Feature Exhibit: Funeral Pall

In the Catholic Church, a Funeral Mass is sometimes called a Requiem Mass. Requiem is Latin for “rest” or “repose,” the first word in the phrase Requiem aeternum dona eis, Latin for “Eternal rest grant unto them.” The Funeral Pall is a large cloth placed over the coffin at the beginning of a funeral Mass, meant to remind us of the garment or bib given at Baptism and therefore symbolizing our life in Christ. In Roman times, a soldier wore a cape or cloak called a pallium. Later, this term was shortened to pall. Christians used a pall to cover their loved ones when burying them. Black was the traditional color for the pall and funeral vestments, representing mourning and the somber quality of death. White became used more to put emphasis on the belief in the Resurrection of the body. Currently, priests may wear black, white, or purple