THE COLOUR PURPLE

From Carmel (Parish Bulletin), Advent 2004

Our Church has four liturgical colours: white, red, green and purple. Purple is assigned to the two seasons of waiting and preparation in our calendar, Lent and Advent. Although both seasons of waiting, these two seasons have quite different characters, with Lent being more focused on repentance of sin and reconciliation. The Church describes Advent as a period of "devout and joyous expectation".

As such, having the same shade of purple for both seasons can send mixed signals about what these seasons are about, with many people thinking of Advent as a penitential time like Lent. Our Liturgy Committee has, for some time, wanted to differentiate the colours to give Advent its own character. The result can be seen in the Church today; a lighter, softer purple with a hint of blue, drawn from the purple blooms of the Jacaranda and Agapanthus that flower during this time of Spring into Summer here in Australia - the time for Advent. This then leaves the darker, heavier purple to be used for the penitential season of Lent.