To Wear a Clerical Collar or Not?

I have heard and read some criticisms lately about Orthodox priests who wear the western style clerical collars. You know the ones with the white tab that definitely screams "PRIEST!" In this post I'm going to touch on why an Orthodox priest should or should not wear one of those.


Alrighty, first a little background on the clerical collar. 

Clergy from the Eastern and Western Churches have always worn distinctive clothing - such as the cassock - but the "Roman Collar" is a fairly recent innovation and not even Roman, to boot. 

The detachable clerical collar we think of as so distinctive of Roman Catholic priests actually started out as a distinctive piece of clothing for Presbyterian clergy in the late 1800s (wikipedia). It, in turn came from other distinctive clothing from the Anglican Church from earlier in the 1800s. 

At some point in time during the late 1800s this distinctive collar began to be worn by Catholic clergy as well (testeverything).

From my observations it isn't unusual to see High Church type Protestants (Lutheran, Anglicans, Episcopalians, etc) wearing a clerical collar, but when most people who aren't from those types of denominations see a clerical collar they usually think Catholic priest.

I think that this is due to the fact to most Low Church types don't want to have anything to do with Catholicism (perceived or otherwise) and eschewed the clerical collar and other distinctive dress for their clergy - so naturally when they see distinctive clerical dress they think Catholic.

I do find it humorous those preachers who wear their doctoral robes on the pulpit - obviously marking themselves as clergy - but would refuse to wear such a "Catholic" thing as a clerical collar.

So, the Anglican Church started with the clerical collars, the Presbyterian Church made them detachable, and the Catholics ended up adopting them.

Why did the Catholics end up adopting the clerical collar? Honestly I have no idea. Catholic clergy already had distinctive clothing in the cassock.

I do know that when someone now sees a man dressed in a black suit, wearing a black shirt with a white collar that they automatically think that man is a priest.

And that brings me to Orthodox clergy and clerical collars.

I should note that the clerical collar is not a piece of liturgical clothing.

Now then, should Orthodox clergy wear clerical collars?

Or rather, why should Orthodox clergy wear clerical collars?

Orthodox clergy already have cassocks to wear, priests have pectoral crosses as well. Surely these are enough to denote clergy.

Perhaps in traditional Orthodox countries it would be enough. Or even traditional Catholic countries.

But in the United States of America where Evangelical Protestantism is the mainstream it can be awfully hard to recognize as Christian clergy someone who is wearing a black dress.

There has been one instance - at least - where an Orthodox priest was mistaken for an Arabic terrorist and hit on the head with a tire iron (NYTimes). Granted the assaulter was a Marine reservist and Marines aren't known for their smarts - reservists even less so.

This Greek Orthodox priest was wearing his cassock - which almost anywhere else in the world would denote clergy - is very foreign to your typical American person (and apparently scary to Marine reservists).

Now, I am definitely not going to say that poor Fr. Alexios should not have been wearing a cassock, quite the opposite - Fr. Alexios was a visting priest from Crete, a traditionally Orthodox country, and was wearing what was normal for a priest to be wearing in Crete. He definitely should have been wearing a cassock.

The Marine should have not jumped to the conclusion that a bearded foreigner who spoke with an accent and wore funny clothes was a terrorist.

But this does make a point for me; the wearing of a clerical collar helps to identify clergy here in the US in a way that the cassock simply does not.

Maybe once we convert all of the heretics other denominations to Orthodoxy and America is steeped much more deeply in Orthodox culture then the cassock will be seen as clerical dress.

And here is another point; in all of the cultures that Orthodoxy has been introduced to there have been some small changes made. No, I don't mean changes to things like doctrine or theology, but things such as language and music.

In Greece, and the Middle East they use Byzantine Chant during the Liturgy, in Russia they use their own form of chanting. Here in the US, depending on jurisdiction, it can be a mix of both - or Gregorian if one is Western Rite.

One parish I've attended here in Alaska - which is an OCA parish - uses Slavonic and one of the native languages (I forget which one) in the Liturgy. English may pop in every now and then, but I'm sure that's a mistake.

Even the vestments can differ in looks from place to place. Take for instance the Slavic style of wearing the Phelonion which has a stiff neck and sticks up, whereas the Greek - or Byzantine - style Phelonion sits on the shoulders (wikipedia for pictures).

Here in the US the culture tells us that a man wearing a clerical collar is Christian clergy, so why shouldn't Orthodox clergy adopt the use of the clerical collar?

Now, granted, this can be dictated by the bishop. If the bishop says that his priests are not to wear the clerical collar, then by all means, don't. But if the bishop says his priests can wear a clerical collar, then that should be left to the personal tastes of that particular cleric.

Also, not every Orthodox priest in America can live on being a priest alone and have to take "civilian" jobs to support themselves and their families. In these cases the wearing of a cassock may not be practical. But the wearing of a clerical collar may be.

Why even worry about being known as a priest when in public?

Because there are such things as emergencies where clergy may be required or at least appreciated. The wearing of a clerical collar makes it far easier to locate a priest when required.

So should Orthodox clergy wear these "Roman collars"? That depends on their bishop, but if their bishop does allow for it then there is no reason - other than prejudice - for them not to. 

Seriously, the main reason I have read and heard for Orthodox priests to not wear clerical collars is because that is what the Roman Catholic priest do. So what are our dearly beloved Orthodox priests to do when Catholic priests start wearing their cassocks again as is becoming popular (testeverything)?

I understand that the clerical collar was never something traditionally worn by Orthodox priests, but the Christmas Tree was never something traditionally used by Orthodox Christians. As with all other cultures, the Orthodox church adapted things for their use and only strong prejudice keeps some from wanting the clerical collar to be adapted as well.

This is not to say that they clerical collar should replace the cassock. Not at all. Let us Orthodox keep the cassock for our clergy, but let us not look down upon our clergy who want to wear a clerical collar as well.

Also, I'll go ahead and tack on my next blog post here at the end.

To Wear a Beard or Not?

Should Orthodox clergy wear beards?

Yes, if it is possible to grow them.

Why?

1. “Let the chin have the hair!" – Clement of Alexandria.

2. “It is not lawful to pluck out the beard, man’s natural and noble adornment.” – Clement of Alexandria.

3. “In their manners, there was no discipline. In men, their beards were defaced." - St. Cyprian of Carthage.

4. “This, then, is the mark of the man, The Beard.” – Clement of Alexandria.

5. “There are some things, too, which have such a place in the body, that they obviously serve no useful purpose, but are solely for beauty, as e.g. the teats on a man’s breast, or the beard on his face" – St. Augustine of Hippo

6. “You, young men, honour those with beards" .– St. Cosmas of Aetolia.

7. "Place the one with the beard above the one who shaves" – St. Cosmas of Aetolia.

8. “God did not create men beardless, only cats and dogs.” – Patriarch Adrian

9. “What can be worse and more disgusting than cutting one’s beard” – St. Epiphanius of Salamis.

10. "And may God enlighten you to let go of your sins as you let your beard grow" – St. Cosmas of Aetolia.

(courtesy of Fr. Peter Farrington)

What if their bishop says not to?

Then he should be deposed, defrocked, tarred, and feathered listened to as in all things and if he is in serious error then it should be brought to either his bishop or (in the case of like a Metropolitan or an Archbishop) a synod - and not allowing priests to have beards is a serious error.