Church Attire: Shorts

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BRAVO!!! šŸ‘šŸ‘šŸ‘

Years ago, the priest giving the ladiesā€™ retreat told us about dressing modestly in summer: ā€œIf you think itā€™s too hot to dress modestly, think about how much hotter it will be in Hell. Offer it up for those who donā€™t dress modestly.ā€
 
BoomerangToo said:
This is how we used to dress for Mass:



This is how we dress today:



Itā€™s a shame. A real shame. šŸ˜ž
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The few things that strike me the most about the first picture: This parish appears to be 90% adult female. I see few men and only found two (female) children. Why is everyone wearing outerwear? How cold must it have been in that crowded church that everyone wore heavy coats. This appears to be a very homogenous parish, with little ethnic or economic diversity.

It is a snapshot in time. People used to dress up any time they went in public. Society, for good or ill, was much more formal then. We really canā€™t judge peopleā€™s dress in church today by the standards of American society then.

As far as the more current pictures: While the churches I frequent donā€™t have people wearing fancy fur coats and suits, people tend to dress up more than those in the pictures you showed. Collared shirts and khakis are the norm for men/boys, with occasional shirt and tie or a rare pair of shorts. Women usually wear a nice skirt, knee-length or below, though some wear pants. Jeans are rare; shorts are more so. Most people ā€œdress-upā€ just a little from their everyday casual. This is in super-casual California and not just at my own parish.

This picture more accurately represents what one would typically see at Mass in this region:
 
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JimR-OCDS said:
My parish is the only Catholic church in our small town which has six lakes.

This means, we get a lot of campers coming to Mass, wearing shorts and the many members of the parish attend Mass wearing shorts and T-shirts.

I canā€™t do it, and never wear such attire, but Iā€™m older than the oneā€™s who do

Jim
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So, people take their obligation to go to Mass so seriously that they come while they are camping? Congratulations to them!

I have also gone to Mass while on a camping trip. I brought ā€œappropriateā€ clothes, but I was still a bit dirty and smelled like a campfire, as did my kids.
 
I would think that the level of formality depends somewhat on socio- economic factors as well. That California parish photo looks pretty suburban and upscale. Trust me, not every parishioner is turned out like that on an average Sunday all across the US. šŸ˜‚
 
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babochka said:
This parish appears to be 90% adult female. I see few men
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Most of the men are outside on the portico having a smoke.
babochka said:
How cold must it have been in that crowded church that everyone wore heavy coats.
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It was one of those 20 minute speed-read low Masses, not worth the hassle to take off and hang up all those heavy coats šŸ˜‰
Margaret_Ann said:
Years ago, the priest giving the ladiesā€™ retreat told us about dressing modestly in summer: ā€œIf you think itā€™s too hot to dress modestly, think about how much hotter it will be in Hell. Offer it up for those who donā€™t dress modestly.ā€
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I think it is possible to be both cool and modest; one just chooses oneā€™s materials carefully. For me, a man, I have a couple of striped short-sleeved seersucker shirts that breathe well and are stylish. Linen is also a nice material for shirts; I have long trousers that are lightweight and perfect for summer. In summer I wear sandals so my feet breathe better; as a diabetic Iā€™m prone to fungal infections. But they are fairly full so not much foot is exposed.

The monks at the abbey where I attend Mass are economical with both heating and A/C. Winter is easier. Just layer it on! A nice stylish sweater works well.

For women, I see a lot of stylish linen dresses that have short sleeves, and are of modest length. I always thought that women had better choices to be cool, stylish and modest in the summer, than men. Correct me if Iā€™m wrong!
 
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I think thatā€™s the real shame, actually - I find that more coverage but breathable fabrics is much more cooling than less coverage and a bunch of polyester. When the norm was more covered skin, we had much ā€œsmarterā€ clothes to wear. Bonus: less sunburn!
 
pensmama87 said:
I think thatā€™s the real shame, actually - I find that more coverage but breathable fabrics is much more cooling than less coverage and a bunch of polyester. When the norm was more covered skin, we had much ā€œsmarterā€ clothes to wear. Bonus: less sunburn!
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Ugh. Polyester.

Natural fabrics are much better, although as an avid cyclist (keeps my infirmities from getting the better of me), I admit for riding some technical fabrics are better for that purpose.
 
Off topic, but Iā€™ve been considering getting into cycling. I used to run, but I think itā€™s catching up to my knees (I donā€™t have much choice but running on roads, many of which around here are constructed with concreteā€¦)
 
I would never subject the congregation to my pasty legs. Iā€™d probably scare everyone out of the church with the blinding whiteness. I couldnā€™t tan even if I lived on the equator.
 
People come to Mass wearing shorts all the time, so that those campers who have either summer homes at one of the lakes, or are at one of the camp grounds, are use to seeing them,

Even parishioners from the town come to Mass in shorts. Theyā€™re neat dress shorts mostly.

I could never bring myself to wearing shorts and a T-shirt to Mass.

Jim
 
Loud-living-dogma said:
I would think that the level of formality depends somewhat on socio- economic factors as well. That California parish photo looks pretty suburban and upscale. Trust me, not every parishioner is turned out like that on an average Sunday all across the US. šŸ˜‚
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That was sort of my point. In the original picture, depicting churchgoers in an earlier time, it was extremely homogeneous. The fur-clad Caucasian ladies pictured did not appear to be from the lower economic strata. So, I attempted to show a picture from a similar angle.

The photo wasnā€™t from California, by the way. I just did a search and found something that was representative of what I would see in a typical Parish in my area. I believe the church pictured was in Georgia.

Regardless, I typically donā€™t see most people dressed as was depicted in the original pictures. Khakis and polo shirts seems to be typical for men. Women tend to wear skirts or nice slacks. Teenagers tend to be a little more casual, but rarely inappropriate in terms of modesty.
 
Loud-living-dogma said:
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šŸ˜
 
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pensmama87 said:
I think thatā€™s the real shame, actually - I find that more coverage but breathable fabrics is much more cooling than less coverage and a bunch of polyester. When the norm was more covered skin, we had much ā€œsmarterā€ clothes to wear. Bonus: less sunburn!
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Yes! On a recent very hot summer day, I met a Pakistani man wearing traditional clothing. His light blue outfit, which had long sleeves and long pants, was made of a very light cotton. It was comfortable, loose, and provided excellent protection from the blazing sun.
 
I love this picture, but it looks kind of ridiculous with the mix of styles. Why not just go all the way practical-casual. Why go to the trouble of suits coats and ties?
 
Presumably, wherever they are going requires a jacket and tie. If they were just going golfing theyā€™d have on polo-style shirts.

With the jacket and tie, this is considered business attire in tropical climates like Florida. I believe that is were this picture is from consider I believe that was President Bush in the middle. šŸ§
 
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Of course not formal! I said Business attire.

PS: Which, by the way, is also what your link says. ā€œFormalā€ attire would involve a suit (and often a tux (white tie) or morning suit with tails).
 
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Oh, yesā€¦ I get it.

I just think it a bit silly that a jacket and tie is considered business attire in tropical climates. Dressing appropriately for the weather makes more sense. I greatly admire the way that Indians and Pakistanis dress for the climateā€¦ Their clothing is modest, elegant, beautiful, is easy to dress up or down, and makes sense. It doesnā€™t require that a man wear multiple heavy layers in 110 degree temperatures just to be properly dressed. The Bermuda solution is a bizarre mix of reasonable accommodation to nature and unreasonable adherence to arbitrary codes of dress.
 
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