Shorts at Mass??

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Will_B said:
A bit off subject… I went to school two years at a university in Daytona Beach… My room mate had a job as a waiter in a very up scale restaurant… The waiters were required to wear tuxedos and the waitress a white ruffled blouse with just a below the knee length black skirt.

If the waitresses and waiters were Catholic, I wonder what they wore to mass??
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Apropos to anyone with a dress requirement at work, employers often expect their employees to dress respectfully. Maybe if people were paid to attend Mass then there’d be more appropriate attire. 😉
 
Wearing shorts at Mass does not imply lack of reverence at all; however, people that lack reference might not hesitate to wear shorts during Mass. In some countries (Bermuda) such an attire is considered appropriate especially with knee high socks, suit coat and tie.

The problem is with lack of reverence or even love for the Mass and that cannot be fixed by a change of attire. The attire does not determine the spirituality but the lack of spirituality is often reflected in the attire. I have not attended any Church where I felt the need to wear shorts even when the a/c was not missing.

I rather see a well ironed pair of shorts than a pair of faded jeans.
 
I wear shorts to Mass in summer. In summer here it gets to 45 degrees in the day, and by 8.30 Mass time it can be over 37 degrees. I dress as smart as I can. Shorts are not unsmart really. They can look tatty, but they can look smartish.
 
I am not concerned with what people are wearing or not wearing to Mass. That is not my objective in attending the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass. I should be and pray for the grace to be focues on what is going on around on the Altar. That is my focus. All else is secondary and trite.

God bless.
 
I walk four miles to church, and on a hot summer day I am not going to wear pants. I usually wear capris or long shorts (almost capris). I don’t see the difference of a woman wearing a knee length skirt or knee length shorts in terms of modesty. Naturally, all clothing should be clean and not ripped up or anything.
 
Will_B said:
I guess I am from the old school, while just being Catholic for 22 months. My wife will only wear a dress or skirt and blouse to mass… I will only wear a suit or coat & tie with appropriate trousers. >> I never say anything to those around me in shorts, soccer uniforms… Or young girls in ultra mini skirts and spaghetti strap tops… But, I pray for them.

I often ask myself… “If these same folks who wear shorts to mass were invited to the White House for dinner, would they wear shorts?” How is it that they are invited each Sunday to share in the Body and Blood of the King of Heaven and Earth and will not wear their best.

I have hear arguments that God accepts us just the way we are… True, but He doesn’t want us to stay the way we are, He wants us to change.

I have hear it said that “As long and I attend mass, it doesn’t matter what I wear.” I question that statement… Where is the heart of the person making that claim.

If you are poor and can’t afford a suit or a dress, then find the best you have in your closet and wear it to mass…

It’s like the widow’s mite… That’s all she had and she gave it… If all you have are a pair of shorts, then by all means wear them… But, I have seen folks making over $100,000 a year come to mass dressed like they were attending a beach party.
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FINALLY!!! Someone who tells it like it is! Thank you and God bless you. I NEVER EVER wear anything but a dress or skirt to mass. I don’t make much money and the dress isn’t fancy but it’s neat and it’s clean and it covers up my arms and shoulders and looks dignified. A simple black dress set me back 20 bucks at KMart. So please, I’m sure that people can dress nice enough to look respectable.

You make such a valid point about people being invited to the White House. I bet they wouldn’t wear shorts. Jesus suffered and DIED for me…he was tortured, he shed his blood, he did that because he truly loves me. Is it really that hard just to throw on a light dress and dressy sandals and attend mass looking like I’m going to mass and not to a pool party? I think not…he gave his ALL. I can certainly take an extra 10 minutes and toss on a skirt and blouse and honor him in body, mind and spirit.
 
I wonder if Jesus was hot, sticky, and uncomfortable up on the cross? ITS ONE HOUR! Mass isn’t that long…sweat and get over it.
 
Little_One0307 said:
I am not concerned with what people are wearing or not wearing to Mass. That is not my objective in attending the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass. I should be and pray for the grace to be focues on what is going on around on the Altar. That is my focus. All else is secondary and trite.

God bless.
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👍👍👍
 
PerfectTiming said:
I lived in Singapore and when it was very hot I wore shorts to mass a handful of times. They are not very short which is why I wore them but I don’t like wearing shorts much anyway. I wouldn’t do it in England though, I always wear skirts to mass here.
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Lol when I saw the ‘Never regardless of weather’ option, my first thought was that some people might not have experienced a heat stroke, or simply the midday heat and humidity in Southeast Asia.

I do adjust my clothing according to the weather as well. Funnily enough, I almost passed out in the middle of winter indoors during Mass as I forgot to remove my hoodie and jacket.:o
 
Will_B said:
I often ask myself… “If these same folks who wear shorts to mass were invited to the White House for dinner, would they wear shorts?” How is it that they are invited each Sunday to share in the Body and Blood of the King of Heaven and Earth and will not wear their best.
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Yes! 👍

I voted “Never,” although I would say if it was some sort of very awkward situation beyond one’s control where the choice was going to Mass in shorts or not going at all, then okay, wear the shorts-- but never on purpose.

It is warm here in summer, and there are signs on the church doors indicating that sleeveless tops and shorts are not allowed. And some people ignore them. Women who present themselves with cleavage and shoulders showing will be draped in a scarf/shawl before they receive.
 
Little_One0307 said:
I am not concerned with what people are wearing or not wearing to Mass. That is not my objective in attending the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass. I should be and pray for the grace to be focues on what is going on around on the Altar. That is my focus. All else is secondary and trite.

God bless.
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So well said. God bless.
 
Irishgal49 said:
I wonder if Jesus was hot, sticky, and uncomfortable up on the cross? ITS ONE HOUR! Mass isn’t that long…sweat and get over it.
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This might be possible for those like myself who easily suffer from heat stroke…IF we all lived in Michigan.
 
There is no evidence that Jesus changed his clothes before the Last Supper or before He prayed in the garden. Christ told the man who has two coats to give one coat to a person who has none. He did not tell us to save one of the coats to wear for worship.

It is not shown that Christ or His apostles changed their clothing to please God. It is know that the pharisees wore particular clothing to appear righteous in front of others. Christ had some harsh words for them, “But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments."

Modesty must always prevail. I think that Christ prefers that we dress simply or even meagerly. I don’t believe that He wants me to buy special clothing to join in the sacrifice of the Mass. The Mass is the sacrifice of Calvary. If I was on the road to Calvary, I doubt that I would be wearing a suit and tie.

Comparing the Sacrifice of the Mass to a job interview is “apples and oranges”. The two have nothing in common. Our priests and bishops are silent on the issue because there is no issue.

I will try to dress and act more like the apostles and less like the pharisees.
 
MtnDwellar said:
Our priests and bishops are silent on the issue because there is no issue.
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My priests are** not **silent. They remind people to dress modestly when they come to the Lord’s house.

(They do not care about expensive clothing or finery or what have you, but they do care about modesty and respect).
 
MtnDwellar said:
There is no evidence that Jesus changed his clothes before the Last Supper or before He prayed in the garden. Christ told the man who has two coats to give one coat to a person who has none. He did not tell us to save one of the coats to wear for worship.

It is not shown that Christ or His apostles changed their clothing to please God. It is know that the pharisees wore particular clothing to appear righteous in front of others. Christ had some harsh words for them, “But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments."

Modesty must always prevail. I think that Christ prefers that we dress simply or even meagerly. I don’t believe that He wants me to buy special clothing to join in the sacrifice of the Mass. The Mass is the sacrifice of Calvary. If I was on the road to Calvary, I doubt that I would be wearing a suit and tie.

Comparing the Sacrifice of the Mass to a job interview is “apples and oranges”. The two have nothing in common. Our priests and bishops are silent on the issue because there is no issue.

I will try to dress and act more like the apostles and less like the pharisees.
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Amazing post and I agree completely.

So many American middle-class values are represented in this entire thread. What next? Perhaps we should have a poll on what kind of cars are appropriate to drive to Mass. Or the manicure/pedicure that is accepted when attending?

Seriously, folks are getting worked up over attire? What is this, the Vogue & Esquire Catholic Church? St Peter won’t let you through the Pearly Gates – not with those shoes.
 
GraceSofia said:
My priests are** not **silent. They remind people to dress modestly when they come to the Lord’s house.

(They do not care about expensive clothing or finery or what have you, but they do care about modesty and respect).
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I don’t think that the issue is whether or not shorts are immodest. I said in my post that modesty must always prevail.
 
Matthew 6:31-32
…wherewith shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the heathens seek.
 
I do not wear shorts on Sundays or holy days of obligation. But I do sometimes wear them to daily mass. Once a week, I go from mass to protesting in front of planned parenthood. If it is very hot out, I don’t want to be wearing pants while protesting. The shorts are medium length and loose.
 
jfmarm81 said:
I do not really want to start a debate here, but I do wear shorts to Mass. Not every week; however, it can get extremely hot and humid here and I sweat very badly. On those few days a year when it is hot and humid, I do wear shorts. Now I do not condone short shorts on either men or women, or skimpy outfits on women. I think for people that sweat as badly as i do, or are a bit overweight as I am, it is ok to wear an appropriate pair of shorts to Mass. I am not non-chalently saying that it doesn’t matter what I wear, but I believe I can show our Lord the same amount of respect wearing an appropriate pair of khakhi shorts on a hot and humid day.
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Look, I just don’t buy this. The priest has on mulitple layers of clothing and a lot of nuns are covered head to toe and their heads are covered.
 
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