Are people dressing immodestly during Mass?

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I’ve been quite guilty of dressing improperly, as someone put it upthread, in sneakers, jeans and a turtleneck or similar high-collared, waist-length shirt which exposes only the hands, but I’ve never understood why even that outfit would be considered immodest. Inappropriately casual, sure, but immodest? I know about Bishop Williamson’s and Padre Pio’s ordinances against women wearing pants and slacks (as such aren’t properly feminine and will potentially arouse the passions of men), but if that were the case, wouldn’t a summer skirt, which exposes more of one’s legs to view, be frowned upon more highly than a pair of loose jeans, which may hold the shape of the legs, but not actually allow the skin to be seen?
Just a thought.
 
Julia:
I started this thread and have made the point several times: we must distinguish our words in this discussion. Casual is not immodest. Immodest is not fashion or style. Modesty is revealing that which should remain hidden. For example, the thighs are the area of sexual activity and procreation. That is for the husband and wife and not the general public.
 
I’ve come across a new modesty problem. There are women who attend daily Mass and are quite well exposed: Shorts, low cut tops/wide cut tops for maximum exposure. This is almost making me give up. These women come to daily Mass and are unaware that they need to cover up more. What do you think about this? Do you have a similar situation in your parish? Anthony
 
I honestly hadn’t thought of this much before. I mean about being casual, not necessarily about modesty. I generally dress in jeans and a T-shirt for just about everything, except for very formal events like concerts and such.

So two questions:


  1. *]What clothing, then, is appropriate for men?
    *]What about daily mass? Should one dress up even for daily mass?
 
Brandon: I have already answered this aspect of the modesty question twice before. Go back a few pages and you will see a more complete answer. Thanks for sticking with this discussion. Anthony
 
atassina said:
Brandon: I have already answered this aspect of the modesty question twice before. Go back a few pages and you will see a more complete answer. Thanks for sticking with this discussion. Anthony
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Thank you atassina.

I understand that you say there is a difference between immodesty and dressing casually. But many people are also condemning wearing jeans and such. So I’m trying to figure out what the norms are.

I’m blind so I don’t see what people around me are dressing, so I’m self-conscious about the issue.

Thanks again. 🙂
 
Dear Seeker:
Jeans, tee shirt, and tennis shoes are modest dress for church. Clothes should not be tight and therefore reveal that which should remain hidden. For example, if a woman’s pants are so tight we can see her body parts, her pants are too tight. I have accidentally seen this immodest dress more than one time in church.

Casual is not immodest. Rend your hearts and not your garments. God judges the heart and not the garment. Hold on, the assumption here is that the garments are modest. Tee shirts should be plain and non-offensive, non-suggestive, non-sexual, non-violent. Church is not a place to advertise that you are a stud, that you like human skulls, devil skulls are big, bad and mean et cetera. Anthony
 
atassina said:
Dear Seeker:
Jeans, tee shirt, and tennis shoes are modest dress for church. Clothes should not be tight and therefore reveal that which should remain hidden. For example, if a woman’s pants are so tight we can see her body parts, her pants are too tight. I have accidentally seen this immodest dress more than one time in church.

Casual is not immodest. Rend your hearts and not your garments. God judges the heart and not the garment. Hold on, the assumption here is that the garments are modest. Tee shirts should be plain and non-offensive, non-suggestive, non-sexual, non-violent. Church is not a place to advertise that you are a stud, that you like human skulls, devil skulls are big, bad and mean et cetera. Anthony
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Thank you. That puts me at ease.

It is often so much easier just to throw on a T-shirt and jeans and not have to worry about finding matching clothes that are nicer. I have been told I can wear jeans with about anything, so I do. It’s a pain to have to select an outfit though when I’m required to. I just didn’t want to be disrespectful by being too casual.

Thanks again.
 
atassina said:
Are you having a problem with people dressing immodestly during Mass and any other liturgical services? I have seen teenage girls come to church in a dress that my mother used to call a nightie. Men and women wearing shorts in church is also immodest-- I think.
What have you seen and experienced?
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I think the worst I saw was a woman showing off her G-string from a poorer parish but quite lively.
 
I do not understand the part about “but quite lively”. Was she walking around in a thong?
 
seeker_of_God said:
Thank you. That puts me at ease.

It is often so much easier just to throw on a T-shirt and jeans and not have to worry about finding matching clothes that are nicer. I have been told I can wear jeans with about anything, so I do. It’s a pain to have to select an outfit though when I’m required to. I just didn’t want to be disrespectful by being too casual.

Thanks again.
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Dear Seeker:
In this thread people have confused casual with modest. I am attempting to direct the respondents to focus like a laser on one issue: immodest dress inside church. I an not concerned in this thread about how people dress outside of church. Anthony
 
Anonymous is right, though the reaction of “why are you picking on women” seems odd. After all, pointing out that others are wrong too, doesn’t make something right. There is probably a slight difference between the provocative attire of young women and the slobbish and revolting attire of many boys. We should all be conscious of not leading others into sin - especially at mass. king of fighters flash Play Free Online Games Noevertheless, Anonymous is right in that this is more than an issue of girls/women. It is more than a young old issue. Ultimately, I think it is bigger than a modesty issue. At one level it is a respect problem. At a deeper level (imho) it is a faith problem. If you believe that at mass we come to meet Christ in the real presence of the Eucharist and celebrate the sacrifice of the mass, then how can we dress so inappropriately? How can people wear t-shirts? How can anyone wear flip-flops anywhere (not just those in the sanctuary)? Or clothing that is revealing?
 
What are we doing discussing this issue in such detail ? That is an occasion of sin too and I can no longer see the relevance of discussing obtaining smaller clothes for one’s offspring is relevant if she is going to be seen marching down aisles wearing such for these bigots to gossip about. The whole discussion has gone into perverted overdrive and allowed really mixed- up people to hold forth and it frankly destroys everyone’s concentration and attaches sin to inanimate objects and to quite otherwise innocent women and girls. It’s crazy scrupulosity and it has never received the sanction of anyone saintly at all, including Our Blessed Mother. It’s in these people’s benighted imagination that she would ever concern herself with such trivia. Just to end, why am I so against all this nonsense.? Because I saw what it did and they did to an American Catholic girl with their constant battery of immodesty accusations and it really hurt her badly.She showed signs of despising herself as a result and then joined a group which was later closed down as heretical by the bishop. This is wrong. You cannot deal with femininity in this savage and heartless way revealing all your misogynistic hang ups along with Heaven knows what in the process.
 
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