Los Angeled Shirts

Every member of the Orthodox Church, be it the minister, the priest and the bishop, needs the right tools and vestments to carry out his ministry. Clergy vestments and clerical shirts need not be expensive or designer works; in fact the focus of these clothes should be more on representing the prayers that the clergy says as he puts on each item of the church vestments. These prayers are taken from the Psalm and represent thanks to the Almighty for providing "Garments of salvation" and "Robes of Gladness".

The word vestment is derived from the Latin word "vestis" which means garments. The origin of clerical shirts can be traced to the secular dress code of the Greco-Roman world. These vestments do not just consist of robes and gowns but also include stoles, head pieces, sashes, and stockings. The clergy staff, which has great ritualistic significance, is also often considered to be a part of clergy vestments.

Over the years, the clergy vestments have undergone tremendous amount of change; the Renaissance period and the Middle Ages being the great influential factors.

In the Orthodox Church, the three outer garments of clergy vestments represent the differences in ranks of the clergy. The Sticharion is a garment worn by all ranks generally during Baptism. This is usually white in color and lightweight. The Orarion is a narrow strip of cloth reaching the ankles on both sides-front and back. This is usually worn on the left shoulder. The Epitrachelion, is a stole worn by both priests and Bishops. This is worn around the neck and has an opening for the head.

Apart from these, the clerical shirts also consist of cuffs with laces, a tunic, a belt and the Mantle- a sleeveless cape that fastens at the neck and the feet, worn by all monks. The different liturgical colors of the vestments also have different meaning and are used during different seasons and festivals. For example, White is worn for Pascha, Black on Weekdays, and Green for Palm Sunday or Pentecost while Gold is default. These colors change from region to region. The clerical shirts can be of any color and fabric; typically though, they are black. Clergy shirts are clericals and not really part of vestments. They can be neckband and tab-collar shirts. Clergy shirts are of Protestant origin.

Although the clergy vestments are very elegantly designed and embroidered, their focus is to convey the wearer's Devotion to God. You can shop for a large selection of clergy vestments and clerical shirts at our website. Our prized designs and branded quality clothes have been made in their own industrial sewing and embroidery facilities, and you can even get a range customized for the bishop's priest's or deacon's vestments. Once you shop at our store you will be assured of great quality in completely affordable prices. The variety at our online portal website is going to impress you and provide a lot of options to choose from.