Men and Hats in Mass

[adelore]

Are there any men here that wear their hats in Mass? If you don’t or do wear your hat in Mass, could you please tell us why you do or don’t?

 

[maize]

i made a guy takes his off at mass this easter. he was there with his girlfriend and was refusing to take it off. his reasoning was that if the ladies could wear theres then he could wear his.

 

[geezerbob]

Perhaps it’s old school, but I was taught that good manners dictated that men’s hats came off when inside, especially in church. The military also requires the same thing.

 

[malphono]

As far as this male is concerned, the only male headgear that should be worn in church is by clergy. And even there, notice that the mitres, birettas, zuchettos, capuces, etc are doffed at certain times during the liturgy.

 

[BayernAnhaenger]

I do not know what I would do if I saw a man with a hat on indoors.

Aside from seeing him as some uncultured barbarian, I would be offended that he would be so clueless as to wear a hat in a church.

Men should follow the customary, societal norms for hats. By placing a hat upon one’s head, one is agreeing to follow societal norms.

 

[ChristinaM]

i made a guy takes his off at mass this easter. he was there with his girlfriend and was refusing to take it off. his reasoning was that if the ladies could wear theres then he could wear his.

:banghead:

If I were his girlfriend, I would’ve been mortified. Men wearing hats indoors is a pet peeve of mine, and in church it’s even worse.

 

[redrosetea]

Perhaps it’s old school, but I was taught that good manners dictated that men’s hats came off when inside, especially in church. The military also requires the same thing.

Good maners never go out of style. When I was a child men would tip their hats as they passed a catholic Church, out of respect for the Blessed Sacrament

My dear mil would always bless her self when she passed a Catholic Church for the very same reason

 

[dixibehr]

OTOH, EWTN showed a program about Christians in Iraq. Syriac Catholic laymen were wearing burnooses and the like during the Liturgy.

 

[WhollyRoamin]

Funny how often this comes up.

St. Paul in his First Letter to the Corinthians, 11:1-10
drbo.org/chapter/53011.htm

:
1 Be ye followers of me, as I also am of Christ. 2 Now I praise you, brethren, that in all things you are mindful of me: and keep my ordinances as I have delivered them to you. 3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man praying or prophesying with his head covered, disgraceth his head. 5 But every woman praying or prophesying with her head not covered, disgraceth her head: for it is all one as if she were shaven.

6 For if a woman be not covered, let her be shorn. But if it be a shame to a woman to be shorn or made bald, let her cover her head. 7 The man indeed ought not to cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of the man. 8 For the man is not of the woman, but the woman of the man. 9 For the man was not created for the woman, but the woman for the man. 10 Therefore ought the woman to have a power over her head, because of the angels.

Highlighting mine.

Men do not pray while wearing hats. :tiphat:

 

[Cristiano]

Are there any men here that wear their hats in Mass? If you don’t or do wear your hat in Mass, could you please tell us why you do or don’t?

I am sorry, but do you even have to ask?

And the answer is yes, because people do stupid and irreverent things during Mass too!

The other day I was in a nice formal restaurant and I saw this guy with his partner and her parents. During the whole meal he had this stupid hat on, that together with his beard made him look like Fidel Castro. Her parents looked like an older southern couple. I felt bad for them.

 

[need_to_know]

Funny how often this comes up.

St. Paul in his First Letter to the Corinthians, 11:1-10
drbo.org/chapter/53011.htm

:
1 Be ye followers of me, as I also am of Christ. 2 Now I praise you, brethren, that in all things you are mindful of me: and keep my ordinances as I have delivered them to you. 3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man praying or prophesying with his head covered, disgraceth his head.

I just want to say that it has always seemed odd to me that the church dropped the rule of ‘head coverings for women in church’ with the 1983 Code of Canon Law but men are still expected to not wear hats in church. But I suppose that is the proverbial can of worms.

 

[adelore]

I must agree with all of the answers on here so far. Truely a man should Not wear a hat during Mass. After all it is out of respect for Our Lord.

But what amazes me is this…most Catholics, (might I dare to guess at least 90%) will answer that a man (a layman) should not wear a hat in Mass.

And many of us will use the Scripture that has already been provided by a few on here by St. Paul.

1 Be ye followers of me, as I also am of Christ. 2 Now I praise you, brethren, that in all things you are mindful of me: and keep my ordinances as I have delivered them to you. 3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man praying or prophesying with his head covered, disgraceth his head. 5 But every woman praying or prophesying with her head not covered, disgraceth her head: for it is all one as if she were shaven.

6 For if a woman be not covered, let her be shorn. But if it be a shame to a woman to be shorn or made bald, let her cover her head. 7 The man indeed ought not to cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of the man. 8 For the man is not of the woman, but the woman of the man. 9 For the man was not created for the woman, but the woman for the man. 10 Therefore ought the woman to have a power over her head, because of the angels.

Now the amazing part about all of this is…Some Catholics take the same Scriputre when applying it to woman and say…well Cannon Law says we don’t have to any more.

The 1917 Code of Canon Law required women to wear head coverings in church, especially at Mass:

Quote:
§1. It is desirable that, consistent with ancient discipline, women be separated from men in church.

§2. Men, in a church or outside a church, while they are assisting at sacred rites, shall be bare-headed, unless the approved mores of the people or peculiar circumstances of things determine otherwise; women, however, shall have a covered head and be modestly dressed, especially when they approach the table of the Lord (canon 1262, 1917 Code of Canon Law). *** highlited red mine.

There is no canon in the 1983 Code that parallels this older requirement. Since the 1983 Code expressly abrogates (i.e., abolishes, annuls) the 1917 Code (cf. canon 6, Code of Canon Law [1983]), women are no longer required to wear head coverings in church or at Mass.

So if I read this Canon Law correctly…the long and short of it is now since the 1983 Canon Law, men in fact Could/Can wear hats and not be doing anything wrong?

Yet, we as Catholics indeed would see it as Improper for a man to wear a hat during Mass or even in the Catholic Church.

So what is wrong with this picture? Most Catholics (in general) see nothing wrong with a Woman not covering her head in Mass. Yet we don’t want to see a man cover his head in Mass.

Aren’t we selling our woman “Short” here in regards to “respect” to Our Lord, since “The Catholic Church” is no longer “teaching” woman and young girls about "head coverings" yet by and large** young men and even small boys are being taught to remove their hats?**

This is the year of St. Paul and his writings; yet somehow this topic is being skipped by the church.

 

[Malkin71]

i made a guy takes his off at mass this easter. he was there with his girlfriend and was refusing to take it off. his reasoning was that if the ladies could wear theres then he could wear his.

I told a young male to remove his Steelers hat at Mass. This was on Superbowl Sunday. I just politely mention that you are in Mass and he removed it.

 

[adelore]

Without a doubt…if a Man, (or young boy) were to wear a hat in Mass…Someone would ask them to remove it. If by some chance no one did, (which I find hard to believe no one would, but let’s just say no one did) I’ll bet ten to one…if they went up to recieve Holy Communion…the Priest would ask them to “Remove” their hat. (and yet according to Canon Law 1983…the person wearing the hat would be doing Nothing wrong.) Please don’t shoot the messenger, I didn’t make the Canon Law, nor do I agree with it…not on this.

If anyone can explain this two sided coin to me about Men and Women’s “headcoverings” or “not headcoverings” in Mass… with it making Real Sense…I’d love to hear it.

 

[BayernAnhaenger]

Wearing a hat is not JUST Church rules.

It’s also part of our Western Culture, and our American etiquette/manners system.

 

[need_to_know]

Wearing a hat is not JUST Church rules.

It’s also part of our Western Culture, and our American etiquette/manners system.

So ‘Western Culture’ / ‘our American etiquette/manners system’ wins over what St. Paul wrote? To quote Pope Benedict, ‘An adult faith does not follow the waves of fashion and the latest novelty’. (I admit i nicked this from benedictgal’s sig)

 

[BayernAnhaenger]

So ‘Western Culture’ / ‘our American etiquette/manners system’ wins over what St. Paul wrote? To quote Pope Benedict, ‘An adult faith does not follow the waves of fashion and the latest novelty’. (I admit i nicked this from benedictgal’s sig)

No, it doesn’t.

It can supplement St. Paul’s writing.

But, didn’t St. Paul agree that men shouldn’t wear hats while praying?

Plus, I wouldn’t call a few-hundred years old style/etiquette guideline “novelty”.

 

[need_to_know]

No, it doesn’t.

It can supplement St. Paul’s writing.

But, didn’t St. Paul agree that men shouldn’t wear hats while praying?

Plus, I wouldn’t call a few-hundred years old style/etiquette guideline “novelty”.

Hmm, I think I wasn’t concentrating when I wrote that reply, my apologies.

What I mean, in essence, is that St. Paul does say that women should not pray or prophesy with their heads uncovered. We do not currently (in general) follow or enforce this rule. Also, general reasoning for this is that ‘Western Culture’ / ‘our American etiquette/manners system’ has adapted/changed over the last couple of centuries so that there are no implications (for want of a better term) if a woman has her head uncovered in public, and St. Paul’s teaching on this simply reflected views from his time. So I do understand why the rule was not in the 1983 Canon.

My point, then, is that by the same logic we ought to conclude that if ‘Western Culture’ / ‘our American etiquette/manners system’ accepts men wearing hats indoors this should be allowed in church?

**

 

[BayernAnhaenger]

Hmm, I think I wasn’t concentrating when I wrote that reply, my apologies.

What I mean, in essence, is that St. Paul does say that women should not pray or prophesy with their heads uncovered. We do not currently (in general) follow or enforce this rule. Also, general reasoning for this is that ‘Western Culture’ / ‘our American etiquette/manners system’ has adapted/changed over the last couple of centuries so that there are no implications (for want of a better term) if a woman has her head uncovered in public, and St. Paul’s teaching on this simply reflected views from his time. So I do understand why the rule was not in the 1983 Canon.

My point, then, is that by the same logic we ought to conclude that if ‘Western Culture’ / ‘our American etiquette/manners system’ accepts men wearing hats indoors this should be allowed in church?

**

No problem!

I would say the “heads uncovered” (in general society) has been one of the many great things our culture/society has lost, and it’s for the worse. When flip-flops, jean shorts, and a tshirt pass for “OK” in public wear, society dies a little.

I would say that St. Paul trumps all, and societal roles would take a back seat to St. Paul, but I would argue that nowadays, with “high society” and “typical” society, hats indoors for men is still a no-no. It’s a travesty my generation and younger do not see it that way.

I severely disagree with men wearing hats indoors, and I really have no preference for veiling. I see a few things in line ahead of “veiling” priority-wise, one of which is the increased/expanded usage of the EF. However, I do support women that veil/headcover.

 

[cswalters]

I do not wear my hat in Church, it just seems like a sign of disrespect to me.