I received the holy mysteries yesterday from someone who celebrated wearing brown shoes.
The shoes in question were beautifully polished and the feet that they were on were of the most reverend quality, (the Most!) but it still bothers me 24 hours later.
Time we rewrote the canon on clergy dress, I think.
Tell me someone do, is my desire for shiny black footwear at the altar of the Lord merely my own sad fetish which I should deal with quietly and with appropriate counselling?
Kelvin I have always made sure my black shoes are polished on the Saturday evening in readiness for Sunday. When visiting an older parishioner shortly after my arrival in a parish, she commented on the shininess of my shoes. To her comment I replied,”Does that mean that your former Vicar did not polish his shoes ? – she was quiet for a moment, then replied, “Yes”. That was one of a number of occasions when she expressed her interest in my shoes. The late Pope John Paul 2 wore brown shoes, even at Papal Masses. Kingsley
Get a life!
I always think a red papal slipper looks good!
Brown. The color of leather, or skins. This had to have been the original color of any skin shoe. Why would someone be insulted by nature?
I suppose if the celebrant is on the rainbow-coloured Guatemalan stole school, then choice of footwear is rather beside the point. If, however, the priest in question is wearing Gothic vestments in silk and brocade, to ruin the image with shabby shoes is surely an affront to Mother Church, if not to God.
Ah, a powerful argument in favour of cultural relativism if ever I heard it, Aaron.
A member of the congregation tried to persuade me on Sunday that with the gold and green vestments, brown would have been preferable.
There is a certain logic in that, though it would not work at all for the (clerically black) coffee hour once the robes were gone.
I knew that post from Aaron was going to cause trouble.
Kimberly, dear Mother Kimberly do not be deceived. There is no logic to wearing brown with green or with gold. Black goes with everything.
I fear most terribly that this is all to do with Local Collaborative Ministry. God did not put you in Dunoon to listen to the opinion of All the Baptised on what colour shoes you should wear. She, in all Her wisdom has put you there to teach the true faith and I know that you know what that means.
Banish the idea that brown shoes in the Sanctuary of the Most High can ever be logical. Banish it now, I say, or bad things will most surely come to pass.
Black shoes most certainly do not go with everything. Ugh ugh ugh. One of my daughters believed this (she is no fashionista) and wore black shoes with her gold bridesmaid’s dress. It was simply awful to behold. White, gold, brown all call for cream or brown (or gold, etc) shoes – one must observe tone rules as well as colour ones. Black can only be put with gold or brown IF you observe tone rules, and IF you add black somewhere else. This is not easy to do with vestments (though embroideries can of course incorporate useful colours). You can never stick black on the bottom of gold without causing the beholder a shudder.