www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall What usually happens to old vestments?

Our deacon approached me about making a new altar cloth. In looking at the current one there is some decoration I would remove and reuse, both because it is still usable and beautiful and because I like the idea of keeping and reusing a piece that is part of our heritage.

I asked if we have any old, no longer usable, vestments because the cloth needed for this altar cloth is only roughly a yard square and it might be that an old vestment would have that much worthy cloth in it that we could recycle into a "new" altar cloth.

This made me wonder, what does usually happen to old vestments when they're no longer serviceable?

At a certain Latin-rite parish the elderly, retired scristan died. The previous priest had had a number of VERY ugly, tacky vestments made & the new priest wouldn't touch them with a manure fork. So he took the ugly ones and buried them in the grave with the retired sacristan. "Out of sight; out of mind."

This really did happen.

Sounds like good archaeological evidence for the future generations.

I recall being told as an altar boy many years ago that old vestments were either buried or burned like a flag.

Some are recycled to veils for the gifts... but generally, since they are specially blessed, they are burned or buried.

Thanks to all of you for your help. I'm going to hope for access to some no longer wearable vestment which nonetheless might have enough good fabric in it what we could recycle for this "new" altar cloth. This appeals to me very much, as you can see, to carry forward what is still useful from the past, helping preserve our connection with that past.

This brings me to another question. I have been repairing altar cloths and vestments for our parish. When I cut old threads or small pieces from the old blessed vestments I have been placing them in a baggie to be burned or buried when I am done. Is this what I should be doing?