Do you wear jeans to Mass?

[Bruised_Reed]

Khakis are considered slacks (in my opinion) and jeans are jeans. They’re just different. Would you wear khakis or jeans to dig a ditch?

Depends on the condition of the jeans or khakis: old, well worn pantsI would wear to paint, or dig a ditch as you say. I wouldn’t wear my best jeans to do anything messy in.

 

[LilyM]

YES - wouldn’t you?

Just because they’ve seen you in your pyjamas on a regular basis doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t dress for the occasion, even if it is “only” with the people who gave you life and nurture.

Dressing up isn’t about “impressing” anybody - it’s about knowing where you are and what you are doing, and dressing for the part.

What ‘occasion’? Since when should being with my God or my mother and father be an ‘occasion’?

This seems to imply that they are not, as they should be, ALWAYS in my heart and mind, instead that they are quite separate and distant from me and that I only ‘occasionally’ pay them a visit from time to time.

It also implies that I am not, as I should be, always consciously in God’s presence.

The act of going to my parents home to visit them or to Church for Mass is simply an extension of my constant connection of heart and mind with my family and with my God.

So no, to me there is no ‘occasion’ about the weekly Sunday lunch or the Sunday Mass. I’m not a parent, but if I were I would find it very sad if my children didn’t feel free enough to dress as they pleased around me, so perhaps I am projecting those same thoughts onto the Almighty.

As for God, well we in fact DO dress as we please around him - not like he’s not omnipresent. So I don’t see how you could ever be dressing up for him really.

 

[Walking_Home]

First, let me say, I understand your point-of-view.
Secondly, I believe God supercedes the Pope, president, our family, etc…He is or maker, our judge. In being so, I believe he deserves a bit more respect than the others you have mentioned. One way in which I show that respect is to dress up for him when going to his house.
Only my humble opinion. and preference.

---

I agree- our Lord Jesus is much more than our buddy, our friend, our brother—He is our Lord and God. We should reflect this when we step thru the threshold into His house.

 

[jmcrae]

What ‘occasion’? Since when should being with my God or my mother and father be an ‘occasion’?

When it’s Sunday Mass or Sunday lunch?

If these things don’t seem like “occasions” to you, then what would?

My parents would have a conniption fit if I showed up to Sunday lunch in improper attire - and yes, these are the same people who used to change my diapers. It’s just that there are certain times and places that demand a certain level of respect and proper appearance.

 

[kamz]

the question is Do you wear jeans to Mass?

My answer is sometimes… sometimes I wear jeans to Mass… not always but sometimes I do:thumbsup:

 

[Bruised_Reed]

When it’s Sunday Mass or Sunday lunch?

If these things don’t seem like “occasions” to you, then what would?

My parents would have a conniption fit if I showed up to Sunday lunch in improper attire - and yes, these are the same people who used to change my diapers. It’s just that there are certain times and places that demand a certain level of respect and proper appearance.

It seems that you may have reared differently, more formally perhaps. Did your family “dress for dinner”? Your family may have different standards for this than others.

 

[Bruised_Reed]

When it’s Sunday Mass or Sunday lunch?

If these things don’t seem like “occasions” to you, then what would?

My parents would have a conniption fit if I showed up to Sunday lunch in improper attire - and yes, these are the same people who used to change my diapers. It’s just that there are certain times and places that demand a certain level of respect and proper appearance.

Perhaps you were reared in a more formal manner than others. Did your family “dress for dinner”? Your standards may be different in this regard and others.

 

[LilyM]

It seems that you may have reared differently, more formally perhaps. Did your family “dress for dinner”? Your family may have different standards for this than others.

Sounds like it. Interesting that you didn’t respond to the rest of the post.

 

[Jennifer_G]

I don’t (slacks and a blouse at the least - usually when it’s cooler - no one seems to wear dresses anymore). I’ve heard of someone (who spoke during a service years ago) wearing a leather miniskirt and tanktop once…

 

[fantrl]

I try not to. Sometimes jeans are the only clean thing though.

 

[chicago]

A friend of mine is kind of big on dressing up for Mass. But his style is something that, which I enjoy it for it’s quirkiness, some people might consider atrocious and almost disrepectful. Quite colorful wardrobe and selections in sports jackets. I think I wear (with my tee shirt) more expensive, better shoes that he has on, though.

 

[chicago]

I have to wonder to what point “dressing up” talk is really a matter of respectability (and maybe mere human respectability) versus Victorian standards.

 

[chicago]

If I wear the same pair of dress slacks to Sunday Mass that I typically wear most days of the week as casualwear, am I being dressy and respectful at Mass or comfortable, casual, and careless?

 

[prv]

We’d have to add a category for me F) depending on the Mass

For Sunday mornings, I dress up because I sing in the choir and that is the norm for my choir and my parish (a suburban elitist parish full of doctors, pro golfers and the like). Sunday night, I wear jeans because that is also the norm. I come from a family who held the “you’d better dress up for church” credo, and that plus years of Catholic school means I understand that position, and that is normally what I do, but I’d hate to see anyone not attend Mass out of fear of being looked down upon for what they wear. Jesus didn’t turn people away due to a dress code.

When I was in high school and college I worked summers helping run a day care center for the children of migrant workers (south Alabama, no a/c, under the blazing sun, breathing red clay dust, and sweltering in darned near 100% humidity - I hear you about the heat!). Our priest often said Mass out in the fields, sometimes on the beach (our day care center was an old summer camp) and nobody was dressed up. Disrespectful? No way. Those were some of the holiest and most reverent masses I’ve ever attended.

I noticed you put doctors in the same category as progolfers. Elitists??

 

[DaughterSorrow]

Only time I have worn jeans is to daily mass on the day may son’s school has mass. Never jeans on Sunday.

Peace,
DS

 

[ElizabethPH]

If I wear the same pair of dress slacks to Sunday Mass that I typically wear most days of the week as casualwear, am I being dressy and respectful at Mass or comfortable, casual, and careless?

I think work day casual still has restrictions as far as how casual you can get. I doubt if the boss would accept shorts, T’s and flipflops as casual work dress. Mass to me is the same…‘casual’ has it’s limits. Jean’s perhaps, as long as they themselves are presentable, without holes, or too tight and not slipping down below ones belly button so far it becomes obscene. I think the original poster of course was talking about jeans. But I think it goes beyond that in that a lot of us lounge around all day in very comfortable casual clothes, shorts, t shirts…etc etc…especially on the week-ends; and would expect that an effort would be made to change that for celebrating Mass. One can look ‘dressed’ in jeans; there are many variations of jeans out there some totally inappropriate as I said before. Other styles look well with a dress shirt or nice blouse for the ladies and good shoes. You can dress up a pair of jeans. Of course it all depends on what your work day ‘casual’ is and yours seems to be appropriate for Mass I would say. You make an effort at your work to dress nice , why shouldn’t you make that same effort for Mass.

 

[8640]

Just curious, please no bashing anyone if they do or dont, I just want to know if

A) you do it on a regular basis
B) only have done it in emergency or less than 3 times a year
C)Have never done it
D) Have never done it and get hopping mad when you see it
E) I cant remember and I dont go to Mass often enough to notice

Just pick one of the above.

If it is a nice pair I might, nothing old and never on Sundays. I hate seeing shorts and tank tops at mass, it isn’t a family picnic that we are at and I would hope people wouldn’t wear that if they went to the President’s or Pope’s house. But I guess I’m happy that people at least go.

 

[buffalo]

So true. So I guess that instead of concentrating on worship, we should endure the heat, ignore the sweat and offer up our pains and sufferings of the day. Doesn’t that put the emphasis on “me” during Mass rather than Him.

You know, nowhere have I advocated dressing inappropriately. I, like many others, have simply stated that I have no problem with people wearing clean, neat jeans to Mass. I have vivid memories of what went on back in the 50’s and 60’s when women “dressed to the 9’s”. I remember that Mass was something of a fashion show and more often than not I can remember my mother and the other mothers in our neighborhood commenting about who wore what. Or “she wore a white hat after Labor Day”. Clothing is a two edged sword which cuts both ways.

Your post gets me thinking. Since A/C did not exist 100 or so years ago, how did our ancestors handle it for 1900 years? There are definitely hotter places than LA in the world.

Back then men wore suits to go shopping. That was the style back then. If it became a fashion show then, it has become the exact opposite now.

Whatever is a person’s Sunday best gets my vote.

 

[maggieodae]

C)Have never done it - Those are my work clothes. I wear nice pants suits to Mass, seldom dresses. I loath dresses. The nitwit that invented them needs horsewhipped.

 

[Uncle_David]

This has always been an intriguing question for me. I’ve always wondered what happened to “My Sunday Best”. We normally dress nicely for Mass on Sunday. However, my son and I once had to wear our baseball uniforms to Mass. There was barely enough time between games to drive to church. I don’t think our dear Lord frowned on me though afterall my son and I made a good effort to “Keep Holy the Sabbath”.

I do believe Mass is a celebration and we are invited to the Lord’s table as often as we can attend. We do our best to dress as best as we can for His banquet.