Catholic vs. Protestant Attire?

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Nota_Bene

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To save time and resources just pick a number(s) if you are someone who does not make the effort to dress well when attending the Mass:

1.) Jesus does not care what we wear.

2.) I don’t have enough money to dress well.

3.) Suits/jackets/ties/skirts/pantyhose, etc. etc. etc. are too uncomfortable.

4.) If I dressed well, I would feel out of place in my parish.

5.) I don’t want to get into competition with others at my parish in terms of style.

6.) I have to work right before Mass and there is no means for me to change.

7.) I’m going to the beach/lake/park/golf course after Mass and there is no time to change.

8.) If I dressed formally for Mass during the summer I’m sure I woud have a heat stroke.

9.) Only pompous people dress-up for Mass.

10.) What? I wouldn’t want someone to think I was Protestant!
 
  1. Of course he does
  2. But enough money for cable??
  3. Beats the heck outta bein’ nailed to a cross though, doesn’t it
  4. The apostles were out of place too weren’t they
  5. Lord have mercy, is this a high-school only parish??
  6. Does your employer understand when you wear your workout gear to the office?? Uh, no.
  7. God gve us 168 hours in a week and asks us for but ONE hour. Can we spend 10 minutes and change our clothes?
  8. Lose the tie then, and don’t wear wool!!
  9. Only prideful and insecure people project
AND…

(drumroll please…)
  1. …you mean…conservative?
 
Nota Bene:
To save time and resources just pick a number(s) if you are someone who does not make the effort to dress well when attending the Mass
Click to expand...
Your forgot a few:
  1. “I don’t owe you an explanation and you’re not getting one.”
  2. “Who appointed you as the attire police?”
  3. “If you were paying attention to the Mass, you wouldn’t notice what anyone else is wearing.”
 
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Timidity:
Your forgot a few:
  1. “I don’t owe you an explanation and you’re not getting one.”
  2. “Who appointed you as the attire police?”
  3. “If you were paying attention to the Mass, you wouldn’t notice what anyone else is wearing.”
Click to expand...
Thank You Thank You :clapping:
My Thoughts Exactly!!!
 
Nota Bene,

**This is a great thread, thanks for starting it. I can tell you live in California. I get so disgusted by the dress attire at Mass by Californians especially when you live near the coast as I do. People dress so casual at Mass and the later in the day the Mass the more casual they dress. People at our church wear sweats, filp flops, short shorts, tank tops (girs and boys). I’ve seen our teenage girls wearing low rider hip huggers and when they bend over you can see their thong underwear:bigyikes: because their shirts are so short. My kids feel like nerds 🤓 when they come to church because I make them dress nice (Sunday best) and they see all their friends dressed like they just came from the beach. You are right, all the Protestants do dress nice for church. **

Something I always tell my kids when I’m trying to convince them to dress nice “you are going to visit the King of Kings, you dress your best”. And when my daughter feels like she’s not dressed in style I ask her “what would the Blessed Mother wear to church if she were your age in this day and age”?
 
The nun that leads the choir at our church wears shorts to daily mass in the summer months, she says, God knows whats in your heart and soul and as far as we know God looks upon us as his naked children as he sees everything in us, he see through us, he sees us as what we really are. We need to focus on God at mass and not on those around us and if those around us are making us look too much then go early and get the front row seat and look straight ahead, that usually clears up the problem. 👍
 
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kamz:
The nun that leads the choir at our church wears shorts to daily mass in the summer months, she says, God knows whats in your heart and soul and as far as we know God looks upon us as his naked children as he sees everything in us, he see through us, he sees us as what we really are. We need to focus on God at mass and not on those around us and if those around us are making us look too much then go early and get the front row seat and look straight ahead, that usually clears up the problem. 👍
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I bet this nun wouldn’t wear shorts if she were to have private audience with the Holy Father. In fact she wouldn’t be allowed to. I’ve heard that women can’t even wear slacks when meeting the Holy Father. I’ve also heard that in many Catholic churches in Europe they won’t allow you to come in the church wearing shorts.
 
Don’t you think Jesus would be rather upset if they turned away people at the Church? Did Jesus turn away people when they came to him? “All are welcome” where have I heard this before?

Entertaining thread but maybe a bit cruel. When I attend Church with my Grandparents on Sunday I wear my nice jeans and a nice long sleeve shirt (winter time) and a jacket, which I remove once I sit down. My clothes are cleaned and ironed if needed. I shower and do my hair and try to have a tidy and kept appearance.

To poke fun at people who don’t have the money to buy the most elaborate clothes is a little cruel. I was laid off my job because of the poor economy at the time and have had trouble finding a new job. I do not have the money to spend on a new outfit. I would love to go out and buy a pretty dress, but I can’t afford such extravagances at this moment. In the meantime I pray to God and ask for his help in me finding a job, if he so wills it. In the day I do get a job and have money I will buy whatever outfit He wants me to wear. In the meantime I say a little prayer in my head while at Church for Him to forgive me for my casual clothing.

Is it not stated that humans do not see as God does? For where humans see the outward appearance God sees the heart?
 
She probably would not, all I’m saying is that it is not a sin to not dress up. Everyone has their own idea of what dress up means, for you it means one thing for me something else, what is most important is that God knows what is in our hearts, sure, I have seen some teens in summer dressed in some silly clothes and I roll my eyes and smile and then turn the other cheek and thank God that those teens are at church becuase too many teens are not at church so I want them there even like that, sometimes its the shock value they want so if you don’t act like “oh, my gosh” its not such a big thrill for them anymore. I just don’t get how someone can be so into what others are wearing, I don’t even remember what I wore on Sunday, I seriously don’t, clothes for me are merely a means to cover my body, a nessessary means but I’m a person who does not enter into fashion etc. some would in high school I was plain jane etc. I just don’t let my mind wonder at mass, I just don’t, if you feel yourself starting to look around and notice clothes on people etc. tell yourself “focus on God” and close your eyes for a moment and when you open them totally lose yourself in the mass, all I feel is myself and the other members of the church coming together to give praise to God, sometimes you have to really work at it, but focus on the Mass, don’t look around and gaze at people, if you need to look at people look at their eyes, the eyes are like the soul and you really see the most beauty in a persons eyes and their smile, nothing else matters, you can choose to get caught up in “oh, my gosh, look at what they are wearing” or you can choose to say"oh, look we are all together to give praise to Jesus" its up to you!!
 
Its bad enough when the congregation can’t find some clean cloths but its even worse when the extrordinary ministers can’t bother to dress appropriately.
Dressing your best is a sign of reverence and respect. If jeans and a tee shirt are the best you can do then so be it. If you can do better then you should do better.
 
This thread is so appropriate because we had a situation in the small parish I’ve been going to for a couple months. First of all, let me say that I live in a very casual, coastal town. In the winter our population doubles because we get many retired “Winter Texans” from up north (MN, SD, MI, etc.), and our temperatures are generally in the 70’s so most men wear shorts.

Our little parish has English Mass on Sat. afternoon. There is one man in particular that wears shorts ALL the time…even to Mass. Father Harry made 2 separate announcements on 2 different Sat. Masses that he preferred that no shorts be worn to church. This man kept wearing his shorts. So, Father Harry made a 3rd announcement and this man got mad and didn’t come back. He goes to another parish, which is much larger and I’m sure they are more “liberal”.

I, personally, am old-fashioned enough that I think shorts and the like do not belong in church, BUT I don’t think people should be made to feel “unwelcome” before the Blessed Sacrament. Jesus loves us for who we are…not what we wear. Only He should be judgemental.

Colleen
 
tTt,
But are you God? No your not, your one human with your own personal opinion but does that mean that God is sitting in heaven saying " ok, you could have dressed better, check that one in the big books of wrongs you did" paleeze, gimme a break. Why don’t you say "In my personal opinion I like to dress up alot for church but that is my personal feelings for me and myself and whatever you and your family does is between you and God and doesn’t take away in anyway the relationship you have with God, I simply choose to dress up, etc. but, no, can’t do that, and that is too bad. 😦
 
" I don’t think people should be made to feel “unwelcome” before the Blessed Sacrament. Jesus loves us for who we are…not what we wear. Only He should be judgemental"

AMEN 👍
 
The posts started off funny, but seem to have turned fairly serious. Here’s my two cents:

While it is certainly true that what precisely constitutes “dressing up” will very from place to place, the phenomenon of dressing up has a psychological effect which is nearly universal (ask anyone who has ever taught in a school with uniforms). The clothes themselves aren’t nearly as important as the attitude with which they’re worn. Now, that clearly inidcates that there are some clothes which will simply never be conducive to prayer (tube tops and short shorts will always be distracting, both for the wearer and the viewer). I was born in the rural Midwest, and we frequently had farmers and/or factory workers crowd in for daily Mass in their workclothes; but the dignity with which they presented themselves for Mass (and especially for communion) was such that no one took their clothes for a sign of disrespect. You can tell the difference.
 
Absolutely, but just because someone wears a tube top or shorts to mass does not mean that they don’t belong there, maybe they do even more, my idea is first get them there and then let us lead by example but let us NOT pass judgement. Lead quietly, you don’t have to have this “look at me, just like this is how you should be” I’m not saying tube tops etc. are ok but does it distract me from mass? No it doesn’t and if it does distract you ask yourself why that is because if you are really focused on the mass there should be no problem, you can hope and pray that these people will change but love them too, pray for them, don’t get all big in the head and pass judgement, that is the worst, when people get big in the head and think they know all things and that they know what God is thinking etc. How can you even begin to act that way, we need to pray and love all and that is really all we can do. 👍
 
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Shinobu:
Don’t you think Jesus would be rather upset if they turned away people at the Church? Did Jesus turn away people when they came to him? “All are welcome” where have I heard this before??
Click to expand...
No, I don’t think people should be turned away from church because of what they are wearing.
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Shinobu:
To poke fun at people who don’t have the money to buy the most elaborate clothes is a little cruel.
Click to expand...
Who’s poking fun at anyone? I have two what I consider nice outfits (the best I own) which I purchased at WalMart. My children all wear handmedowns (NO LIE).
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Shinobu:
I was laid off my job because of the poor economy at the time and have had trouble finding a new job.
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I am sorry that you got laid off from your job I will remember you in my prayers tonight.
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Shinobu:
I do not have the money to spend on a new outfit. I would love to go out and buy a pretty dress, but I can’t afford such extravagances at this moment. In the meantime I pray to God and ask for his help in me finding a job, if he so wills it. In the day I do get a job and have money I will buy whatever outfit He wants me to wear. In the meantime I say a little prayer in my head while at Church for Him to forgive me for my casual clothing…
Click to expand...
I’m not saying that anyone has to buy an expensive or elaborate outfit to wear to church but I do think people should remember they are going to church, a Holy place. Some of my very best friends are dressed like a million $$$ when they go to work or anywhere else but come time for Sunday Mass and they are dressed in an old T-shirt, shorts and flip flops. Almost every Sunday I see women or girls who come to dressed so provacatively that they become a distraction for the boys and men how spiritually productive is that? What happened to modesty? I believe people should try to dress their best for Mass whatever is within their means.
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Shinobu:
Is it not stated that humans do not see as God does? For where humans see the outward appearance God sees the heart?
Click to expand...
Yes, you are right God does see what’s in the heart. I am nice and welcoming to everyone at Mass regardless of what they are wearing. But I have to wonder when I see people usually dressed so nice show up to Mass like they’re going to a backyard barbeque or dressed so provacitively that they look like they just came from a nightclub.
God bless
 
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Timidity:
Your forgot a few:

(1)1. “I don’t owe you an explanation and you’re not getting one.”

(1)2. “Who appointed you as the attire police?”

(1)3. “If you were paying attention to the Mass, you wouldn’t notice what anyone else is wearing.”
Click to expand...
My turn!
  1. I can’t kneel in my dressy clothes because they might wrinkle or rip.
  2. We always have a big breakfast at the truck-stop after Mass and my dress pants/skirt are already too tight.
  3. Jesus’ Apostles did not wear suits, blazers, dress slacks, etc.
  4. Only the Pharisees dressed-up in Jesus’ days on Earth.
  5. “Today’s Church” is “different.” We don’t dress-up anymore.
  6. I’m “too busy” to dress-up these days.
  7. Dressing-up goes against the “spirit” of Vatican (Council) II.
 
jlw said:
1) Of course he does
  1. But enough money for cable??
  2. Beats the heck outta bein’ nailed to a cross though, doesn’t it
  3. The apostles were out of place too weren’t they
  4. Lord have mercy, is this a high-school only parish??
  5. Does your employer understand when you wear your workout gear to the office?? Uh, no.
  6. God gve us 168 hours in a week and asks us for but ONE hour. Can we spend 10 minutes and change our clothes?
  7. Lose the tie then, and don’t wear wool!!
  8. Only prideful and insecure people project
AND…

(drumroll please…)
  1. …you mean…conservative?
Click to expand...
Nope. I mean well dressed, or appropriately dressed to meet Jesus Christ…
 
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