Should Women Wear Veils In Church

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If men were the topic of discussion it wouldn’t be your outer dress I would be focusing on, but your inner attire, and how well you show your faithfulness to the Lord, your spouse, how well your works and your being reflect the Lords commmandments and love thy neighbour, and how well your heart reflects the light of Christ, and if men understand that a pious woman has the right to have a pious man by her side, and not a man who thinks faithfulness and piety only belong to the female members of the Catholic faithful.
 
I’ve never seen anyone wear a veil before (except first holy communion) and I’m 18 (ok so I didn’t go to church for 2 years).
Not seen a single person, ever, and I didn’t even know about it until I was nosing about on the internet.
It sounds like a lovely thing to do though.
 
Rogerteder said:
I just finished reading a paper by Bob Sungenis on head coverings for women in Church. The purpose of the paper was to determine whether the new (1983 code) code of canon law did away with the mandate, for women, to wear a veil in church. Sungenis concludes that the law is still in force for women to wear viels in Church.

I’ll summarize his arguments (he can be a little long winded as you may know).
  1. The new code does state that, in general, that the 1917 code is abrogated.
  2. The new code states that if the new code does not specifically mention the termination of a law, of the old code, it may not necessarily be abrogated.
  3. The new code specifically says that if a law has been practiced for over 100 years that the law is still in effect unless it is specifically mentioned to no longer be in force.
  4. The new code does not specifically mention head coverings.
  5. Head coverings, for women, in Church have been a law for roughly 1,970 some years. They have been required in scripture(by Saint Paul), and by tons of Church Fathers (Sungenis quotes a bunch of them). Also, by “tons” of Popes in which Sungenis quotes.
  6. There was a passing, ambiguous statement by Paul VI that may have seemed to indicate that head coverings were null and void. The topic of the Pope’s letter was not head coverings, nor did his statement specifically abrogate head coverings.
Conclusion: Sungenis asserts since head coverings have never been specifically terminated, and have been in practice for 1,970(and more) that they are still required for women to wear in church.

Id be interested in your thoughts?
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Yes, women should be wearing chapel veils. It is a sign of the sacred as everything sacred is veiled: Our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament tabernacle is one such example. Women are especially sacred because they carry new life.

Ever see Mary without her head covered?

Pax Christi tecum.
 
“Should Women Wear Veils In Church?”

No. That practice is antiquated and promotes inequality.
 
If the magesterium thought we needed to wear one, we would have to…no, I don’t think women should have to wear veils
 
strugglingalong said:
Yes, women should be wearing chapel veils. It is a sign of the sacred as everything sacred is veiled: Our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament tabernacle is one such example. Women are especially sacred because they carry new life.

Ever see Mary without her head covered?

Pax Christi tecum.
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I agree with this 100%.

Personally I don’t see why every Catholic woman wouldn’t WANT to humble herself before Christ in the Eucharist in this way. 🤷

However - I don’t think this practice should be mandated and forced. I think a woman should have a sincere desire to be reverent in this fashion, and to want to show this reverence and devotion in such a visible way. To do this only because you are told is empty and only going through the motions. I would love to some day see every Catholic woman WANT to cover her head in the presence of Christ. I think that would be a truly beautiful thing.

~Liza
 
lizaanne said:
I agree with this 100%.

Personally I don’t see why every Catholic woman wouldn’t WANT to humble herself before Christ in the Eucharist in this way. 🤷

However - I don’t think this practice should be mandated and forced. I think a woman should have a sincere desire to be reverent in this fashion, and to want to show this reverence and devotion in such a visible way. To do this only because you are told is empty and only going through the motions. I would love to some day see every Catholic woman WANT to cover her head in the presence of Christ. I think that would be a truly beautiful thing.

~Liza
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Great post, Liza. You’re right: why wouldn’t every woman want to wear a chapel veil?

However as far as requiring, you mentioned that “[t]o do this only because you are told is empty and only going through the motions”. The Church does require many forms of reverence and devotion, such as required attendance at Holy Mass on Sundays and Days of Obligation; requires kneeling at certain liturgical points; requires Holy Communion be received in a certain devout and reverent manner. Just because it is required does not mean the Church wants sterile obedience. The Church wants the Faithful to not just go through the motions but to act accordingly in their heart, to see the beauty and meaning in it and to love God by it. I can see chapel veils being that way too. Many women wouldn’t consider it if it weren’t required but if it were they may grow in humility and reverence by it over time, and hopefully not just go through the motions. I think until it is required women won’t do it generally (accept in more traditional parishes) because, partly, they don’t want to be the only one wearing one.

Pax Christi tecum.
 
KingAlfred said:
“Should Women Wear Veils In Church?”

No. That practice is antiquated and promotes inequality.
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It does not promote inequality. It does however recognize legitimate difference between man and woman. Actually it affirms a more sacred character of woman because it is veiling someone especially sacred since woman carries new life. Men and women are equal before God but they are different in their strengths, weaknesses, talents and roles they are called to fulfill.

Pax Christi tecum.
 
I should also clarify that I don’t think VEILS are the only way a woman can reverently cover her head. I’ve seen many women with hats, scarves, shawls, whatever works for them. Not everyone is the lacy type - it is the reason for covering, not the covering itself that is important.

~Liza
 
deborahaz said:
i have known people who want to appear very pious, but they are really putting on a show for others. someone can pray the rosary every day and attend mass every day and wear a veil and go through all the motions, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are more pious than someone isn’t able to make it to mass everyday, or pray the rosary, or wear a veil. you are right,
it is in your heart.
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We have to beware of this dichotomy when used as a reason to not do something. It can also be used to downplay what we do externally - our external actions should be a reflection of our internal heart. Anything and everything we do has the potential to be done as a show for others because of the darkness of our hearts and the weakness of our fallen nature. Every act of devotion to God runs the risk of being done unto man rather than unto God. But that does not mean we should not do it. The optimal is that our external matches our internal, that when we pray we pray to God and do not care about being seen by man, that when we go to Holy Mass we do so out of love for God and not to be approved by man. The same goes here. Just because the potential exists for a woman to wear a chapel veil to appear holy in front of people does not mean women shouldn’t wear them unless they are sure they are doing it for the right reason, unto God. It is a continual process, by God’s goodness and grace, that our hearts are reformed to do things for the right reason - in the meantime we can’t give up doing these devotions and external actions that are right to do.

Pax Christi tecum.
 
I wouldn’t want to because I hate head coverings, pure and simple
 
redrosetea said:
I wouldn’t want to because I hate head coverings, pure and simple
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Ahh - all the more reason to humble yourself and “put up with it” as a show of reverence and devotion. 😉 You do not cover your head for you, you cover for God. There are plenty of things we do in life that we don’t like, but we do them because we know it is better for us in the greater scheme of things.

Just something to consider.

~Liza
 
No, it would distract me in church…it would have just the opposite effect of what you think

Will a veil get me to heaven ,I think not…will paying attention at mass and worshiping without constantly thinking about what is planted on my head help me spiritually …of course

Wear one if you want to, just don’t try to force it on me please
 
kyria said:
I do not understand why some people focus on what women should be wearing. What about what men should be wearing? I’d wear a veil in mass if the men did. It might sound like a stupid statement but every now and again I hear people keep referring to women should be this and that and wear this etc. But I don’t see a lot of the same views applied to men.
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You cannot apply everything equally to men and to women because they are different. For example, when it comes to modesty, there is more of an emphasis on how women dress because of the differences of attraction: men are more visually attracted while women are more emotionally attracted (in general; some more or less than others). That is a difference between the genders which is why that tends to be the case. Same thing here. A man wouldn’t wear a chapel veil because he does not carry new life as a woman does and in that way they are different before God.

Also Mary is an example for women and she always has her head covered. Ever see a picture of her without her head covered? Ever see a picture of Joseph with his head covered?

You can’t make the equality between the genders absolute. Yes we are equal in the eyes of God but we have differences - which is why only men can be ministerial priests, which is why only women can give birth to babies, which is why, as Pius XI said in Casti Connubii, the man has the headship of authority in the home while the woman has the headship of love. Differences. Men and women are equal but not the same.

Pax Christi tecum.
 
redrosetea said:
No, it would distract me in church…it would have just the opposite effect of what you think

Will a veil get me to heaven ,I think not…will paying attention at mass and worshiping without constantly thinking about what is planted on my head help me spiritually …of course

Wear one if you want to, just don’t try to force it on me please
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Distractions are very subjective and can be worked through in time. I find most of the Novus Ordo Mass distracting but I can work through it if I want to when I can’t avail myself of the traditional Mass. I find people shaking hands during Holy Mass distraction but obviously some other people do not. Distractions aren’t a good reason to not do something but rather a call for us to focus our hearts more on God.

Pax Christi tecum.
 
I don’t agree, and don’t intend to wear one unless I am forced to
 
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