The ‘look’ of Lent

By Anne Marie Amacher
The Catholic Messenger

(This is part of a series.)

Walking into a Catholic Church during Lent it is easy to tell the season. The color purple is used. No flowers are in the sanctuary. Symbols such as a wooden cross or crown of thorns are somewhere in the church. These are part of the “look” of Lent.

The color purple represents penitence, says Gale Francione, a liturgical design consultant and member of the Diocese of Davenport’s liturgical commission.

Of the two shades of purple, the violet or slightly “reddish” one is typically seen during the 40-day season of prayer, fasting and almsgiving leading up to Easter.  Parishes use different tints to distinguish Lent from Advent. A deeper, more bluish purple typically represents Advent, she noted.

Before decorating for Lent, she said parishes should have a clean slate. Take out items not needed — extra chairs, brochures and posters near the entry ways. “Lent is simple,” she said. “Don’t overdo it.”

Colors of Lent

Vestments for both priests and deacons are purple. A purple altar cloth can hang down on all sides, just the left and right or front and back. Long strips of purple also can be used. There should be no wording or decorations on the cloth. Whether a colored cloth is used or not, the topmost cloth on the altar must be white.

During the Fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday), the color rose is used. “It’s a reminder that not everything is dreary. The Resurrection is coming. Easter is near,” she said.

Holy water font, stoups

Water fonts and stoups (vessel to hold holy water) should not be emptied of water, said Deacon Frank Agnoli, director of liturgy for the Diocese of Davenport. They are emptied after the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday and refilled after the Easter Vigil.

“We are not fasting from water,” Francione said. “We anticipate our baptism. We yearn for it. We are not taking away our baptism. During Lent we continue to bless ourselves as we come into church.”

Covering of statues, crosses, crucifixes and pictures

“Coverings are not required of statues and all those items,” Francione said.

The practice of covering crosses and images in the Church from the Fifth Sunday of Lent is permitted, according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Roman Missal provides the rubrics. If coverings are used, according to the rubric, crosses remain veiled until the end of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday. Images remain veiled until the beginning of the Easter Vigil, notes the USCCB.

Other decorations

As Lent is simple, the sanctuary is decorated minimally. Parishes may consider putting up a wooden cross, with or without purple fabric, elsewhere in the church or even outside, Francione said. Inside, places may be the gathering space, in place of a statue that can be moved, a shrine area or chapel area.

Outside, a cross or purple buntings or purple streamers could hang to remind not just parishioners that it is Lent, but others who drive by.

A crown of thorns may be a part of a display or on a wood cross, but should not be in the sanctuary.

“The space in your parish determines where your items are displayed,” she said.

Other symbols such as a water basin or jar, basket, green plants (but not flowers), or branches can be part of displays.

Sacraments

Infant baptisms and marriages are allowed during Lent, Deacon Agnoli noted. There are specific instructions pertaining to their celebration, but neither is forbidden by the Church.

Decorating

Francione encourages Catholics, especially those doing the decorations for any season, to read the Scriptures for the upcoming weeks. “See what images stand out to you and add to a display if you want,” she noted.

For all seasons, she also encourages a parish’s decorating/liturgy committee to photograph what was done and write notes of how the congregation reacted.

“Some things don’t go over well,” she said. “And that should be noted. You can adjust next year.”

Overall, Francione reminds parishes to keep it simple at Lent. Holy Week decorations and colors will be explained in a future story in The Catholic Messenger.