Stole, a liturgical vestment composed of a strip of material from two to four inches wide and about eighty inches long. It has either a uniform width throughout, or is somewhat narrower towards the middle, widening at the ends in the shape of a trapezium or spade. A small cross is generally sewn or embroidered on the stole at both ends and in the middle; the cross, however, is prescribed only for the middle, where the priest kisses the stole before putting it on. There are no express precepts concerning the material of the stole, but silk, or at least a half-silk fabric, is most appropriate. Stoles for festivals are generally ornamented with embroidery, especially what are called “vesper stoles”.

PRESENT USE— The stole is worn only by deacons, priests, and bishops. For deacons and priests, it is the specific mark of office, being the badge of the diaconal and priestly orders. The wrongful use of the stole by sub deacons, therefore, would imply the usurpation of a higher order and would constitute an irregularity. Deacons wear the stole like a sash, the vestment resting on the left shoulder and thence passing across the breast and back to the right side. The stole of the priest extends from the back of the neck across the shoulders to the breast, where the two halves either cross each other or fall straight as the stole is worn over the Alb or the surplice.

The stole is worn by a bishop in the same manner as a priest, except that it is never crossed on the breast, as a bishop wears the pectoral cross. As a mark of order, the stole is used in a special ceremony, at the ordination of deacons and priests. At the ordination of deacons, the bishop places it on the left shoulder of the candidate saying: “Receive from the hand of God the white garment and fulfill thy duty, for God is mighty enough to give thee His grace in rich measure.” At the ordination of priests, the bishop draws the part of the stole that rests at the back of the candidate’s neck forward over the breast and lays the two ends crosswise, saying: “Receive the yoke of the Lord, for His yoke is sweet and His burden is light.” The Sacred Congregation of Rites has made a large number of decisions concerning the use of the stole.

As a general rule, it may be stated: the stole is only used and must be used, at a function peculiar to the deacon, priest, and bishop, a function that presupposes the order (e.g., at the celebration of Mass, when the Blessed Sacrament is touched when the sacraments are administered)