Liturgical Stoles & Vestments

• Are you looking for fresh contemporary imagery for your liturgical vestments?

• Or perhaps liturgical stoles that will inspire and encourage meaningful dialogue, and reflect your spiritual focus?

Hello, my name is Alison Friend.

Here at Contemporary Vestments, I aim to use symbolism as a way of inspiring meaningful dialogue for the spiritual journey. You also may find some fresh new ways of imaging God.

I invite you to explore all the pages for the images or symbols that speak to you. Feel free to discuss with me how they can be used on your particular vestments.

I invite you also to seek the meaning behind the images as you take a tour around this site. Enjoy!

A little history on Liturgical Vestments:

Most of the vestments that are in common use today, were originally the standard work clothes of people of the early Christian church. Liturgical Stoles started out originally as a general work cloth – something handy to polish things, and to wipe the face with! It’s understood they started being used to clean the church silver, and this led to them being regarded as a Eucharistic garment. Nowadays the stoles are used mainly by ordained clergy and they are decorated with significant spiritual and religious symbols or images that depict or translate the human journey.

Deacon Stoles are worn by ordained deacons throughout the Christian Church. Deacons in most denominations have the role of servant or messenger. They are ordained to compliment and support the priest or minister, & to serve in areas of need and justice. St Stephen of the New Testament was one of the first deacons appointed by the early church.