I feel it would be absolutely perfect to set the “Our Father” in German to music. Thoughts?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“How on earth in the [post-conciliar] liturgy for the dead should there be no more mention of sin and expiation? There’s a complete absence of imploring the Lord’s mercy. […] Although the texts were beautiful they were still lacking in the sense of sin and the sense of mercy. But we need this! And when my final hour comes, ask for mercy for me from the Lord, because I have such need of it!”

— Pope Saint Paul VI (3 June 1971)

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