Vestment Colors Vestment colors are used to represent the mood of the Mass being celebrated. The color for the altar cloth and the celebrant's sash will be of this color. There are four standard vestment colors. Violet - Represents Expectation, Purification, or Penance. Used duringLentandAdvent.White (or Gold)- Represents Joy and Triumph. Used during thePaschal Triduum, Easter,andChristmas,as well as forHoly DaysandFeast Daysthroughout the year. Red- Represents Royalty, Fire, and Martyrdom. Used on specialFeast DaysandHoly Daysthroughout the year. Green- A sign of Life and Growth. RepresentsOrdinary Time.Other colors may be substituted where traditionally appropriate, if desired. Some typical examples are Black, used for funerals, and Pink, used on the third Sunday of Advent. Return to thetopLiturgical Years For Sundays and other special days throughout the church year, there are three sets of readings assigned for the day. These readings are assigned to Liturgical Years A, B, and C. Years which are evenly divisible by 3 are assigned year C, such as 1995. Year A follows year C, Year B follows Year A, and Year C follows Year B. Bear in mind that Liturgical Years start on the first Sunday of Advent of the previous year, so December 1, 1996 started Liturgical Year B.Liturgical Cycles For weekdays in ordinary time and other special days throughout the church year, there are two sets of readings for the day. These readings are assigned to Liturgical Cycles I and II. Odd years are assigned cycle I, and even years are assigned cycle II. Bear in mind that Liturgical Cycles start on the first Sunday of Advent of the previous year, so December 1, 1996 began Liturgical Cycle I.Seasons of the Liturgical Year The seasons of the liturgical year begin with Advent , a time of preparation for the Christmas season. The Christmas season celebrates the birth of Jesus (on
