Dear catholictiger,
Hello again and thankyou for your response.
May I just say at the outset, my dear friend, that I recognise your good intentions for your future flock and appreciate that you have no desire to unnecessarily alienate them. Our lot is cast in very difficult times, as so many rank and file Catholics in the West have adopted a hand in hand with the world type of religion, a sort of ‘Catholicism Lite’, to use George Weigel’s happy turn of phrase. However, the plain truth is that multitudes of modern Catholics, even among the doctrinally orthodox, have become thoroughly inbued with the spirit of the age and as a consequence are making some jolly catastrophic errors of prudential judgment, including their choice of clothing. Moreover, there is sadly this view among some contemporary Catholics that the Church cannot attract and keep souls by being itself, it must adapt to modern ideas and play along with the secular culture and even be a part of it. This is a grave mistake and is undermining our credibility in the eyes of the world, who look to the Church and expect to see men living unworldly lives that are very different from their own. After all, dear friend, we do profess godliness and claim to have our mind fixed upon heavenly things (Col. 3: 2). Thus the worldling, quite rightly, does not expect to see a young professing Catholic female donning provocative style fashions, such as a mini-skirt, and certainly not attending Sunday Mass attired in such seductive vesture.
In the light of this, dear friend, I think it imperative that we present the whole truth to our flock and withhold nothing that is profitable to their advancement in holy living, no matter how hard or unpaletable this may be to some. Modern Catholics must be made aware of the arduous demands of our most holy religion and that they are called to the pursuit of holiness, which involves not being conformed to the world and its vulgar tastes, be it in clothing or anything else. We are all called to sanctity and separation from the godless world, it is not merely for a few thoroughgoing spiritual types. True, dear brother, it is very possible that you will loose some half-hearted worldly parishioners, who do not want anyone telling them what to do, that I will concede. However, an obligation is surely laid upon a priest to afflict the comfortable, as well as comforting the afflicted, even if this does cause a fracture in pastor and people relationships. The alternative is to allow oneself to be ruled by a lily-livered pragmatism which in the end does not win men’s respect and only serves to undermine our Church’s mission to the world. The apostles themselves never shunned speaking unpalatable truths and did not go out of their way to court popularity to avoid giving offence. Indeed, St. Paul said to the Galatians, “Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?” (Gal. 4: 16).
Sorry, dear friend, but a morbid fear of offending some unspiritual members of the flock can result in rendering a man ineffective and powerless, especially in his pulpit labours. On the other hand, a faithful and loving pastor who reproves will, at length, be respected and vindicated, perhaps even by those who at first object strongly to his supposedly ‘hardline’ approach. Moreover, his faithful and uncompromising preaching may even result in the worldly having a change of heart, provided that Father is steadfast and does not buckle under pressure.
The local church, dear friend, is only microcosom of the great Vatican church and thus equally requires a dress code in these morally decadent times. Even a gentleman’s club here in the UK has its rules with which the members must abide by. Thus, for example, I could not enter the club unless I was properly attired, which would include wearing a sober tie and at the very least a sports jacket or blazer with flannels. Now if a secular club has rules respecting dress, then why cannot a church also, especially as it is a more sacred place where God is very much present? Those who depart, simply because the priest says or does something that they dislike, are quite frankly behaving in a jolly puerile and un-Catholic manner, if I may say, and need a good dressing down. Rules are rules and must therefore be obeyed, unless they are contrary to the law of God.
God bless.
Warmest good wishes,
Portrait
Pax
- it’s just that I wouldn’t want to see you wearing that stuff, and I would try to sit somewhere far far away from you, if you were dressed like that. 
