Are you covering your head ? (Directed to the women)

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I don’t have a veil, being that I’m a convert of only a couple of years, but I’ve been thinking about getting one. There are a couple of ladies in my parish that wear them. I would “stick out” a little bit, but maybe not as much as I think.

BTW, is the rule still white veils for singles and black for married?
What if you’re an older single? I have brown hair, so black wouldn’t look as obvious as white would.
 
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WhatMeWorry:
BTW, is the rule still white veils for singles and black for married?
What if you’re an older single? I have brown hair, so black wouldn’t look as obvious as white would.
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Good question. I never realized that the color of veil mattered. What color veil/mantilla should a married woman wear? :confused:
 
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Blanka:
Good question. I never realized that the color of veil mattered. What color veil/mantilla should a married woman wear? :confused:
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The “rule” was that unmarried women wear white and married women wear black or some other non-white color. But that’s not written in stone. I wear many colors, including black, dependent on what color clothes I’m wearing.
 
Before I returned to the Catholic Church last month, I was wearing hats every now and then because I like them. When I returned to church, I went ahead and wore one, mainly because when I was young, it was required.

Sometimes people will sort of do a double-take, since I am usually the only one in a hat. Sometimes people make (nice) comments about it.

When I went to confession for the first time in (cough) years, I didn’t wear a hat, but took a lacy shawl that I have and wore it partially covering my head, like a veil. I only like to wear a hat when my hair is up in a bun, so I have something to stick the hatpin through, and that day my hair was down. I just felt like I really needed to have some kind of head covering (that old Catholic school training I guess!), and I no longer owned a chapel veil…

But after thinking about that, I decided to order a veil from Halo-works.com, for those occasions when my hair isn’t up or if I just feel like wearing the veil instead of a hat. I ordered the Junior “V” in Soft Tulle, which is extremely lovely. It hasn’t arrived yet. I know I will be the only one wearing it, depending of course, on what church I go to. I don’t really like to call attention to myself, but that is not why I want to wear a hat or veil in church. It just feels like the right thing to do (for me - others may feel differently). But I do wish that other ladies who might want to wear hats would be inspired to, to not let “being the only one” dissuade them.

Aunt Martha
 
I don’t wear one now, but I remember wearing the little doily as a very young child. My mother also wore one at that time. No one in my church today (in Central Texas) wears one that I’ve noticed. I grew up in South Texas and many of the older Mexican ladies still wear them there. I think it is a nice devotion and this thread has made me consider wearing one myself.
 
There is one woman in our parish who has started wearing a veil. I have seen the women at mass on EWTN wear them. I went on line to research it and found this kensmen.com/catholic/theveil.html which I think will interest at least a few of you.

I want to give my life to Jesus. I am intimidated by the culture around me (sorry to say). I live in the ultra liberal diocese of Rochester.
 
As for me no I do not cover my head unless we are having a tornado drill. 😃

I have seen many pictures of women with the Pope with no head covering. I have met many people who cover or chose not to. I remember in Catholic school we had to wear a chapel veil when Vatican II came in they were all removed except my families of course. My cousin once tried to tell me about St. Paul and his view on this. But I have seen many different faiths with many different odd coverings.
If you can win souls for Christ by covering your head then by all means do it. But if you are only chasing away souls by being pious then how are you carrying Christ to the world.
Just a thought!:tiphat:
 
I have a different question?
I am a returning catholic from orthodox judaism - and I was used to covering my hair all the time - now some people tell me , if you want to be catholic again, you have to stop covering.

Is there any problem with covering your hair all the time? I see some black women in church who cover all the time, so I don’t think it should be an issue.

Any thoughts?

Brigitte
 
A couple of weeks ago at mass I saw someone with a veil/head covering.

I haven’t seen that before in the 18 months I’ve been attending.

But where my parents live, there were several in evidence. There’s probably no link but that church was almost packed for its lunchtime masses whereas our church is 90% empty.
 
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cove:
This thread brings back some childhood memories.:ehh:

I can remember wearing those little doily looking lacy head coverings as a child. Sometimes when we were in a hurry my mom would forget to get out the doilies and we would be at the church door and she would realize we did not have anything covering our heads:eek: . So what does good old practicle mom do? She reaches into her pocket book, takes out Kleenex (clean;) ) and pins them to the top of our heads (I say “our” heads because I am one of 5 daughters). Talk about embarrassing :o. I still cringe when I think of it.
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Oh, I remember those days too! I also remember the impromptu visits to the Church for prayers when some tragedy has occurred and Sister pulling our her box of tissues for all of us girls (we did not have any kind of hat as part of our uniform). Quite a site to see as we all trek across the playground then the parking lot and stand in line as Sister puts the tissues on our heads before entering the Church 😃

BTW, I do occassionally pull out my Confirmation Mantilla to wear. The last time I did it it was in support of those who were wanting to give it a try and see what would happen. As it turns out Fr. did a double take of me while the Readings were being read (I go to a small Chapel in a school right now, pray for us to be able to purchase the additional land we will need for our permanent Parish site, St. John Vianney Mission Church in NM).

Brenda V.
 
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teresa613:
I have a different question?
I am a returning catholic from orthodox judaism - and I was used to covering my hair all the time - now some people tell me , if you want to be catholic again, you have to stop covering.

Is there any problem with covering your hair all the time? I see some black women in church who cover all the time, so I don’t think it should be an issue.

Any thoughts?

Brigitte
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Brigitte,

My thoughts are that it shouldn’t be a problem! The main thing though is why you do it. If you understand that it is because of respect for Our God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who is present in the Eucharist then that is great.

I say go for it (or more accurately, continue doing it).

Brenda V.
 
Perhaps this is a reflection of our more laid-back Australian culture but I’m 35, my oldest sister is 41 and I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone under the age of about 50 covering their head in church except for first communion and wedding veils.

There was one post here that stated that the 1983 Canon Law EXPRESSLY revoked the earlier laws - surely this is enough of an answer as to why a lot of women no longer need to wear head coverings?

Just my humble opinion 🙂
 
No, I don’t.

If the Church ever required, or even requested women to cover their heads again, I would certainly do it.

As for all the debates on whether or not this requirement was lifted, let me point out that the Popes and others in the Curia haven’t let out a peep on the matter.

I would think that if JP II or Benedict XVI believed that it was a wrong interpretation of the law for women to go bare-headed in Church, they would surely have expressed that in some form or another. Neither of them struck me as unwilling to take on contraversial issues. 🙂 The entire document on liturgical abuses which came out about a year prior to JPII’s death covered abuses I’d never even heard of, yet said nothing about head coverings. Or what about World Youth Day? Both Popes have been quite fearless in these venues, in terms of encouraging the young to stand up against sin and secularization. If they wanted to reinstitute the veil, or correct a long-standing abuse, that would have been a prime forum to do so. But again, nothing.

So until someone in the Vatican starts hinting that we really ought to be covering our heads, I’m not going to stress about it. I mean no disrepect to those who choose to do so as a devotional matter.

Margaret
 
Couldn’t have put it better myself Red Meg 👍

Just a thought, though - didn’t Mary Madgalene wipe Jesus’ feet with her hair after she perfumed them? Surely she had to have uncovered her hair in His presence to do that?

Surely we have more important things to concentrate on than St Paul’s statement that women should cover their heads - after all Jesus neither said nor hinted anything on the topic at all.
 
DrBull said:
I am covering my head, and you ?
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God bless you for doing so. For all others it is not a requirement and has not been for many many years.

Our piety should not be, “look what I’m doing!” It should be between you and God.

That said, there is one woman in our parish that does wear a piece of lace on her head. and God bless her! It is her personal respectful way of honoring our Lord. It is not overt. It just is.
 
h(name removed by moderator)2four:
I don’t cover my head, but I have great respect for anyone who does. I think it’s very beautiful. It reminds me of my childhood, when I longed to wear the long mantillas that my mother and older sister wore, instead of the dorky little chapel veil or worse - the pith-helmet uniform hat my grade school used. 😛

Still, I wouldn’t want to go back to the days of having a tissue pinned to my head…:o Glad it’s optional.
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I would gladly cover my head with tissue paper, if there was nothing else for me to cover with!🙂
 
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teresa613:
I have a different question?
I am a returning catholic from orthodox judaism - and I was used to covering my hair all the time - now some people tell me , if you want to be catholic again, you have to stop covering.

Is there any problem with covering your hair all the time? I see some black women in church who cover all the time, so I don’t think it should be an issue.

Any thoughts?

Brigitte
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I have never been Orthodox Jewish, but I (try to!) cover my hair all of the time.

Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t cover your head all of the time!🙂
 
I believe that definitely until 1983, women were REQUIRED to wear head coverings in Church, or when praying in public.

Any woman who did contrary to this before 1983 was most definitely acting against Canon Law(although she might not have realised it).

Sadly, in Europe I believe that many women stopped wearing head coverings long before American women did.
 
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