www.byzcath.org Forums Mysteries: The Life of Worship Vespers, Matins & the Divine Liturgy Headgear for clerics in the UGCC

Hi all. I have a question maybe someone knows....

Are deacons allowed to wear headgear in the UGCC? I have seen at St Elias website Fr Deacon Turi wearing a greek style kamilavka. I thought deaons have to be a protodeacon to wear a hat during liturgy. Also can deacons wear skufias if they are attending services but not serving?

Thanks. I have looked quite a lot and couldn't find the answers.

Sbdn John

In fact they do. Here is a video [youtu.be] from St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral here in town, and you do see the deacon does wear his red/maroon kamilavka. Although I think he is actually an Archdeacon, and those have seniority in the diaconate ranks, iirc.

Ask your bishop. Because if you wear it and your priest doesn't like it you'll be told to stop wearing it anyway. In the Greek tradition priests and deacons wear a black kamilavka. In the Slav tradition, priests and deacons are bareheaded until awarded a purple kamilavka. The black skufia being the exception in outdoor cold weather it may be worn by readers and up. You will find, however, many of the younger clergy of the Greek Catholic Churches have taken to wearing black shufia and kamilavka as sort of a sign of being of the restorationist camp.

The general convention in the UGCC is that only protodeacons and archdeacons wear the purple (I have also seen blue) kamilavka during services. Outside of services, one is usually blessed to wear the skufya or kamilavka by the bishop (or hegumen if a monastic). I generally only wear mine for outdoor processions in colder weather.

I should also add that amongst monastic archdeacons (i.e. the Studites) a black kamilavka is often worn rather than purple.

Ah well, I only saw our Archdeacon wear a maroon one, but you could be right.

It is somewhat confusing as an archdeacon isn't always a monastic, and the non-monastic ones usually wear a colored kamilavka.

I see UGCC deacons wear black kamilavkas in the Divine Services.
Protodeacons wear red/purple kamilavkas; so for that (Proto/ArchD), being an honorific, one would get the hierarch's blessing.
Yes, when not serving, they wear skufias, esp. as our Temple tends to be very cold - temperature-wise. The deacons I know certainly would not have needed a hierarch's blessing to wear a regular skufia when not serving.

I agree that it is a good idea to gentle feel out if your Pastor is ok with this sort of thing. It is not a matter of right/wrongness, but rather parish "politics". Some are in the Anti-Restorationist camp, and would look with Blood-boiling HORROR upon clerical headgear because they would be "Orthodox", which they would not be caught dead being. (Except for Mitras, which somehow for them are neither the O word, nor accounted Russian/taboo)
They are usually the same ones who are anti Teplota or the third kiss because it is "O".

Yeah, I think black kamilavkas are worn in the Ruthenian Church by protodeacons more than in the UGCC.

A protodeacon/archdeacon are installed with the respective kamilavka as part of the liturgical service of their elevation.

A deacon properly does nothing liturgically without the blessing of his hierarch or priest: The particular law for the UGCC in USA, while mentioning the pidriasnik and riassa, is unfortunately silent regarding headgear. It is always polite (and certainly proper) for a deacon, subdeacon or reader that when in doubt, get a blessing from the priest, and if necessary (or if he defers) the hierarch. It has not as much to do with politics as it does with being a good deacon.