Why do priests always wear black?

Priests dress black: great question! To be clear, a priest doesn't always wear black and what he wears really depends on what he is doing. When not offering the sacrifice of the Mass, he wears a black cassock (a long robe that goes down to the ankles) with a white collar, or, if the national bishops' conference allows it, the priest wears a black robe with a white collar in public.

Why black? Black is a sign of mourning and penance. Priests must remind the laity that there is more to life than what this world offers. Dressing in black should remind both the priest and those who see it that we should not set our sights on the fashion of this world, but we should remember that we are called to do penance, not only for our sins but for the sins of the world.

Priests Wear Black: On a practical level, the display of black clerics also allows a person to identify a priest in case that person needs the sacraments such as confession or the anointing of the sick. The most wonderful thing is that priests love when a person approaches them on the street to ask for confession. On a different practical level, a priest did not wear the black cassock or black robe during exercise, garden work, or sleep. Furthermore, a diocesan priest in tropical climates would not dress in black but in white, not just for practical reasons - to decrease the heat of the sun - but because white like black is a sign of mourning.

Spirit of the Lord, gift of the Risen One to the apostles of the cenacle,
swell the life of your priests with passion.
Fill their solitude with discreet friendships.
Make them in love with the earth, and capable of mercy for all its weaknesses.
Comfort them with the gratitude of the people and with the oil of fraternal communion.
Restore their tiredness, so that they may find no sweeter support for their rest than on the shoulder of the Master.
Free them from the fear of not doing it anymore.
From their eyes there are invitations to superhuman transparencies.
Audacity mixed with tenderness emanates from their hearts.
From their hands you pour the chrism on everything they caress.
Let their bodies shine with joy.
Dress them in wedding dresses. And gird them with belts of light.
Because, for them and for all, the bridegroom will not be late.