A friend of mine who is not a Catholic accompanied me to an
ordination ceremony. She asked me why the bishop was wearing
what he did — the special hat and his staff. I really did not
know the meaning of these things. Can you help me? Bishops wear
certain regalia which are distinctive of the Order of the
Bishop, the fullness of the Sacrament of Holy Orders — the
pectoral cross, ring, mitre, crozier (staff) and, for
archbishops, the pallium. The regular regalia, which identify a
bishop, are the pectoral cross and the ring. The pectoral cross
(crux pectoralis) is worn by the Holy Father, cardinals,
bishops, and abbots. The word pectoral derives from the Latin
pectus, which means “breast.” This cross is attached to a chain
(or cord) and is worn on the chest, near the heart. In the
earliest times, the pectoral cross contained a relic of the True
Cross, or even a saint. While not all the pectoral crosses today
continue to contain a relic, the tradition remains.
Interestingly, in 1889, the Holy See recommended that