Q: Hi Father, I know Eucharistiae Sacramentum, No. 92, mentions that the Benediction is to be done with a white cope and humeral veil, but what about during the seasons of Lent or Advent when the Holy Hour and Benediction is done in the context of Evening Prayer? Can a purple cope be worn in for the Holy Hour because it is in the context of Evening Prayer?
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A: A new English translation of the ritual book Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharistic Mystery Outside Mass has just been approved and will appear in bookstores later this year.
At #92, the USCCB has requested an additional note pertaining to the beginning of the service, indicating that the priest or deacon may wear a white cope from the start, not just at benediction, in accordance with local custom.
The book makes no mention of other colors for the cope.
Your question presumes that the holy hour is taking place in the context of evening prayer, but HCWEMOM presumes that evening prayer may take place in the context of eucharistic worship. See #96.
Although the ritual book does not address your question directly, it seems to imply that exposition provides the framework for evening prayer, not the other way around, and that white vesture is appropriate throughout, even during Advent and Lent.