As our own Archbishop Checchio receives the Pallium next Monday; here is some good info on just what is the Pallium

 

The Pallium: A Special Sign of a Bishop’s Love

June 24, 2026

by Betty-Ann Hickey

In St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, on June 29, the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul, Archbishop Checchio and the new metropolitan archbishops (that’s an archbishop who is the leader of an archdiocese) from around the world will receive a special garment called the pallium from Pope Leo XIV.

The pallium is a circular band made of soft white wool that is worn over an archbishop’s shoulders during important Masses. It has two woolen strips that hang down: one in the front and one in the back. Only an archbishop or the pope can wear a pallium.

The pallium is rich with meaning. Its shape looks like a yoke, the wooden beam that farm animals wear when pulling a plow in a field. A yoke usually connects two animals so they can work together. Jesus said that his yoke is easy and his burden is light, so when we work together with Jesus, he helps us even when the work seems too hard. This reminds the archbishops that God has called them to work with the pope and with Jesus to faithfully to care for the people in the part of the world given to them.

The six black crosses on the pallium remind us of the wounds Jesus received during his crucifixion. In three of those crosses there are metal pins, which represent the nails that held Jesus to the Cross. The ends of the hanging strips are covered in black cloth, making them look like the legs of a lamb. This helps us remember Jesus, the Lamb of God, and the gentle care a bishop should show to the people entrusted to him.

Even the wool used to make the pallium is special. It comes from lambs that are blessed by the pope each year on the Feast of Saint Agnes, January 21. The lambs are later shorn, and their wool is woven into the pallia. This reminds us that just like Jesus, the Good Shepherd, lovingly carries his sheep on his shoulders, our archbishop loves and cares for us too.

The night before they are given to the new archbishops, the pallia are placed near the tomb of Saint Peter beneath the main altar of Saint Peter’s Basilica. They stay there all night until it is time for the Mass.

The pallium is much more than a piece of clothing. It is a sign that bishops are called to be loving shepherds who care for God’s people. It also shows their unity with the Pope and their mission to help others grow closer to Jesus Christ.

When you see the pallium, you can remember that Jesus loves us very much and has given us an archbishop to love, teach and guide us.