For as long as I can remember — and I’m sure, well before that — little girls were receiving their first communion in white dresses. I thought that was a fairly standard tradition, with a distinct connection to both the white baptismal garment and the white bridal gown. A beautiful symbol of innocence and purity.

But one pastor begs to differ and has banned the white communion dresses — until recently, anyway.

From the Providence Journal:

Seven-year-old Bailee Cota is making her way in the Roman Catholic Church, learning to treat others with kindness and not to sin as she prepares to take her First Communion this spring.

With wide blue eyes framed by generous dark lashes, she is a typical second-grader, full of innocent and boundless spontaneity. She can’t wait for the party with friends and family that will follow her receiving the Sacrament of the Eucharist, considered the body and blood of Jesus Christ in the Catholic Church.

But Bailee’s preparations for that day, a tradition among the state’s 700,000 Catholics, have been marred by conflict for the Cota family. They have been at odds with the priest at Christ the King Church in the South Kingstown village of Kingston over whether she will be allowed to receive her First Communion wearing the same white eyelet dress her godmother wore years ago.

The Rev. Joseph Creedon, who has led Christ the King Church for nearly three decades, had forbidden Bailee, and all First Communion recipients, from wearing white.

But he relented yesterday, agreeing to let Bailee receive her First Communion with a sweater covering her dress.

His requirements are that she “disguises the white dress with a blue sweater,” he said, and that her mother, Christine Cota, attend Mass regularly. His change of heart, he said, was guided by prayer.

Father Creedon ended a phone conversation with a reporter abruptly by hanging up when asked to explain his objections to white.

He wrote in a memo to the congregation several years ago, however, that doing away with white dresses for girls and blue blazers and special ties for boys was among the most challenging changes the church made to its First Communion celebration. The decision was driven by expense, he said. The amount of money people were spending on “non-essential” elements had grown scandalous.

“Some children were luxuriously clad; others were not. This seemed to introduce the suggestion of ‘the haves’ and the ‘have-nots’ which is antithetical to the proper spirit for the Eucharist,” he wrote. “In some cases, the outfits were seen as more important than the First Communion itself.”

Another factor was the idea of white connoting innocence, or worthiness somehow.

“No one is worthy of receiving Communion,” he wrote. “Communion is not a reward for being good; Communion is a source of strength to become better.”

For Bailee’s family, yesterday’s resolution came as welcome news.

“We’re thrilled with the flexibility and willingness to compromise,” said Cota. “Our daughter will be able to attend her Holy First Communion in our church wearing her dress.”

She added: “We’re thrilled for other families who were concerned with the issue, that now it’s an option for them.”

Wearing white to signify purity is a tradition in many Catholic families. First Communion dresses are sometimes passed down through the generations; more extravagant ones with lace and crinoline cost $200 and up.

There’s more detail and background at the link.