Dear Father, please wear your collar!

I have had many, many conversations with other Catholics over the years in which the view was very forcefully expressed

"Why don't Priests and Nuns dress as Priest and Nuns? So many of them dress like the rest of the world. If that's what they want, why on earth did they commit themselves to a religious vocation in the first place?"

Here is a beautiful list of reasons why the Priest should dress recognisably as a Priest, and wear the Roman collar. This a shortened version of 'Why a priest should wear his Roman Collar' by MSGR. CHARLES M. MANGAN & FATHER GERALD E. MURRAY.

The full article may be found at: http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/apologetics/ap0351.htm

1. The Roman collar is a sign of priestly consecration to God - in the same way that a wedding ring is a public declaration by husband and wife of their commitment to each other.

2. Church Law requires clerics to wear clerical clothing. See number 66 of the Directory for priests, which quotes canon 284.

3. It is the repeated, ardent desire of Pope John Paul II, who said that clerical dress is valuable "not only because it contributes to the propriety of the priest in his external behaviour or in the exercise of his ministry, but above all because it gives evidence ... of the public witness that each priest is held to give of his own identity and special belonging to God."

4. The Roman collar prevents "mixed messages"; other people will recognize the priest's intentions when he finds himself in what might appear to be compromising circumstances.

5. The Roman collar inspires others to avoid immodesty in dress, words and actions and reminds them of the need for public decorum.

6. The Roman collar is a protection for one's vocation when dealing with young, attractive women.

7. The Roman collar provides a reminder to the priest himself of his mission and identity.

8. A priest in a Roman collar is an inspiration to others and speaks of the possibility of making a sincere, lasting commitment to God.

9. Catholic priests by virtue of their dress can cause non-Catholics to reflect – even if only a cursory fashion – on the Church and what she entails.

10. A priest dressed as the Church wants is a reminder of God and of the sacred.

11. The Roman collar is also a reminder to the priest that he is "never not a priest." Two wardrobes can easily lead – and often does – to two lifestyles, or even two personalities.

12. A priest in a Roman collar is a very visible vocation message.

13. Because the Roman collar gives instant recognition, priests who wear it make themselves more likely to be approached, particularly when seriously needed - being asked for the Sacraments and summoned for assistance because they were immediately recognized as Catholic priests.

14. The Roman collar is a sign that the priest is striving to become holy by living out his vocation always by make himself constantly available to souls and by being publicly identifiable as a priest.

15. The Roman collar serves as a reminder to "alienated" Catholics not to forget their irregular situation and their responsibilities to the Lord. It provides a reminder of the Church.

16. The wearing of clerical clothing can be a sacrifice at times, but putting up with discomfort … can be a wonderful reparation for his own sins, and a means of obtaining graces for his parishioners.

17. The Roman collar makes a powerful statement: the priest has accepted the Redeemer's mandate to take the Gospel into the public square, regardless of personal cost.

18. The Roman collar helps priests to avoid the on duty/off duty mentality of priestly service. …The "lost sheep" do not make appointments.

19. The "officers" in Christ's army should be identifiable as such. Those priests who wear the Roman collar show forth their role unmistakably as leaders in the Church.

20. The saints have never approved of a lackadaisical approach concerning priestly vesture. For example, Saint Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787), Patron Saint of Moral Theologians and Confessors, asserted that the Roman collar helps both priest and faithful to recall the sublime splendour of the priestly state.

21. The cherished custom of wearing distinguishable dress has been for centuries sanctioned by the Church; it is not an arbitrary imposition. Catholics expect their priests to dress as priests and to behave in harmony with Church teaching and practice.