C
Casilda
Guest
Other young Catholics, like 24-year-old Ohio resident Forest Hempen, have chosen to adopt the veil after digging into the theological ramifications of the tradition. An aspiring theological speaker who gives talks on chastity to teens and works for a Catholic nonprofit in Cincinnati, Hempen became enamored with the veil through studying the theology of the body as articulated by her “holy crush” Pope John Paul II. To Hempen, chapel veils represent a whole range of things: a way to emulate the veil-wearing Virgin Mary, an experience of “authentic femininity” that sets women apart as specially blessed bearers of life and a reminder that she and all members of the church are to consider themselves brides in a symbolic marriage to Jesus, whom the Bible sometimes describes as a bridegroom