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

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Okay.

On the bright side, at least they’re not wearing pajamas like some people in my parish.
 
Okay, I get it that jeans are commonly worn in many parts of the US. Does no one in Texas wear dress pants? 😄
 
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I come from a faith tradition where the women cover their heads so when I converted I continued that. I did not veil but wore cute little hats as I felt that ‘blended in’ better and made me stand out less than a veil would.

No one else in the parish covered.

The priest never said a word BUT many, many, many women in the parish approached me and tried to get me to stop with comments such as:

“The boys want to see your pretty face!”

“What are you hiding?”

“Too lazy to do your hair, dear?”

I tried attending without covering but it felt so wrong that I stopped.

Eventually I noticed a group of new ladies who all veiled. I also noticed within a few months that they stopped and now attend with no covering and I have to wonder if it’s because they had the same women approaching and, yes, harassing them to stop covering.

As for me, I will continue to cover my ‘pretty face’ because it’s a devotion God has called me to.
 
Yes & no. It gets hot here - & humid. It depends on the setting. Jeans can be dressed up or down here casual though they be. And as previously stated, some of us don’t have oodles of money to be buying the latest in fashion, so we buy lasting, versatile, & economical clothing. When I wear them to church, they are clean, untorn, & presentable - tastefully worn.

Another reason I wear them is because we have some very aggressive mosquitoes here that don’t take a swat for an answer - & I get welts from their bites. Not to mention that Zika & other such illnesses are a concern…& I hate smelling like OFF Spray. Honestly I think some of them just take it for cocktail sauce anymore…My view is that if they want my blood that badly, they’re gonna have to work to earn this meal because I’m not running a free blood bank for them…
 
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somecanadian said:
Eventually I noticed a group of new ladies who all veiled.
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Women wearing veils was unusual 50 years ago, except for blushing brides on their wedding day or something.

Hats were the norm for church attendance for women (Catholic or otherwise), and weren’t just worn at the Kentucky Derby.

You will catch attention if you stand out, and veiled women will.
 
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I agree that it makes women stand out and agree that it seems standing out is the opposite of the purpose of the thing (which is why I hat instead) BUT at the same time I don’t feel it’s appropriate to harass women to the point they don’t cover at all (which, I don’t KNOW that’s what happened to these women but judging by my own experience I think it’s a fair assumption).
 
Did you explain nicely to the ladies that you were following the faith tradition of your mom and grandmom?

And if they continued to make catty remarks, did you then say, “You don’t have to agree with me, but please respect my choice, because it’s very hurtful to me when you say those things. It’s like you’re insulting my mother.”

And then if they continued, did you simply ignore them and say a silent prayer?

The above is what I would do if anyone was ever crass enough to invade my personal business in this way. I’m not big on “fellowship” at church so I don’t get hassled.
 
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somecanadian said:
As for me, I will continue to cover my ‘pretty face’ because it’s a devotion God has called me to.
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Good for you! They have no right. I think I’d give them the Miss Manners “did you really just say that?” stare. 😄
 
I’m very non-confrontational and admittedly it leaves me a bit bitter sometimes because I don’t ‘put people in their place’ when they’re rude to me. Haha. OH well. I suppose it’s a spiritual lesson that I’m supposed to learn somewhere along the line.

I need to learn this; “Did you really just say that?” stare!
 
somecanadian said:
I need to learn this; “Did you really just say that?” stare!
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Practice with a mirror. 😀 It’s not so much a “How dare you?” look, as an “I must have heard you wrong, no civilized person would have said that” look.
 
Well, it was not “hats only” everywhere. My catholic grandma is from france and they weared veils as well as hats. I was used to “veil” in church as a child, as part of a nice family habit.
 
Just out of curiosity, is there an article that provides the priests response to this allegation? Most priests do things for a reason. I would be interested to hear his reasoning in giving this instruction, or maybe precisely what his wording actually was. This article seems to be taking things second or third hand.

Given the context of 1 Corinthians 11 on this subject, I could potentially see a priest asking women who are unmarried to refrain from wearing a veil.

Anyway, just curious.
 
Augustinian said:
Women wearing veils was unusual 50 years ago, except for blushing brides on their wedding day or something.

Hats were the norm for church attendance for women (Catholic or otherwise), and weren’t just worn at the Kentucky Derby.
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I just came across a picture of my sister’s baptism from 51 years ago. My mom, a recent convert at the time, and the godmother both wore veils. My Protestant grandmother wore a hat.

I don’t know how unusual they were or not. It was just a little snippet from a moment in time…
 
Just based on all the homilies I’ve heard and information I’ve absorbed if he did this I would suspect he did so to encourage conformity. Standing out is not good as often the desire to stand out is born of pride. Just my two cents as a woman WHO covers.

I suspect his intentions were good but his delivery left something to be desired. I don’t know… just what I suspect based on experiences in the past.
 
I’ve gotten mixed reactions to veiling.

I’ve received compliments from some who find my veils beautiful (even one of our parish priests) - & view the practice equally so. One person in a parish I’d visited out of state noticed me as the only woman with her head covered, commented how he hadn’t seen a mantilla in many years, & he found it beautiful!

Some look at me quizzically - maybe disdainfully at times (I guess some may find it a strange practice, or for others, it’s retro - unfeminist - not progressive - allowing myself to be oppressed - I’m not - it’s my own choice to do so), but I notice in my parish with time, more women are doing it. There aren’t many, but it does seem to be growing.

I think women do it for different reasons.
 
Sarcelle said:
This bear will wear a headscarf 🧕 worn babushka style.

I usually do this on my bad hair days and no amount of brushing and styling can get it to behave.
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That would leave me in a scarf 365 days a year!!!

The only time my hair has ever remained in place was my wedding. My wife dispatched a female friend to the task. I understand that she used an entire can of hairspray. It not only stayed in place but it was solid, too! When I got in the shower, the water simply rolled off . . .
Tis_Bearself said:
And then if they continued, did you simply ignore them and say a silent prayer?
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and failing that, there are these penlight-sized tazer thingies my wife’s former boss bought them all . . . OK, perhaps not the right response, but . . . .🤣😱:roll_eyes::roll_eyes:

hawk, who probably wouldn’t taze anyone just for being rude to a woman . . .
 
I’m curious what makes a veil distracting? They hug your head and don’t stick out like a large hat does, so they don’t obstruct someone’s view or anything…
 
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