It’s Rose, Not Pink! – What Not to Say to a Priest on Gaudete Sunday in Advent

Today is Gaudete Sunday, the third Sunday in Advent. Unlike the other Sundays in Advent, the priest wears rose colored vestments for Gaudete. If you wish to provoke sacerdotal ire, simply ask a priest about his “pink vestments.” This is typically a controversial topic with clergy who insist quite rightly that they are wearing, “rose, not pink.”

From the new General Instruction of the Roman Missal No. 346:

f. Rose may be used, where it is the practice, on Gaudete Sunday (Third Sunday of Advent) and on Laetare Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Lent).

So if your priest is wearing rose vestments, don’t say, “Nice pink vestments, Father.” Instead, be sure to tell him after Holy Mass:

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