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Alexandra_G
Guest
So, as I said in the title, next year I’m going to get Confirmed. Is it ok if I veil for the occasion even if the other girls aren’t going to do it?
Next year I'm going to get Confirmed. Is it ok if I veil for the occasion?
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stpurl
Guest
Why not? Even those who point out that per the 1983 code of canon law that it is no longer required at Mass note it is a pious practice.
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TheMortenBay
Guest
Veiling is a wonderful practice and I wish more women would practice it. But remember that you are veiling your head for God out of humility, not for yourself out of pride.
Looking forward to welcome you home!
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Alexandra_G
Guest
I want to veil because I don’t want to enter a church without something that covers my head. Even if until now I did it, it’s just because my grandma (who has a white veil placed somewhere) lives 45 km away from my hometown. Tomorrow I’ll search for it. I’m not married (I’m just 15), so I will wear a white veil!
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TheMortenBay
Guest
There has never been a consistent tradition of who wears what colour of veil (except the bride at a Catholic wedding of course), so feel free to wear whichever colour you like. Of course restraint is good here, but I know plenty of women who choose to wear light blue or purple veils for example.
Tis_Bearself
Patron
Edited because other thread is unlocked. my mistake.
Unless you are being specifically told to wear some specific outfit for your confirmation, such as a choir robe, generally nobody cares if you wear a head covering or not. Make sure your veil is positioned so it won’t get in the way of the bishop putting the chrism on your forehead or your sponsor putting their hand on your shoulder.
While I have no objection to the practice of women wearing head coverings, be careful as someone else said not to make it into such a big deal that it leads you into the sin of pride.
Unless you are being specifically told to wear some specific outfit for your confirmation, such as a choir robe, generally nobody cares if you wear a head covering or not. Make sure your veil is positioned so it won’t get in the way of the bishop putting the chrism on your forehead or your sponsor putting their hand on your shoulder.
While I have no objection to the practice of women wearing head coverings, be careful as someone else said not to make it into such a big deal that it leads you into the sin of pride.
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libbeylu
Guest
Yes…wear that beautiful, traditional white veil! Wow…it will be so sacred for you…Bless you on your journey!
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Dovekin
Guest
Protocol when meeting the bishop can vary, so you should consult whoever is planning the liturgy. Likely the bishop will be happy to see you veiled.
The one hesitation I would have is from 2 Cor 3:12-18:
But that probably is not how you think of Confirmation, or of veils, so it may not matter. Either way, God will bless you and “configure you to the image of Christ.”
The one hesitation I would have is from 2 Cor 3:12-18:
For St Paul, the unveiled face is a sign of the Holy Spirit transforming us into the image of Christ. Confirmation is an encounter with God comparable to seeing God face to face. The hope is that God’s presence will always be visible when people see you, not hidden by a veil like Moses.
But that probably is not how you think of Confirmation, or of veils, so it may not matter. Either way, God will bless you and “configure you to the image of Christ.”
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OraProNobis333
Guest
Absolutely. Nothing is more beautiful than seeing women veiling at Mass. Radical feminists hate the notion of women veiling (even some who are still practicing Catholics-I’ve met more than a few) but there is something powerful and empowering about seeing a woman (especially a young woman such as yourself) veiling, setting herself aside for God and God alone. My wife veils and we have our three year old daughter veil. All women should veil, just as all men should dress appropriately for Mass. I truly hate seeing men show up to Mass in sports jerseys, shorts, flip flops/sandals, etc. Granted, this isn’t a problem in the Traditional Latin Mass community we attend. . . . God Bless!
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1ke
Guest
That is a question for the bishop, through your pastor.
He may not want anyone wearing anything on their head that will get in the way of anointing. Or he may not care at all.
This isn’t a question for the internet because no one here has any authority to answer your question.
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27lw
Guest
Hmmm.
You might want to tell the wedding industry that women aren’t supposed to wear veils.
You might want to tell the wedding industry that women aren’t supposed to wear veils.
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Dovekin
Guest
Oops. Sorry if I was not clear.
The gift of the Spirit in Confirmation is parallel to the work of the Spirit in 2 Cor 3. It is the Spirit that configures the confirmand to the image of Christ, and the Spirit that illuminates the unveiled face.
A different dynamic is at work in a wedding ceremony. The point there is the joining of man and woman, not the revelation of the Spirit active in the lives of the confirmed. A very different sacrament with very different relation to veiling.
The gift of the Spirit in Confirmation is parallel to the work of the Spirit in 2 Cor 3. It is the Spirit that configures the confirmand to the image of Christ, and the Spirit that illuminates the unveiled face.
A different dynamic is at work in a wedding ceremony. The point there is the joining of man and woman, not the revelation of the Spirit active in the lives of the confirmed. A very different sacrament with very different relation to veiling.
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27lw
Guest
Yes and of course the Church had a flawed understanding of this in the old days as well… 
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27lw
Guest
From what I saw at my son’s confirmation this year, it’s the girls’ legs that could use covering as well. That is, mini -skirts somehow don’t seem quite the same as a Communion dress / veil.
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TK421
Guest
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Ardent_Fire
Guest
It makes me sad if anyone would think it wouldn’t be OK! By all means, I think that’s wonderful. Go for it.
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Dovekin
Guest
Thanks for the link. I am very interested in materials like that.Yes and of course the Church had a flawed understanding of this in the old days as well…
Confirmation dress - Wikipedia
I would say yes, that article reflects a flawed understanding of Confirmation. A white garment is given after Baptism. This is the source of the white garment at Confirmation and Marriage, recalling the forgiveness of sins, including original sin, at baptism.
The rite of passage theology is more protestant than Catholic, where the emphasis should be on the gift of the Holy Spirit. One portrait of that gift is in the 2 Cor passage I cited, which I believe is even used as a reading in one of the Oriental Catholic Churches when myron/chrism is blessed.
All of that is somewhat “arcane knowledge” that the OP may not know or need to know. Her decision should be based on the way the sacrament has been taught to her. I just thought she would like to know that veiling did have a different significance in light of the Holy Spirit and reflecting the image of Christ.
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Mintaka
Guest
Catholic veils are not veiling the face. That passage above was talking about GOD “unveiling” His Face to MOSES, who then famously veiled his own face because it had turned too bright to look at.
The “unveiled face” is GOD’S FACE. It is about us seeing GOD unveiled, face to face, like Moses did.
Look, I don’t care if people wear a hat or don’t wear a hat. But for goodness’ sake, read Scripture with some reading comprehension! Those little verse reference footnotes at the bottom of the page can actually be consulted.
Moving along… no, Confirmation is not a “rite of passage.” It’s one of the three Sacraments of Initiation, which have the proper order Baptism, Confirmation, and then Communion. (And obviously, Confession should come before Confirmation or Communion of kids over the age of reason, or adults not receiving Confirmation at the exact same time as Baptism.)
Confirmation is when we ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen (‘confirm’) us. It is a sort of completion of Baptism, it strengthens and enhances the Gifts of the Holy Spirit that we began to receive in Baptism, and it strengthens us against demons and spiritual warfare.
Wearing special Confirmation outfits, or not, is totally a matter of local custom.
The “unveiled face” is GOD’S FACE. It is about us seeing GOD unveiled, face to face, like Moses did.
Look, I don’t care if people wear a hat or don’t wear a hat. But for goodness’ sake, read Scripture with some reading comprehension! Those little verse reference footnotes at the bottom of the page can actually be consulted.
Moving along… no, Confirmation is not a “rite of passage.” It’s one of the three Sacraments of Initiation, which have the proper order Baptism, Confirmation, and then Communion. (And obviously, Confession should come before Confirmation or Communion of kids over the age of reason, or adults not receiving Confirmation at the exact same time as Baptism.)
Confirmation is when we ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen (‘confirm’) us. It is a sort of completion of Baptism, it strengthens and enhances the Gifts of the Holy Spirit that we began to receive in Baptism, and it strengthens us against demons and spiritual warfare.
Wearing special Confirmation outfits, or not, is totally a matter of local custom.
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Mintaka
Guest
Ha! I was wrong! But I was also right, because “kalymma” is a word exclusively used for Moses’ male face veil, and never used for a female veil of any kind in the Bible! (It is used outside the Bible in ancient Greek literature for various female veils and headcoverings, for hoods that were worn by both sexes, and veils of mourning used by both sexes. It doesn’t seem to be a “Christian” word used in the Fathers, though I’d have to look around a bit to be sure. Anyway, your hoodie is equipped with a kalymma.)
Let’s follow Paul’s argument back to the beginning of the chapter. 2 Cor. 3:1-
"Are we starting to commend ourselves to y’all again? Or do we need recommendation letters like some do, either to y’all or from y’all?
"Y’all are our letter: engraved on our hearts, known and read by all men, making it obvious that y’all are Christ’s letter, delivered (diakonetheisa) by us, not written in black ink but in the Breath of the Living God, not on stone tablets but on hearts of flesh.
"And we have such confidence through Christ, towards God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to count anything as from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, Who has also made us competent delivery servants (diakonous) of the new Covenant – not of the document (grammatos) but of the Breath; for the document kills but the Breath gives life.
[This is about oral vs. written documents, as a metaphor. Since the Holy Spirit literally gives us our lifebreath, that makes it true in two ways.]
"So if the delivery servanthood (diakonia) of death, engraved in letters on stone, was produced a glory such that the sons of Israel could not stare at Moses’ face, on account of the glory of him – someone fading away – how much more glory would not be in the delivery servanthood of the Spirit? For if there was glory in the delivery service of death, how much more the delivery service of righteousness abounds in glory!
"For having been made glorious in this respect, [Moses] had not been glorified, because there is a glory surpassing this. For if what is fading away is glorious, how much more is the glory which sticks around!
“Therefore, having such hope, we use great boldness of speech (parrhesia).
And exactly not like Moses, who would put a veil (kalymma) over his face, so that the sons of Israel would not stare at the goal (telos) that was fading away.
"But their minds were hardened [this is the same heart hardened expression as Pharaoh in Exodus]. And until the present day, at the reading aloud of the old covenant, the same unlifted [anakalyptomenon] veil remains, which in Christ is left unused. But at present, when Moses shall be read, a veil remains over their hearts.
“However, if one shall have turned to the Lord, the veil is peeled off [periaireitai]. And the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Lord’s Spirit is, there is liberty.”
This is a pretty interesting passage! It turns out that “diakonos”, deacon, doesn’t just mean a male servant. It can also mean a servant who delivers messages for his master. So a “minister” is also a sort of postman or courier. Paul plays with this.
Let’s follow Paul’s argument back to the beginning of the chapter. 2 Cor. 3:1-
"Are we starting to commend ourselves to y’all again? Or do we need recommendation letters like some do, either to y’all or from y’all?
"Y’all are our letter: engraved on our hearts, known and read by all men, making it obvious that y’all are Christ’s letter, delivered (diakonetheisa) by us, not written in black ink but in the Breath of the Living God, not on stone tablets but on hearts of flesh.
"And we have such confidence through Christ, towards God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to count anything as from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, Who has also made us competent delivery servants (diakonous) of the new Covenant – not of the document (grammatos) but of the Breath; for the document kills but the Breath gives life.
[This is about oral vs. written documents, as a metaphor. Since the Holy Spirit literally gives us our lifebreath, that makes it true in two ways.]
"So if the delivery servanthood (diakonia) of death, engraved in letters on stone, was produced a glory such that the sons of Israel could not stare at Moses’ face, on account of the glory of him – someone fading away – how much more glory would not be in the delivery servanthood of the Spirit? For if there was glory in the delivery service of death, how much more the delivery service of righteousness abounds in glory!
"For having been made glorious in this respect, [Moses] had not been glorified, because there is a glory surpassing this. For if what is fading away is glorious, how much more is the glory which sticks around!
“Therefore, having such hope, we use great boldness of speech (parrhesia).
And exactly not like Moses, who would put a veil (kalymma) over his face, so that the sons of Israel would not stare at the goal (telos) that was fading away.
"But their minds were hardened [this is the same heart hardened expression as Pharaoh in Exodus]. And until the present day, at the reading aloud of the old covenant, the same unlifted [anakalyptomenon] veil remains, which in Christ is left unused. But at present, when Moses shall be read, a veil remains over their hearts.
“However, if one shall have turned to the Lord, the veil is peeled off [periaireitai]. And the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Lord’s Spirit is, there is liberty.”
This is a pretty interesting passage! It turns out that “diakonos”, deacon, doesn’t just mean a male servant. It can also mean a servant who delivers messages for his master. So a “minister” is also a sort of postman or courier. Paul plays with this.
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Mintaka
Guest
It turns out that Greek Orthodox monks and nuns both wear a special hat in church called the “kalymafki.” It’s a box hat with long lappets attached. (Outside church, both sexes wear a sort of headwarming hat called a skula.)
So there’s a little bit of Moses’ veil hanging around…
So there’s a little bit of Moses’ veil hanging around…
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