The stole
Stola
- Known today as
- The long band of cloth worn by the priest about the neck, the sign of his sacred office.
- Kind
- Sacramental, in 1 older authority
- Earliest authority here
- The Catholic Encyclopedia (New York, 1907–1914)
Revised October 1, 2026: An authority added from a text read in full. Version 1, first published September 28, 2026.
The stole: what was it used for?
In the rite of exorcism the priest wears a violet stole and lays its end on the neck of the possessed.
The stole: what does modern science say?
Worn at every sacrament.
What Medicine Makes of It
- PossessionThe possessed of the manuals, and dissociative trance.
- The Rite as TherapyWhy exorcism works when it works: persuasion, community, and the ending.
The stole: what lore surrounds it?
The stole was believed to carry the authority of the Church itself: demons, the manuals say, are tormented by its touch.
The stole: what did the older authorities say?
- The Catholic Encyclopedia
- The Catholic Encyclopedia notes that at the ordination of priests the bishop lays the stole crosswise saying, “Receive the yoke of the Lord, for His yoke is sweet and His burden is light,” and that in the ninth and tenth centuries in the Frankish Empire “the priests were commanded to wear the stole constantly as a badge of their calling, especially when on a journey.” It was once customary “to ornament the ends with fringe, tassels, or little bells,” and the old theories of its origin, from a garment's trimming or “the Jewish praying mantle,” have “been given up”; it was the Roman orarium, laid before ordination “upon the Confessio of St. Peter.”
Sources
- [21] Herbermann, C. G., et al. (eds.) (1907–1912). The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Online at newadvent.org. Articles: Agnus Dei (H. Thurston); Amulet (M. Hassett); Ash Wednesday (H. Thurston); Bells (H. Thurston); Holy Oils (H. Leclercq); Paschal Candle (H. Thurston); Scapular (J. Hilgers). Read in part · the text read
- [120] Weller, P. T. (trans.) (1964). The Roman Ritual, Part XI: Blessings and Other Sacramentals. EWTN Library, ewtn.com. Primary text
- The Catholic Encyclopedia (New York, 1907–1914), “Stole.” newadvent.org/cathen/14301a.htm Standard reference work
Verification
- Checked
- October 1, 2026
- Passes
- Every dated or regulatory claim checked by category across the database
- Each quotation from the older authorities checked word for word against the text, read in full
- Sources
- 3 cited: 1 read in part, 1 primary text, 1 standard reference work.
- Corrections
- None were needed.
What was checked, how, and what was found is set out on the Verification page. A checked source is one whose record was found; it does not make the entry medical advice.
Cite This Entry
Version 1 · first published September 28, 2026 · last revised October 1, 2026
- Chicago
“The stole.” In Materia Medica, edited by B. C. P. Statema. Version 1. The Thinking Press, 2026–. Last modified October 1, 2026. https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/stole.
- MLA
“The stole.” Materia Medica, edited by B. C. P. Statema, version 1, The Thinking Press, 1 Oct. 2026, thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/stole. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.
- APA
The stole. (2026, October 1). In B. C. P. Statema (Ed.), Materia medica (Version 1). The Thinking Press. Retrieved October 8, 2026, from https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/stole
Club members keep entries on a shelf with private notes, print the plates as cards, and receive an entry by email each week. Create a free account before January 1, 2027 and all of it is yours for good. About the Club
See Also
Also in The Catholic Encyclopedia
Tetragrammaton in The Catholic Encyclopedia · St. Walburga’s oil in The Catholic Encyclopedia · The thurible in The Catholic Encyclopedia · St. John’s fires in The Catholic Encyclopedia · everything The Catholic Encyclopedia names →
Nearby in the alphabet
Storax calamite (packed in reeds (calami) for export) · Stinkhorn · Sugar (Saccharum officinarum) · St. Zacharias cross (each standing for a Latin invocation against the plague) · Sulfur (Brimstone) · Sumac · St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum)
Historical description, not medical advice.