The Armchair Liturgist: Vestment Cleaning Schedule

Advent is not too far away. Are your purple/violet/blue vestments ready?

How often are your vestments cleaned? We have a parishioner who volunteered to oversee the dry cleaning of chasubles and stoles. We have a rough schedule to follow. Obviously, some flexibility is in play, as each liturgical color, especially green and violet, have long stretches of time in which they are not utilized in the liturgy.

What about the “undergarments” like albs? One new associate dressed me down for not having the “stinking” albs laundered more often. What the pastor didn’t tell him was that he preferred to oversee that bit himself. Is it too much to expect a priest to drop his soiled alb in the hamper? One parish I visited had a well-equipped sacristy that included a washing machine and dryer.

Truly: I don’t wear priest albs. I don’t sniff when the clergy pass me by. On the other hand, there are fashion-conscious parishioners afoot in every community. They do notice and their noses wrinkle.

For clergy and liturgists alike, how do you manage to get those vestments cleaned?