May Catholic Women Wear Sarees?

[Saint_Gemma]

Is it okay to for a woman to wear a saree? I ask for two reasons: first, because sometimes my back or stomach shows when I wear one, and second because I am sometimes mistaken for a Hindu or a Muslim. Thank you in advance for your answers!

 

[Sina]

May I ask why you wish to wear a sari? People from Asia, including Christians wear them I am pretty sure. I don’t think there is any reason why, as a Catholic, you cannot?

This question interests me though, because my sister in law belongs to a cult run by a man named Sri Chinmoy. She is not from Asia, but she follows Sri’s strict rules and is vegetarian and wears a sari and keeps her hair long and also has to remain celibate.

Sri Chinmoy’s group claims that they have Christian’s and other religious followers in their group including Catholics. I find that to be absurd and doubtful.

 

[Della]

I mean this with nothing but kindness–if you don’t want to confuse people as to who and what you are just dress like everyone else. When people find out you aren’t Hindu or Muslim they probably think you dress in a sari as an affectation not as a style statement. There are Eastern influence dresses/outfits that you can buy if you like them without having to wear something so obviously counter to your identity as a Western Catholic living in a Western society. Yes?

 

[Peregrino]

Is it okay to for a woman to wear a saree? I ask for two reasons: first, because sometimes my back or stomach shows when I wear one, and second because I am sometimes mistaken for a Hindu or a Muslim. Thank you in advance for your answers!

I used to attend a parish where there were 20-25 women and young ladies in saris. I had no thought that they were Muslims; I took them to be Catholics. They happen to be of Indian origin and they were Catholic and they dressed in a way that felt comfortable to them. If you feel comfortable wearing a sari, I say wear one. There should be no identity issue involved, nor pressure to conform to some concept of “western identity”. This is America. God knows you are Catholic and knows your heart. That is all that matters.

If your concern is modesty, I think saris are fine. I see many women in saris who do not expose too much skin. It has never even crossed my mind that they weren’t being modest.

 

[duskyjewel]

I mean this with nothing but kindness–if you don’t want to confuse people as to who and what you are just dress like everyone else.

Wow, this seems really insulting to me. I bet you would have loved me in college, with my pink hair and nose ring. At least the people at the parish I attended were nice enough not to tell me I should look like them in order to come to Mass. “Just dress like everyone else.” Since when is THAT a Catholic requirement?

I have seen many women of Indian heritage wearing saris at Mass. I never confused what religion they were, as they were attending MASS! What I thought was that that was considered “dressed up” attire in their culture, and that they were showing the same respect by wearing it as another woman might show by wearing a skirt and blouse or a suit and heels. I have no problem with the “bare midriff” aspect of saris, because it is actually pretty modest, from the ones I have seen. You can’t see the navel and it is way below the bottom of the breast line. It’s way better than the teenagers I see showing off their butt cracks because they won’t wear pants that actually cover it! And they wear those pants because “everyone else does.” In the Bible, when it talks of women covering their hair and such, it makes the exception that if it is a sign of shame to do so in her culture, then she is not required to do it as a Christian. There are allowances for cultural differences. So therefore, I say, wear the sari, if that is your heritage. I think they are beautiful. Women in saris always make me smile, because they really do seem like a garment that is celebrating her beauty.

 

[Gwyn]

Yes.
There is nothing wrong with wearing a sari. If draped appropriately you need not show any skin.
While in India as a teenager, I occassionally wore a sari to mass and covered myself properly. As well on other occassions.
In Canada, I have only once worn a sari to church but that is more of a comfort issue ( takes a while to drape and I have to walk more carefully,…) and a couple of other times.

 

[LilyM]

Yes.
There is nothing wrong with wearing a sari. If draped appropriately you need not show any skin.
While in India as a teenager, I occassionally wore a sari to mass and covered myself properly. As well on other occassions.
In Canada, I have only once worn a sari to church but that is more of a comfort issue ( takes a while to drape and I have to walk more carefully,…) and a couple of other times.

Mother Teresa and her nuns always wear saris as their habit, no matter where they are in the world. They certainly don’t show skin.

 

[Sr_Sally]

You may certainly wear a sari if you wish. I would suggest that you find or make a top for underneath that is longer and so covers your tummy and back. I know many Indian Catholic women who wear saris. There have been Catholics in India since St Thomas journeyed there after the resurrection. You are in good company.

 

[BlestOne]

Does anyone know if the OP is of Indian decent? I know the profile says California, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t from India.

 

[jrabs]

Yes.
There is nothing wrong with wearing a sari. If draped appropriately you need not show any skin.
.

I suggest this also. I live in an area that is heavily populated with women wearing Saree’s. They never have skin showing.

Perhaps you do need to wear something else underneath is this is a difficulty for you.

 

[Sina]

Some saree’s/sari’s have skin showing just around the mid section ( hah, the one area of my body I would WANT to cover! ).

I don’t know anything about sari’s but I have noticed at Indian weddings and what not, this is the style. There must be all kinds of different styles of how they are draped around the body. Muslims, Hindu’s and Sikhs all wear them. They are rather beautiful.

http://image57.webshots.com/557/0/61/56/2923061560100642138tfoPDc_fs.jpg

 

[Sina]

Oh my! I didn’t want the photo to be THAT large! No idea how to minimize it… I apologise.

 

[webmaster]

Is it okay to for a woman to wear a saree? I ask for two reasons: first, because sometimes my back or stomach shows when I wear one, and second because I am sometimes mistaken for a Hindu or a Muslim. Thank you in advance for your answers!

Yes,I advice you to wear sarees. I am interested to give you solution:-
1.Always buy sarees. in which you feel comfortable and buy those which pleases you to wear them.
2.It is not important that only Hindus and Muslims wear them.Do you know that most of the Catholics wear sarees. to ensure simplicity.Many of nuns of high designation posts where them.

 

[GraceDK]

Is it okay to for a woman to wear a saree? I ask for two reasons: first, because sometimes my back or stomach shows when I wear one, and second because I am sometimes mistaken for a Hindu or a Muslim. Thank you in advance for your answers!

Of course you can… I also saw many Sri Lankan ladies who wear them. there is nothing uncatholic about it, its a cultural dress… and much more interesting to look at than most normal American clothes.
People might think at first glance that you are hindu because most of India is hindu… but there are also many Christians and Catholics there who use sari.
If you are not from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan or Srilanka as ethnicity then I think you should not wear sari for aestaetic reasons, but thats just my taste

Sari is not a religious but a cultural dress… Its worn by millions of people in the world every day… DONT WORRY

 

[GraceDK]

By the way… whats wrong with your stomach?
I have also seen a little piece of back or side of a stomach on women with sari, but so what? Its part of the dress and there is nothing immodest about it.
We all don’t have to look the same in the world… that is according to western american Catholic standard of modesty.
Concepts of immodesty is definetely not the same in every culture and time…

 

[Della]

By the way… whats wrong with your stomach?
I have also seen a little piece of back or side of a stomach on women with sari, but so what? Its part of the dress and there is nothing immodest about it.
We all don’t have to look the same in the world… that is according to western american Catholic standard of modesty.
Concepts of immodesty is definetely not the same in every culture and time…

I agree. Take the recent royal wedding. I thought Pippa Middleton’s dress was a bit too decollete for a church wedding. OTOH, I saw a program about the wedding in which some of the wedding guests were interviewed. One Hindu couple is from the Middleton’s home town. They own a small Indian restaurant that Kate particularly liked, so they were invited to the wedding. The lady was middle-aged with a couple of grown daughters. She was looking for an appropriate dress to wear and opted for a beautiful blue saree that, typical of sarees, exposed her midriff. I saw nothing immodest about it. Indeed, I wished we Western gals could wear something as lovely as that to such occasions.

 

[JaneGrey]

Does anyone know if the OP is of Indian decent? I know the profile says California, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t from India.

No idea if she is, but I dont think it matters one bit. I dont see why a non-Indian should not be able to wear saris, as long as everything is done within the context of respect.

 

[Nelka]

There are women in our Catholic church who wear them.

Some of them are very nice and at least there isn’t a cleavage pushed in my face.