Is it okay to "disrobe" in front of the congregation after Mass?

[cavalierfan]

I have a question that I hope either clergy or laypersons can answer. Yesterday after Mass, I took off my choir robe in the choir loft instead of going to the rehearsal room. I was somewhat “chastised” by a choir member who stated that I should not have done that. Is there any rule or Church canon that says I have to go off site to remove my robe, considering that I have been in this choir longer than this person and half the congregation at my church already knows I am in choir and a cantor?

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

I assume that you were fully clothed under your choir robe and so this is not a modesty issue but a protocol issue. So far as I know, the Church doesn’t make rules stating where choir members “must” disrobe, leaving that to the prudential judgment of those in the parish with knowledge of what kind of facilities are available for robing and disrobing laity participating in the Mass.

While there may be nothing wrong with shrugging out of your choir robe in the choir loft, if a private rehearsal room is available, why not use it? As a matter of common courtesy, it is generally considered more appropriate to adjust one’s clothing in private, especially when private areas are made available for that purpose.