ASK FATHER: Priest tells woman not to wear veil at Mass

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Yes, I know men are generally supposed to take their hats off indoors. I just wondered if there was more to it in the Catholic context.

Honestly, someone should write a book just about catholic cultural traditions. It would make life a lot easier for people like me who don’t know very many Catholics.
 
Canvas said:
Traditionally, men remove hats when going to Church while women cover their heads. Now, most women in my Parish don’t wear a head covering, but men should absolutely remove their hat upon entering Church.
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This.

Traditionally, a man wears a hat outside, and removes it indoors (unless he is “under arms”), as a matter of respect. Teaching at Iowa State, I would actually flip hats off of men in my classroom, and it was generally appreciated by the students. In a church, they were uncovering as an act of respect.

Conversely, women covered in check as an act of respect.

🤷 The world doesn’t have to make objective sense. I gave up on this *long8 ago

hawk
 
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When I was a teenager, I often huffed and puffed about having to remove my ball cap at the dinner table.
 
There is nothing wrong to wear veil at mass. It is entirely the woman’s choice.
 
Twp possibilities:
  1. The priest may have been trying to figure out if you were a religious sister, which order, and did he know you or someone else in your order. He eventually decided that you were a laywoman wearing a veil.
  2. The priest may have been ascertaining if you were someone with evil intentions who was hiding your identify under a veil. I know this sounds really really sad and scary, but in the U.S., many companies, including churches, are wary of anyone who is kind of different from the norm, and we are trained by our companies “If we see something, say something.” A head-covering obscures identifying characteristics (e.g. hair color and style) and could possibly hide a weapon if it is below the chin-length… Most schools and many public venues ban hoodies, or at least require the head-covering portion to be pulled down. Again, very sad that we live in such times, but the priest may have been trying to do his duty and protect his parish. 😦
Just my theories, and obviously I can’t make the call on this since I wasn’t there.
 
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The pastor may reserve the right to dictate propper dress for mass. This being said, I don’t believe that the wearing of a proper chapel veil or even a proper Spanish mantilla could be construed as inappropriate. I have, however, seen some women wearing veils so over the top that it borders on ridiculousnes. They were so long that hey we’re dragging on the ground and if you were behind them at communion, you had to watch not to step on them. In this case, I can see a pastor telling those women not to wear those specific veils.
 
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Canvas said:
Traditionally, men remove hats when going to Church while women cover their heads. Now, most women in my Parish don’t wear a head covering, but men should absolutely remove their hat upon entering Church.
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1 Corinthians 11:7
 
mrsdizzyd said:
Yes, I know men are generally supposed to take their hats off indoors. I just wondered if there was more to it in the Catholic context.

Honestly, someone should write a book just about catholic cultural traditions. It would make life a lot easier for people like me who don’t know very many Catholics.
Click to expand...
I have heard that everyone is asked to take off “unisex” hats like baseball caps in church, but fashion hats and veils that are clearly women’s wear are OK in a church.
 
When it comes to dressing for Mass, this veil issue is not a big issue to me.
What I would like to address is a more casual dress style by many.
I do not think men need wear a suit and tie every Sunday and that women need to wear a super dressy dress. But a nice shirt and slacks for guys and a nice blouse and skirt for gals.
But no T-shirts and jeans please.
 
Oh boy. I do wear a skirt to mass most of the time but an awful lot of women older and holier than I am wear pants all the time.
I do not think you will have much luck.
 
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Yes. I have no problem with that at all. If women want to wear pants that works.
All that I ask is for folks to dress in a non-casual manner. We are going to praise and worship God. We are not going to a ball game or a picnic.
 
Certainly for Sunday, but IMO, Daily Mass is a far different dress code. Back in the day, the men would show up to daily Mass in their mining jumpsuits, leaving their headlamps and pickaxes outside
 
Right. Of course, if they were lawyers, bankers, accountants, etc., they showed up in suits and ties . . .just like they did for work. And my mom and other housewives and mothers (and also, even back in the 1960s, lawyers, bankers, accountants, etc) showed up in dresses/suits as well. I remember how thrilled my mom and older sister were when pantyhose came along, as opposed to wearing stockings, garter belts, etc.
 
JackMcCoy said:
All that I ask is for folks to dress in a non-casual manner. We are going to praise and worship God. We are not going to a ball game or a picnic.
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Coming from a fairly traditional Baptist background, I was raised to put on my best for God because, although he doesn’t mind if we come as we are, we should always want to offer God our best.

Having said that, I feel completely out of place in my “Sunday Best” at mass. So, I tend to be the equivalent of business casual just so that I don’t stand out. :confused:
 
My 12-year-old son recently told me that it bothers him when people wear jeans to Mass. “Why would they wear jeans – it’s like they don’t care”.
 
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