Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, Brooklyn/Milnerton

02/06/2026

02/06/2026

22/05/2026

ON PENTECOST SUNDAY,
WE WEAR RED

From a liturgical and theological perspective, the use of red vestments and clothing on Pentecost Sunday is rooted in Sacred Scripture and the symbolism of the Church.

Pentecost commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, as recorded in Acts 2:1–4. During this event, “tongues as of fire” appeared and rested upon each of them. Because of this biblical imagery, the Church assigns the color red to Pentecost in the Roman liturgical tradition.

Scholastically, red signifies several theological realities:

• Fire — representing the visible manifestation of the Holy Spirit, who purifies, enlightens, and inflames the soul with divine charity.

• Divine Love (Caritas) — according to classical Catholic theology, especially in the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas, the Holy Spirit proceeds as the Love between the Father and the Son. Red symbolizes this eternal love poured into the hearts of the faithful.

• Zeal and Apostolic Courage — Pentecost transformed the Apostles from fearful disciples into bold preachers of the Gospel. The color red therefore also signifies evangelical fervor and spiritual fortitude.

• Martyrdom and Witness — red is likewise associated with the blood of martyrs. Pentecost inaugurated the Church’s public mission, a mission many saints would later seal with their blood through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Liturgically, the Roman Rite prescribes red vestments for Pentecost because the color expresses both the fiery descent of the Spirit and the active life of grace within the Church. Thus, when the faithful wear red on Pentecost Sunday, they visually participate in the Church’s liturgical symbolism and profess belief in the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.

Pentecost is therefore not merely a historical remembrance, but the perpetual manifestation of the Spirit who vivifies, governs, and sanctifies the Church until the end of time.

18/05/2026

Congratulations to the children (and their families) who were baptised earlier this month.

15/05/2026

https://www.praymorenovenas.com/novena-to-the-holy-spirit

Novena for the celebration of the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.