What to wear to a Christian ordination

A Catholic ordination is celebrated by the bishop within a Pontifical Mass, the most liturgical occasion at the diocesan cathedral or large parish church. The ordinands are vested in the appropriate liturgical garments (alb and stole for deacons; the priestly chasuble after the laying on of hands for priests; mitre and crozier for bishops). Family in wedding-guest to formal-evening attire; the rite typically draws extended family and the seminary community. Guests in business-formal. The bishop wears red vestments (for diaconal ordination, drawing on Pentecost imagery) or other liturgical colors as appropriate.

Each ordination has a post-rite reception; the dress register continues through the day.

Orthodox Cheirotonia (the laying on of hands) is celebrated by the bishop within the Divine Liturgy. The ordinand is vested progressively through the rite, sub-deacon, deacon, priest, bishop each receive specific vestments at specific liturgical moments. The family wears formal attire; women cover their heads. The rite is deeply formal; the dress register matches. The ordinand's spouse (in Orthodox priestly ordinations of married men, the principal practice) is present and formally dressed.

Orthodox ordinations of married men typically take place in the year between the ordinand's wedding and the priestly ordination; the spouse's role and dress are distinct.

Anglican / Episcopal ordinations are celebrated by the bishop at the cathedral or a large parish church. The 1979 BCP's ordination services for Deacons, Priests, and Bishops specify the rite's structure. The ordinands wear cassock-and-surplice for the diaconal ordination; full vestments (alb, stole, chasuble) for the priestly ordination after the laying on of hands; full episcopal vesture (cope, mitre, crozier) for the episcopal ordination. Family in wedding-guest formality; the parish community attends in business-formal to Sunday-formal.

The 2019 ACNA BCP carries a similar pattern; high-church and broad-church Episcopal parishes vary slightly in ceremonial weight.

Lutheran (ELCA, LCMS, WELS), Methodist (UMC), Presbyterian (PCUSA), Reformed (RCA, CRC), and American Baptist (ABCUSA) ordinations are typically celebrated by the regional body (synod, presbytery, conference) at a designated church or seminary chapel. The ordinand wears the denominational pastor's vesture (alb-and-stole in Lutheran practice; Geneva gown in Reformed and some Presbyterian practice; clerical robes in Methodist practice; less formal in some Baptist practice). Family in wedding-guest to business-formal. The dress register is moderately formal; less elevated than Catholic / Orthodox but substantially elevated above typical Sunday.

The regional body normally specifies the rite's shape and the dress conventions.

Evangelical and non-denominational ordinations / commissioning services are typically held at the ordinand's congregation by a panel of pastors and elders. The dress register varies widely: Southern Baptist Convention ordinations are typically business-formal; Pentecostal ordinations vary by congregation; non-denominational ordinations are often the most relaxed. The ordinand wears business attire (sometimes a suit; rarely full vestments in conservative Evangelical practice). Family in Sunday-formal to business-formal. The ceremony is normally less elaborate than Catholic / Orthodox / Anglican.

African-American Christian ordinations carry their own distinctive register; section 04 below covers this.

Vested for the rite. The vesture is provided by the seminary or the parish; the ordinand arrives at the cathedral or church in cassock or simple clergy attire and is vested progressively through the rite. The family normally provides the principal vestments (the priestly chasuble in Catholic practice is often presented by the family or by the ordinand's pastor of formation). Photographs after the rite are typically with the ordinand in full vesture and the family in formal attire.

Denominational pastor attire. The ordinand wears the appropriate denominational vesture: alb-and-stole (Lutheran, Methodist where used), Geneva gown (Reformed, Presbyterian), or business attire with clergy collar (some Evangelical, Baptist, and Pentecostal traditions). The vesture is presented to the ordinand by the regional body or by the candidate's mentors; the ordinand wears it for the first time at the ordination.

Wedding-formal to formal-evening. The parents of the ordinand are normally seated prominently and recognized at the rite; their dress is among the most formal in the gathered congregation. Mothers in formal dresses or formal pants outfits; fathers in dark suits or tuxedos. The post-rite photographs and family meal often continue the formal register. For Catholic priesthood ordinations particularly, the parents' formal attire marks the family's offering of the son to the church.

For Anglican, Mainline Protestant, Orthodox (priestly), and Evangelical ordinations of married candidates: the spouse is formally present and dressed at wedding-guest to formal-evening register. The spouse is normally recognized at the rite; photographs include the spouse with the newly ordained. For Catholic priesthood ordinations the candidate is unmarried (or in the case of permanent diaconate, married with the spouse present); the spouse of a permanent deacon is formally recognized and dressed accordingly.

Wedding-guest formality across the traditions. Siblings, godparents, the candidate's formation mentors, and close friends of the family typically attend. The dress register matches the formality of the host tradition's ordination, Catholic and Orthodox the most formal, Anglican slightly less, Mainline Protestant moderate, Evangelical varied.

Catholic bishop wears mitre, cope or chasuble, and the appropriate stole; the gathered priests (who lay hands on priestly ordinands as a body) wear alb-and-stole. Orthodox bishop wears the episcopal vesture appropriate to the rite. Anglican bishop wears mitre, cope, and rochet-and-chimere or chasuble. Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Reformed clergy in denominational vesture. Evangelical pastors typically in business attire.

At a Catholic priesthood ordination, the new priest is vested in his first priestly chasuble immediately after the laying on of hands. The chasuble is often presented by the new priest's family or by his formation pastor; the chasuble carries substantial family-and-mentor significance. Many families have the chasuble made specifically for the ordination (sometimes in the family's heritage color or pattern); some preserve a family chasuble passed across generations of clergy in the family.

At Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran diaconal ordinations, the new deacon is vested in the diaconal stole (worn across the body from left shoulder to right hip in most traditions). The stole is the principal sign of the diaconal office. The family often presents the first stole; the stole carries the day's significance and is normally kept by the deacon as a lifelong vestment.

African-American Christian ordinations (across Baptist, Methodist, AME, Pentecostal, and other traditions) carry distinctive formality and substantial gathered-clergy formality. The ordinand normally wears the denominational pastoral vesture; women in ordained ministry wear formal robes; the ordaining panel wears their own pastoral vesture. The gathered congregation dresses at wedding-guest to formal-evening register; women in formal Easter-style hats; men in dark suits with formal ties. The post-rite reception is typically a substantial family-and-congregation gathering.

Some Catholic dioceses and Orthodox jurisdictions maintain a tradition of family-formal attire in the diocesan color for ordinations. Where this is the convention, the family settles the color in advance and coordinates accordingly. The pattern is less common in the US than in some European Catholic and Orthodox diocesan traditions but persists in some heritage parishes.

At an Orthodox priestly ordination (the candidate is normally married, having been ordained as deacon some time before; the priest's wife is khouria, presbytera, matushka, or popadija depending on the Orthodox tradition), the wife is formally present and recognized. The wife normally wears a formal dress in a moderately conservative cut; head covering is expected. The wife's role at the rite is normally subordinate to the ordinand's but visibly recognized.