Dressing reverently for mass, but not wishing to wear a suit

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Lea101 said:
Is this a cultural thing?
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Yes, very much so. As has been discussed on previous threads, it used to be (like pre-Vatican II) that a suit for a man and a “street dress” (not house dress, not sun dress, not cocktail dress) for a woman was the standard clothing for people to wear when they went to have lunch, go shopping or go to church. Clothing habits got a lot less formal starting in the 60s, and men don’t wear suits as a matter of course any more, blue jeans have become a fashion item rather than something to wear on a ranch, women wear flip flops everyplace including the office, etc.

Some people do not see suits and other clothing standards as conveying respect, but instead see it as a materialistic fashion show, a display of authority or rigidity, or simply putting too much emphasis on what someone has on vs. what’s in their heart and the fact that they made the time to show up at Mass when attendance has fallen a lot.
 
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Lea101 said:
Is this a cultural thing?
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Dress is always a cultural thing.

Dress in the US, Europe, India, Africa, South American, the Caribbean… it’s going to be different from place to place. I’ve been to parishes of predominantly African immigrants to the US (mainly Nigerian) and they dress in their traditional African garb, both men and women. For men, it’s loose pants and a loose fitting shirt made of the same or contrasting material. Sometimes bold prints, sometimes solid colors, sometimes embroidered at the neck, sometimes plain.

I’ve seen Indian women in saris, men in the same sort of “pajama pants” that you see on TV. I’ve seen Indian men/women in typical US dress. I’ve seen Africans in traditional garb, and in regular US clothing. I’ve seen people dressed up and dressed down.

Around here-- dairy farm country-- the farmers do their morning milking and come to our 8 a.m. mass in their overalls.

It’s always cultural. The norms of dress change with each generation, location, and region.
 
You could wear a suit jacket with a dress shirt and no tie.

I always have a collared shirt, though I’m quite casual. My parish is extremely varied as many are tourists visiting for the first time. If one were to go with the flow, just about anything goes. As long as it remains respectful.
 
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God doesn’t care what you wear as long as you are going to church. I usually am in a nice pair of slacks and top or skirt . My husband loves to wear dress pants and an Hawaiian shirt untucked. Our Parrish is very casual . On holidays we do dress a bit but dressier.
 
Not necessarily the type of clothing, but the idea behind it (ie you have to wear your best, whatever that’s considered dressy)
 
Since you seem to have well-defined parameters of your own, I do not know why you are asking. Thumb through a magazine or just go shopping and see what you like.
 
I’ve never been to a dressy church. I try to dress modestly and neatly.
 
My father wears a dress shirt and dress pants for Mass. When he first returned to Mass a few years ago, he wore a nicer button down shirt and newer jeans then later noticed other men wearing dress shirts & pants so he decided to do that going forward. He will not wear a jacket and tie unless it is required. During the week, he wears a casual button down shirt and jeans for working with his brother but they do physical work that gets them dirty & stuff. I’d much rather see men wear a button dress shirt with Dockers compared to a tee shirt & jeans for Sunday Mass.
 
Why not phone your local parish and find out what the appropriate attire for Mass is there?
 
A suit is not necessary per se to reverence…unless for some reason on a particular occasion it is what one is to wear.

I wear a button shirt (No tie) and a sweater vest for Sunday Mass or Holy Days.
 
The only time I see men wearing suits at Mass is when they are there for a special occasion.
 
MJDorry said:
To me, a suit is everything that reverence is not. It is a secular, individualistic expression of one’s sartorial tastes in the pursuit of secular interests, the ultimate sign of the modern man, even though most of us have only ever known wearing a suit to mass as the appropriate thing to do.
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I think this assessment was probably valid 50 years ago, but no one wears a suit to mass (or anywhere) anymore! The only counter-cultural, anti-secular thing left to do now IS wear a suit! Sunday best should your best, whatever that may be.
 
MJDorry said:
To me, a suit is everything that reverence is not. It is a secular, individualistic expression of one’s sartorial tastes
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Actually a suit is a uniform of sorts based on military uniforms. It was once the expected dress of just about any man. Many laborers went to work wearing a suit. They would change, do their work, shower, put their suits back on and then go home. Now they are uncommon outside of a court of law or possibly a CPA’s office, yet in no way have they universally become “individualistic expression of one’s sartorial tastes” nor are they “the ultimate sign of the modern man.”

If one does not want to project the formality of a suit, a blazer and tie would be just fine. If that’s still too much, perhaps simply a nice long-sleeved dress shirt and dress slacks or even khakis would work for you.
 
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I posted the following on another forum. Too bad more teens don’t have the advantage of having such wonderful parents:

I went to the local Newman Center for Mass last Sunday. It’s directly adjacent to a college campus. A student rolled-up on his long skateboard. He was wearing a tank top, board shorts and flip-flops. Before going into Mass he pulled a rolled-up, off-white alb out of his backpack, put it on and stashed his board in a corner of the entry. In 15 seconds he dramatically improved his appearance for attending Mass. He then attended Mass – where he didn’t serve or read or anything like that.

After Mass I said “hey, nice alb.” He chuckled and said “Thanks, my mom made it for me. It’s either this or dress clothes for Mass, or my dad would kick my butt!” He took off the alb, carefully rolled it up, stuck it in his backpack and was out the door with his long board. The Newman priest just stood there with a big smile on his face.

I think that kid’s parents are doing a pretty good job with him… What a great, creative way to look presentable for Mass in 15 seconds.
 
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