Mass Dress Code

[Tom_Baum]

Couldn’t they wear a diaper to play golf? If it’s good enough for Mass, shouldn’t that be good enough for golf? Why do you accept the idea that certain clothes are appropriate for golf, but you reject the idea that some clothes are appropriate for Mass!!!

Could be because God isn’t as petty as some who run golf courses.

 

[ProVobis]

… like at my church, are wearing shorts and tennis shoes to run to the gulf course once Mass is over.
AJ

Actually you bring up a good point. It seems more and more people are combining their churchgoing with other activities. I see them at grocery stores immediately afterward, if I go on Saturday nights. I suppose we should be happy to see them at all at Mass on Sunday morning, since I pass by quite a lot of sports activities on the way there. It’s perhaps priorities that we need to take a look at, not what they wear to Church.

 

[pianistclare]

My pastor, a very good and holy, pious priest, has often asked me to read on a weekday at Mass. I walk right past the ALTAR to the ambo in jeans. No problems. My jeans are clean, and loosely modest.
I have no need to alter my appearance. But, if it makes you feel better, I do wear black slacks when reading on Sundays.

 

[maryjk]

In the end, all the “gentle reminders” in the world are little more than suggestions that will either go unnoticed or blatantly ignored.

If a parish expects conformity, **it needs to be made a rule, and enforced.
**
My hunch is parishes have neither the resources, the will, or the fortitude to either.

So, dressing for mass is like living our lives…we have free will as a gift from God, and what we do will be a matter of conscience.

To enforce it would mean to turn people away. Is that what you mean? To send people away from Jesus?

If one is not dressed properly at the Vatican, one is not allowed in, Doesn’t that tell you something!! God Bless, Memaw

It tells me that the Vatican is a tourist destination.

 

[Marie5890]

Fatima=Church approved private revelation worthy of belief, but not required, which means not required to follow or even pay attention…

There is no sin in not believing in Fatima. Not at all.

 

[Marie5890]

If one is not dressed properly at the Vatican, one is not allowed in, Doesn’t that tell you something!! God Bless, Memaw

The Vatican is a tourist attraction, which means all kinds of tourists, Catholic or not, come.

 

[Isca]

The priest’s notice in the OP talks only about modesty. I always wear jeans to Mass, they are clean and decent. I don’t wear tight clothes. I don’t go in a tee-shirt, I wear a blouse or a jumper. Here in Italy, most people certainly don’t dress up for Mass. I went last night, there were only 7 people there including myself, and one of the elderly ladies (a neighbour of ours here in Italy) was wearing an old tracksuit. However, she was completely engaged in the Mass, smiling all the way through.

My parish priest back in the UK certainly doesn’t mind what people wear to attend Mass, he is just delighted to see them there and rejoices in that. He’s not the smartest guy himself clothes-wise, he is just interested in what’s in people’s hearts.

Personally, I would never be disrespectful in my dress in any church, but I am in my 50s and I was brought up in the CofE, where what you wore seemed much more important, somehow. I thank God that the Catholic Church is more interested in people’s faith than their clothes.

 

[pnewton]

If one is not dressed properly at the Vatican, one is not allowed in, Doesn’t that tell you something!! God Bless, Memaw

It tells me nothing at all, at least as to this topic. I note that all this talk of jeans and they are not even mentioned in the announcement, so they are perfectly acceptable. Why criticize acceptable dress?

I think it fine to have guidelines like this, but there should be a little understanding for people that do not adhere. They should be given the benefit of the doubt and made to feel welcome. I almost went to Mass in shorts last week. I went to walk and tour downtown Houston. At the last minute I changed into long pants from shorts. I had no real reason. When we went there, we found a lovely chapel that offered an 11:30 am Mass, so we went to Mass. Now, my son wore shorts and couldn’t help but think of people here and all the bickering and judging over dress I have seen over the years. Would I have made Mass if I had shorts on? Probably. I have done it before for similar reasons, though I can count the times on one hand.

 

[Neofight]

To enforce it would mean to turn people away. Is that what you mean? To send people away from Jesus?

:

You missed my point!

I’m not for dress codes

But, I my thoughts are not as melodramatic as yours, either.

I believe it doesn’t send people away from Jesus, but makes it less likely they will come to Jesus on their own.

My point, which you missed, is that, while everyone talks about what is proper dress code, what is proper displays of reference, what is this-and-that is mainly just lip flapping,

I think its like the weather, which some American humorist (Will Rogers or Mark Twain, can’t remember which), “Everyone talks about it, but nobody does anything about it”!

 

[Miserissima]

If you’re so concerned about how people dress for Mass, why not partner with (or start) a Sodality or the KofC to do a Modesty Drive?

Print up excerpts from “Dressing With Dignity” and engage the parish youth to create posters for the Drive. On your own dime, of course.

Collect various clothes for males and females and man a “Mass Closet” outside of the narthex, all sizes and seasonally appropriate.
Be there before every Mass.

Unlike like a country club that has jackets for dining on hand, people get to keep the clothes.

Crochet shawls that are kept in, and returned to, the narthex. You launder them weekly, of course. The sacristan has enough to do.

Stop whinging and start thinking of “solutions” to what you think is an offense to Our Lord.

Too much work? Thought so. Just keep complaining.

 

[pianistclare]

If you’re so concerned about how people dress for Mass, why not partner with (or start) a Sodality or the KofC to do a Modesty Drive?

Print up excerpts from “Dressing With Dignity” and engage the parish youth to create posters for the Drive. On your own dime, of course.

Collect various clothes for males and females and man a “Mass Closet” outside of the narthex, all sizes and seasonally appropriate.
Be there before every Mass.

Unlike like a country club that has jackets for dining on hand, people get to keep the clothes.

Crochet shawls that are kept in, and returned to, the narthex. You launder them weekly, of course. The sacristan has enough to do.

Stop whinging and start thinking of “solutions” to what you think is an offense to Our Lord.

Too much work? Thought so. Just keep complaining.

In other breaking news…
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=891384

poor guy.

 

[Memaw]

My pastor, a very good and holy, pious priest, has often asked me to read on a weekday at Mass. I walk right past the ALTAR to the ambo in jeans. No problems. My jeans are clean, and loosely modest.
I have no need to alter my appearance. But, if it makes you feel better, I do wear black slacks when reading on Sundays.

It’s not how it makes me feel that important. I am old enough to remember how we used to dress up for Mass. Not just run to Mass in any old thing we feel like. We took time to dress our kids nicely too. And I raised 7 of them. I doubt most people would go to see Queen Elizabeth the way they dress for Mass. Or even go to a Governors Ball etc. Somehow, Our Lord is not worthy enough to take a little time to dress nicely. We make up sooo many excuses and even try to tell HIM how he feels about the way we dress. Somehow we’ve lost the desire to even care. I go to daily Mass and I dress the same every day, just like on Sunday. God Bless, Memaw

 

[pianistclare]

It’s not how it makes me feel that important. I am old enough to remember how we used to dress up for Mass. Not just run to Mass in any old thing we feel like. We took time to dress our kids nicely too. And I raised 7 of them. I doubt most people would go to see Queen Elizabeth the way they dress for Mass. Or even go to a Governors Ball etc. Somehow, Our Lord is not worthy enough to take a little time to dress nicely. We make up sooo many excuses and even try to tell HIM how he feels about the way we dress. Somehow we’ve lost the desire to even care. I go to daily Mass and I dress the same every day, just like on Sunday. God Bless, Memaw

Good for you.
If you believe that God’s love hinges on your outfit, I can’t speak to that. I guess people in the rainforest can’t go to Mass.
But if what I have is mostly jeans…it doesn’t mean that I or anyone else unworthily attends Mass or unworthily receives communion. I’m not making excuses for my behavior.
YOU are condemning the actions of others. It’s not up to you. And if you want to be there on the last day saying “I told you so”…???
Really? Good luck with that.

 

[Marie5890]

Many of us westerners really do not know what it means to be truly poor and destitute.

So we start judging that type of life we never have really lived, never have really known.

God have mercy on us all, esp when we judge our brothers and sisters who stand beside us in the pews.

 

[fencersmother]

I will never meet the Queen (any queen) or the Pope (any pope) or the President, but all are welcome to my home (where they’ll find me in khakis and a t-shirt or t-neck, weather dependent). Never met Oprah either, though I’m not sure she’d be as welcome in my home.

I NEVER wear a dress, unless I am attending a wedding. That is the only function for which I will neglect pants.

I wear the same thing to Sunday mass I wear to daily mass: slacks or khakis, very modest top.

I know I could dress “better” but why?

 

[maryjk]

It’s not how it makes me feel that important. I am old enough to remember how we used to dress up for Mass. Not just run to Mass in any old thing we feel like. We took time to dress our kids nicely too. And I raised 7 of them. I doubt most people would go to see Queen Elizabeth the way they dress for Mass. Or even go to a Governors Ball etc. Somehow, Our Lord is not worthy enough to take a little time to dress nicely. We make up sooo many excuses and even try to tell HIM how he feels about the way we dress. Somehow we’ve lost the desire to even care. I go to daily Mass and I dress the same every day, just like on Sunday. God Bless, Memaw

I am old enough to remember or to at least hear about people putting Kleenex on their heads. Good times, right?

To a Ball? Chances are I would wear a ball gown. NOT the same thing I would wear to Mass. Do you wear ball gowns to Mass? To daily Mass. That would be something to see.

Of course if you are wearing ball gowns to daily Mass, chances are that the priest would pull you aside to talk to you about your mental health.

 

[pnewton]

From Psalm 51:

You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.

 

[Memaw]

Good for you.
If you believe that God’s love hinges on your outfit, I can’t speak to that. I guess people in the rainforest can’t go to Mass.
But if what I have is mostly jeans…it doesn’t mean that I or anyone else unworthily attends Mass or unworthily receives communion. I’m not making excuses for my behavior.
YOU are condemning the actions of others. It’s not up to you. And if you want to be there on the last day saying “I told you so”…???
Really? Good luck with that.

Funny how insulting people can get when you don’t agree with them. God loves everyone, but HE doesn’t always agree with what we say, do or how we dress, no matter how hard we try to insist He does. I have NEVER condemned anyone, and believe me, I won’'t be the one saying “I told you so.” God Bless, Memaw

 

[Brendan_64]

If a parish expects conformity, it needs to be made a rule, and enforced.

And how would this be enforced? Refusal of entry to those not complying with the dress code?

 

[pianistclare]

Funny how insulting people can get when you don’t agree with them. God loves everyone, but HE doesn’t always agree with what we say, do or how we dress, no matter how hard we try to insist He does. I have NEVER condemned anyone, and believe me, I won’'t be the one saying “I told you so.” God Bless, Memaw

I don’t think it’s funny at all.