Stoles

In Paul Turner's Blog by Paul Turner

Continuing thanks for your attentive and thoughtful responses to the wide variety of questions!  I learn from and enjoy them all!  There is always something about YOU that comes through!  Great!

We have a question about stoles in Catholic Church use:  Are red or while stoles appropriate to be worn by youth and adult Confirmation candidates?   I was always taught that a stole is a sign of ordination, but these are sold in some Catholic catalogs and as people see one or two parishes giving these to all their candidates, the use is increasing.  We need to understand the Catholic perspective on the symbolism of stoles and whether they may be used by non-ordained persons in church and liturgy. 
Thanks again and God bless you in all you do! 
Peace!

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Thanks for your comments on my blog. I’m glad you’re enjoying it.

To my knowledge there is no legislation on stoles at confirmation, but you are raising precisely the correct issue. Stoles are a sign of ordination, not confirmation. The signs of confirmation are the anointing with chrism and the confirmation prayer. In my view, to use a stole of any color to signify confirmation is a misuse of symbols and should be avoided.