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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
the priests wearing of a stole	robert	Saturday, March 19, 2011
Question: I recently received confession and a sacrament of healing the priest did not wear a stole it was hanging over a chair frankly it did not have a good effect on me spiritually was this invalid as I was always told that stoles must be worn when saying sacraments
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r) Dear Robert: A priest not wearing his stole does not invalidate the Sacrament of Confession, or any Sacrament. The Stole is a "specific mark of office, being the badge of the diaconal and priestly orders" (Catholic Encyclopedia). It is a symbol of the priest's ordination. He should wear it in administering the Sacraments, but he is still a priest with the faculty to administer Sacraments even if he is not wearing the Stole. As for the case you cite, we need to be careful is presuming a negative explanation. If the priest had no intention of wearing the Stole, why would he even bring it with him. A more charitable explanation may be that he brought it with him to the confessional, draped it over the chair before confessions began, and then just forgot to put it on. What you can do next time if you see the Stole hanging over the chair, is to ask the priest about it. In any event, not wearing the Stole does not invalidate the Sacrament. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

the priests wearing of a stole

robert

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Question:

I recently received confession and a sacrament of healing the priest did not wear a stole it was hanging over a chair frankly it did not have a good effect on me spiritually was this invalid as I was always told that stoles must be worn when saying sacraments

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r)

Dear Robert:

A priest not wearing his stole does not invalidate the Sacrament of Confession, or any Sacrament.

The Stole is a "specific mark of office, being the badge of the diaconal and priestly orders" (Catholic Encyclopedia). It is a symbol of the priest's ordination. He should wear it in administering the Sacraments, but he is still a priest with the faculty to administer Sacraments even if he is not wearing the Stole.

As for the case you cite, we need to be careful is presuming a negative explanation. If the priest had no intention of wearing the Stole, why would he even bring it with him. A more charitable explanation may be that he brought it with him to the confessional, draped it over the chair before confessions began, and then just forgot to put it on.

What you can do next time if you see the Stole hanging over the chair, is to ask the priest about it.

In any event, not wearing the Stole does not invalidate the Sacrament.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum