A mantilla and jeans?

[LisaB]

Sorry to start another thread on head coverings, but I didn’t want to hijack someone else’s thread… Question for you ladies who cover: Do you feel that a woman wearing a head covering to church should also wear a skirt? Does it look incongruent or mismatched to you if someone had her head covered and is wearing jeans to Mass? Or does it matter?

 

[ClaudiaTN]

Sir, you ask a valid question. Here is my answer. I cover my head as a sign of my submission to my Beloved Lord. I do not believe wearing slacks or jeans is a sign of disrespect or disobedience to the Lord, provided it is in context. For instance, I wear a dress or skirt to Mass practically every Sunday, except recently, I injured my leg and wear what feels to me a huge, obtrusive leg brace–so in an effort not to be distracting to those around me, I wear slacks.
On other days, I am running my normal errands and I stop by to spend time with my Beloved, so yes those days I am wearing jeans and a veil…but the same conditions exist within my heart as to the reasons why I cover my head.
I hope this helps, if not, let me know and I will try again

 

[yorkshiregirl]

Hi, good morning LisaB.

I thought I would respond to this as I have just come back to the church and wore my mantilla to mass for the first time last week. I did think long and hard about trousers v skirts as I haven’t really worn skirts full time since I left work 10 years ago to look after my children - lets face it jeans or pants are far more sensible with the constant bending over and getting messy than skirts (as most of my skirts were lined and so couldn’t go in the machine.)

But I do, personally, think a mantilla is all about femininity and submission (to God rather than to man) and doesn’t really go with the ‘modern, feminist’ thing of jeans. I could imagine possibly wearing trousers with a nice floaty tunic maybe, and then a mantilla wouldn’t be out of place, but as I try to wear my best clothes, nicest ‘real’ jewellery etc for mass, going ‘the whole hog’ and popping on a skirt (and so heels and panty-hose) shouldn’t really be a hardship. After all its only for an hour (plus travel time) and as soon as I come home I can get those comfy trousers back on !

So I guess really it depends on why you want to headcover - if its for the ‘right’ reasons, and whatever you wear with it is modest, it shouldnt really matter

Could I ask you though, do you come from an Italian or Spanish background that you chose a mantilla over a hat or scarf to wear? I don’t come from either of these and so feel a little silly sometimes for having chosen a mantilla - not that anyone has ever asked me - but I would have to say that vanity won the day - I look really awful in hats and scarves!

Best wishes

 

[bpbasilphx]

I’ve known several devout ladies who wore trousers or pants suits–and always covered their heads.

 

[UnfinishedM]

Sorry to start another thread on head coverings, but I didn’t want to hijack someone else’s thread… Question for you ladies who cover: Do you feel that a woman wearing a head covering to church should also wear a skirt? Does it look incongruent or mismatched to you if someone had her head covered and is wearing jeans to Mass? Or does it matter?

I see jeans and head coverings quite often at daily Mass.

I can’t say I have seen it on a Sunday though. Although, there are several ladies in slacks. I think the important thing is that you have decided to wear a head covering, no matter what else you have on.

 

[jeanannemarie]

In regard to wearing a mantilla, I do not think you have to have a background of Spanish or Mexican heritage. I think that is a silly thought and I have heard it enough times now that I wished to air my opinion (humble though it be.) The mantilla is beautiful and feminine. The United States of America is, after all, known to be the “melting pot” where all the customs have blended together in a unique sort of way. Let the blending and melting continue. Wear a mantilla if it suits you. I am of French Canadian, English and Irish descent and I wear a mantilla on the rare occasion I am able to attend a Latin Mass. I do wear hats, also.

 

[Carjack1]

I wear a manitlla, scarf, and hats. My head is covered to be obedient to Him. I wear jean and pants. I make sure that I have no holes and they are not dirty. No sweat pants. Common sense stuff. I am modest (I do not have skin showing that should not be) I am of PR descent.

 

[brotherhrolf]

I wonder if any of y’all remember growing up in the 50s. I wonder if any of you remember the women gossiping after Mass about who wore what. I may have been little and at my mother’s side but well I remember those conversations.

As long as all people (including men) are dressed modestly and cleanly, I don’t care if they wear a mantilla and jeans or jeans with a kleenex and a bobby pin (have we forgotten about that?). We are at Mass to worship the Most High not for a fashion show.

I am sorry if I sound so strident but I would not like to see a return to the 50s where we were more concerned about who wore what.

 

[airforcemom]

I cover with either a white or black Kippot. I only have pants (lost whatever skirts I had in Katrina and haven’t replaced any) but I make sure they are not tight and I feel okay since most of women at my church do wear pants - some I’d say do not belong in church but that is my thought. A lot of the younger one wear jeans but I would only wear jeans to a daily Mass never on Sunday. I had a beautiful Mantilla from Mexico my uncle bought my mother in the 60’s and I’ve been searching to find one close to it to replace it but so far no luck - the ones I’ve bought since 05 are very thin and I’ve actually never worn them to church. In the winter I have a fake fur hat and a hat/scarf that wear on cold days which are not often in SE Louisiana. I would rather see a girl with her head covered in jeans than in jeans with no covering. I wish it would start to spread at my small church but doesn’t appear to be.

 

[Brendan]

On some business trips to Korea, I would attend Mass at the Cathedral in Seoul.

In Korea, the wearing of mantillas is very, very commonplace.

I remember noticing quite a number of teens in jeans, sweatshirts and mantillas.

Quite the eclectic mix

 

[HarmonyServant]

As long as the pants are modest (not skin-tight or showing skin) and are clean, I don’t see any issue.

 

[jeanannemarie]

I wonder if any of y’all remember growing up in the 50s. I wonder if any of you remember the women gossiping after Mass about who wore what. I may have been little and at my mother’s side but well I remember those conversations.

As long as all people (including men) are dressed modestly and cleanly, I don’t care if they wear a mantilla and jeans or jeans with a kleenex and a bobby pin (have we forgotten about that?). We are at Mass to worship the Most High not for a fashion show.

I am sorry if I sound so strident but I would not like to see a return to the 50s where we were more concerned about who wore what.

With all due respect, brotherhrolf, I believe the discussion here among us ladies is about what we feel might be appropriate for Mass. It is an informative type conversation.

 

[brotherhrolf]

With all due respect, brotherhrolf, I believe the discussion here among us ladies is about what we feel might be appropriate for Mass. It is an informative type conversation.

And with all due respect, none of y’all have answered me. Mea culpa, but I grew up with the EF as the OF. We don’t need to start the same durn shennanigans. OK, I’m male. Being a traditional Catholic has nothing to do with wearing a mantilla or a chapel veil or hat…

Look, y’all want to perpetuate the same durn thing my Mamma did with, more power to you.

One of the greatest things to come out of VII is that we stopped paying attention to who wore what. We attend Mass to worship the Most HIgh/

Sorry, ladies. I do not want to see us descend unto " did you see what she wore?"

I got the been there, done that award. One goes to Mass and dresses oneself…

 

[CarrieH]

Personally, I prefer to coordinate my style. Jeans and denim skirts are more casual, so I would be more comfortable wearing a cotton scarf instead of a mantilla, just as I would wear more casual shoes with that particular outfit. I’d rather save the lace for my “Sunday best” (and FWIW, I almost always wear a skirt or dress to Sunday Mass). But that’s just me, and it’s more about coordinating the outfit than about what is “right” to wear with what. I’m not the clothing police, and if another woman wanted to wear jeans and army boots with her lace mantilla, so what?

 

[nannygirl]

And with all due respect, none of y’all have answered me. Mea culpa, but I grew up with the EF as the OF. We don’t need to start the same durn shennanigans. OK, I’m male. Being a traditional Catholic has nothing to do with wearing a mantilla or a chapel veil or hat…

Look, y’all want to perpetuate the same durn thing my Mamma did with, more power to you.

One of the greatest things to come out of VII is that we stopped paying attention to who wore what. We attend Mass to worship the Most HIgh/

Sorry, ladies. I do not want to see us descend unto " did you see what she wore?"

I got the been there, done that award. One goes to Mass and dresses oneself…

Sheesh! With all due respect, this thread is just a bunch of gals nicely discussing what we like to wear. I haven’t seen one negative, gossipy post on here, so frankly I don’t know what you’re going on about. Yes, I grew up in the '50s. I don’t see that any generation has a monopoly on gossiping, as people do STILL gossip.

 

[sarahraegraham]

Just wanted to put in my two cents…

I don’t think many people would insist that it’s necessary to wear a skirt along with the mantilla. I would not. We are certainly not legalists! But, I do think it is more appropriate, for a couple reasons. One is that a mantilla is feminie looking, so for appearances sake I think it just looks better. Secondly, a mantilla symbolizes among other things submission, to Christ and a husband if a lady is married. God provided a headship in marriage, and a woman wearing a skirt or dress conveys this reality of our faith most perfectly in our present culture because only women wear skirts/dresses in our culture.

Those are the two most basic reasons I personally believe that a skirt/dress with a mantilla is much more appropriate than pants of any type. Again, they are just my opinions, which are founded upon my learning of the faith. One of the great things about being Catholic is that we have so many things that act as symbols for a deeper reality. Femininity and masculinity are so important to our society that I believe we should all act in as many ways as we can to help others discover/rediscover those truths. Wearing distinctly feminine attire (both inside and outside of Mass) is one great way to do this, and it is one that I have chosen for myself.

 

[LisaB]

Could I ask you though, do you come from an Italian or Spanish background that you chose a mantilla over a hat or scarf to wear? I don’t come from either of these and so feel a little silly sometimes for having chosen a mantilla - not that anyone has ever asked me - but I would have to say that vanity won the day - I look really awful in hats and scarves!

Best wishes

I’m actually a convert to the faith from atheism. The first time I went to church was when I was 18 years old or so. So my choice of headcovering is certainly not influenced by my family background.

 

[LisaB]

Secondly, a mantilla symbolizes among other things submission, to Christ and a husband if a lady is married. God provided a headship in marriage, and a woman wearing a skirt or dress conveys this reality of our faith most perfectly in our present culture because only women wear skirts/dresses in our culture.

This is exactly why I started this thread. I don’t actually cover all the time, but I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. I cover when I go to Latin Mass. But I really want to cover at my OF Mass too, I’m just really not a fan of skirts (maybe it’s because I don’t have any comfortable ones though). So I started thinking recently if it would seem hypocritical or somehow “off” to cover your head and wear pants, since a skirt and a head covering (of any type) seem to “match” spiritually-speaking because they both symbolize the same thing. Pants seem to symbolize a woman’s independence and leadership, and don’t match with the symbolism of a head covering. But after reading all the posts, I think I’m analyzing it too much. Glad to hear that most people don’t see a problem with pants and a head covering.

 

[Hesychios]

… I don’t care if they wear a mantilla and jeans or jeans with a kleenex and a bobby pin (have we forgotten about that?)…

I don’t recall the Kleenex, but I do recall the hankies and doilies. The pillbox hat was pretty popular in those days, sometimes with a black lace veil. Of course, in those days a skirt was de rigueur, but that was a social convention.

My mom and sister wore them all. My father’s mother wore the Polish mantilla, a babushka! … and she didn’t take it off after Mass either , she went right to the garden with it.

 

[jeanannemarie]

Dear Lisa, Last Friday night I went to a Latin Mass with my good friend. I wore my usual skirt outfit and headcovering. She wore a pair of dressy black pants, dressy black boots, turtleneck and a "chunky"knit cardigan that was about knee length. She had on a lovely mantilla and looked just great. The whole picture was unmistakably feminine. Jeanannemarie