The way people dress to Mass

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Tantum_ergo said:
I don’t think so, catharina. Really, I don’t.
Because there are all kinds of dresses out there which are loose fitting and comfortable (even for those of us with arthritis --and believe me, I’m right there with you) which can be worn over pants.

Just think of it as wearing a shirtdress style (instead of a shirt) over lighter weight pants.

I always thought the sort of Turkish style dressing (long dress over pants) was extremely flattering and stylish. It combines (IMO) the best of both worlds – the freedom and coverage of pants for the legs, along with the femininity of a dress.

And while some might say, “I live in a hot climate, I couldn’t manage the weight of both”-- actually, yes you can and in fact it’s better for you. A light color loose weave protects you from the sun and sun damage and keeps you cooler than going ‘bare.’

As for those in cold climates, this style of dressing is eminently practical with heaver weights. More attractive than throwing on a sweatshirt over jeans but just as warm and comfy.

If I were ever to win the lottery (since I hardly ever play it isn’t likely) I would love to launch a fashion line with this style of dressing and market it not only to the young, but also to us ‘older women’ who want to look stylish but either cannot physically wear complicated tight things, or who emotionally don’t want to wear styles which do not flatter us in any way.
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I remember even thirty yrs ago I mentioned to a female Indian
doctor that I wished all women could wear clothes like hers.

Modest, beautiful, practical:
SALWAR KAMEEZ.
 
francisca said:
I know some of you think that certain dresses are not appropriate for mass. Recently some local churches in city where I live begin to make official rules about dress code for attending mass.

I think that such step is very unwise, because attending mass is more important than how to dress for the mass.

Supposedly I have used up all my “polite” clothes during work days, I haven’t got any chance to do my laundry yet, should I come to mass with my “inappropriate” clothes, or should I just stay home?

This is just one example where “Traditionalist mind” could override what’s important with what’s not.
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This thread has over 350 posts and I looked over the first 25. It’s typical in an emotional discussion that scripture is thrown out the window.

In two places in Psalms, it says “worship the LORD in holy attire”. Before God made the covenant with Moses and Israel in the desert, He told them prepare for three days, wash themselves, and to put on clean clothes.

Even in the epistle of James, it says that a shabbily dressed person should be given a place of honor in the assembly.

And, when Jesus celebrated the Passover with HIs disciples, they were undoubtedly following the strict tradition of dress, to wear clothing as if they were to undertake a journey.

Most of these argue against a “come as you are” mentality.

My pastor made a point of singling out people who come to Mass in blue jeans. Guess what? I was in blue jeans. Lots of people are in blue jeans. Some jeans cost more than cheap Walmart slacks (men).

I sent my pastor a picture of a priest who was conspicuously wearing blue jeans under his Mass apparel. I went to Mass offered by a visiting Franciscan and he was wearing jeans under his vestments.

I don’t know what the other 325 comments are, but I suggest the following:
  1. everyone should be aware of the majesty of the celebration of the Mass
  2. the main celebrant is vested as a king and a priest, in virtue of his office and function
  3. people should at least be dressed in clean, modest clothing. Clothing or lack thereof should not be a distraction at Mass.
  4. No one should otherwise be “judged” for their clothing.
 
catharina said:
Yet would I be actually unwelcome to attend Mass
if a women-in-dresses rule existed??? Bizarre, IMO.
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I never supported such a rule. I do support the idea, however, that appropriate dress should be worn to Mass.
 
lil_flower_luv said:
The part about Mass being Heaven on Earth.
We can all lecture each other on what is appropriate and what is not appropriate to wear to Mass - but we shouldn’t forget that very real fact.

Blessed Sunday!
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That’ why I try to go every day. And everyday the Lord is going to catch me in something different. Last night…jeans and a sweater. Today…slacks, dress shoes, and a sweater.

As long as people aren’t showing an awful lot of skin (modest)…I don’t care what they wear…I’m busy trying to concentrate on active participation in the Mass. If more people did that…they might set a good example for other people.

Blessed Sunday back to you!
 
A Catholic man I know wore pants during the summer, everywhere, not just at Mass, and did not give himself the comfort of shorts in the heat as an act of penance.
I think of that often when I see the priest and deacon serving at the altar with all their vestments, frequently wiping their brows.

These are the kind of people who I ask to pray for me. I look forward to the time when all is revealed and I see what they have accomplished with these voluntary discomforts.
 
I don’t really care what people wear to Mass, assuming they’re covered up. I’d be happy if parents of the “snackers” would make their kids leave their goodies at home instead of eating during Mass. Last week, behind me, it sounded like we were at the movies with all the noise they were making.
 
This thread helped me. Thanks. I have the great desire to wear conservative bermuda shorts. (black) to Church. Yes it´s hot here. I never have. This thread keeps me on target. God bless:thumbsup:👍👍
 
Padraig1972 said:
That is very judgemental i would say. Listen, in my comment i didn`t mean to imply that if you do not dress nice, you are all bad or something like that. Jeans, dress and similar style is nice and a minimum i think.

Seriously, would you go to mass in shorts at summertime or in jogger-pants at winter? Think about it and remember, it is the House of God - a certain decency should not be so hard of us to do, right?
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LOL 😃 Its funny you mention it because there’s loads of blokes who wear jogger-pants at mass at my church and tbh I dont think God cares because we were born naked. Also, what about people who cant afford “decent” clothes? Clothes are clothes, it doesnt matter 😉 Although on Christmas Eve I thought I would make a special effort seeing as how it was Christmas so I wore a velvet corset, black lacey long sleeves top, black lace skirt, fish net tights and big Dr Marten boots and all the little old ladies kept coming up to me telling me, “eeh pet, you look fantastic!” 😃
 
I wear business casual clothes to work. Nothing revealing cleavage or tight.

I sometimes go straight from work to Mass on a holy day. No one complains that I am wearing a nice shirt and dress pants with semi-dressy shoes. For things like weddings, baptisms, funerals, etc - then yes I wear a dress or skirt w/ nice shirt, or dress pants/slacks & a dressy shirt with dress shoes.

To be honest, I wish people would stop wear denim, revealing clothes (mainly women/girls on that one), tees, shorts, tracksuits, and sweatshirts to Mass. I did so in the past sometimes for a few of those items, and wish I did not do that.

My mother wears pants (slacks) due to comfort but she doesn’t wear jeans to church with a nice shirt. She was raised in a time when women had to ALWAYS cover their heads, wear dresses or skirts with dressy shirts/blouses, and NO pants for Mass. Her sister still dresses up for Mass but doesn’t cover her head with a scarf, mantilla or hat now.
 
I agree that having an official ‘dress code’ is rather extreme, however I do agree that people should consider what they wear to mass. For example, would you go to a friend or relatives wedding/funeral/christening/ or out on a date to a fancy restaurant wearing combat trousers and a t-shirt or shorts and a vest top or a tracksuit and trainers, or out of respect for the event and your friend/date, would you dress accordingly, would you dress to impress??? The same applies. You are visiting The Lords house for a very sacred visitation… dress for Him.
 
spunjalebi said:
What I find to be poor etiquette is when people don’t seem to have the decency to take off their coats and leave them on during the entirety of Mass, or before service even ends they start rushing to put their coats on. Seriously, since when were coats considered an actual item of clothing? I thought they were “outerwear”?

There are times when I want to tell ladies who wear skirts and dresses coming 2 or more inches above their knees to don stockings or tights, and not walk around bare legged, especially in winter! That looks so odd. Even if their skirt of dress was somewhat “casual,” the very fact that they are wearing tights/stockings would make them look way more dressed up.

I have also come to the conclusion that wearing basic jeans to church isn’t appropriate either. Just a personal preference that I’ve thought and reflected about over time.
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I didn’t read through all eleven or so pages, but I thought I’d chip in my two cents. This one quote got my attention because I have a very good answer for it. It’s true that many people keep their coats on. I do it myself at times. However, it’s not necessarily because we are in a hurry to leave (though perhaps that’s the case with some) but that quite often the church can be freezing cold. I think a person is justified wearing a coat in such a situation.

I do know that many people arrive for Mass right before going to work (8:00 AM) or during lunch break (noon). If they are wearing work clothes (jeans, etc) it’s entirely understandable considering the situation and it’s nice that they took time to come to Mass. I do have a problem with people who dress like that on Sunday and look like bums (when they aren’t) or dress like that when they do have time and opportunity to dress better.

Overall, lack of money (unless one truly is homeless or something) isn’t an excuse to dress sloppy. One can get a decent set of clothes at a second hand store for under five dollars. I know someone who purchased a suit that was pretty much brand new for around twenty dollars. Now what about those ragged, pre-faded designer jeans worn by those who “can’t afford” nice clothes? Well, those things are expensive.
 
I tend to dress as the parishoners dress, depending on the parish I’m attending. At the Cathedral Guadalupe, I’d say 60-70% of people wear jeans to mass, so I’ll wear jeans and a nice shirt. A few women wear slacks and a very, very small handful of women wear skirts or head coverings.

At the Latin Mass, women tend to wear skirts to their ankles and head coverings. So I’ll only wear skirts there, and won’t go unless I have a chapel veil.

My goal is to not stand out, and to keep the focus on God while I’m there. I always make sure I wear clean clothes, and minimal or no makeup so that when I receive on the tongue I don’t get lipstick on the priest’s hand.
 
francisca said:
I know some of you think that certain dresses are not appropriate for mass. Recently some local churches in city where I live begin to make official rules about dress code for attending mass.

I think that such step is very unwise, because attending mass is more important than how to dress for the mass.

Supposedly I have used up all my “polite” clothes during work days, I haven’t got any chance to do my laundry yet, should I come to mass with my “inappropriate” clothes, or should I just stay home?

This is just one example where “Traditionalist mind” could override what’s important with what’s not.
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For my part I am in complete agreement about appropriate clothing for Mass. As a teenager I was a bit on the wild side, coming from the late 60’s, early 70’s practice of wearing ripped up or patched denim blue jeans. Having returned to the faith at age 19 I was at Mass and heard the reading about the man not dressed properly for the wedding feast getting tossed out. I took the hint and began to dress more respectfully.

However, at the same time I did not own a car, and I was in the habit at that time of attending daily Mass. The nearest church was two miles away and I rode a bicycle the entire two miles to daily Mass. Furthermore, there was another Catholic church about three miles away that I also attended, once again riding my bicycle to get there.

At the time I wore shorts and a t-shirt. There is no telling what I would have smelled like had I arrived at Mass after having rode my bicycle up and downhill in the hot summer sun wearing long pants and a dress shirt. No one ever raised the objection, but if they had I would have happily worn the clothes they deemed most respectful and sat directly next to them after my arrival to demonstrate our mutual charity.
 
I know what you mean I have strict dress code at work so the last thing I want to to is dress up on my day off so what i have done is get about three skirts that come below the knee in black navy and cream and a few blouses that i can wear with any of the skirts and some black dress shoes to wear to mass. Hope this helps and also you can find pretty good deals at Target on clothes especially tops and blouses
 
francisca said:
I know some of you think that certain dresses are not appropriate for mass. Recently some local churches in city where I live begin to make official rules about dress code for attending mass.

I think that such step is very unwise, because attending mass is more important than how to dress for the mass.

Supposedly I have used up all my “polite” clothes during work days, I haven’t got any chance to do my laundry yet, should I come to mass with my “inappropriate” clothes, or should I just stay home?

This is just one example where “Traditionalist mind” could override what’s important with what’s not.
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It depends, are you worried about wearing jeans to Mass because everything else is dirty or are you worrying about wearing something that is actually an occasion of sin for others? Obviously, you should not wear jeans to Mass if you have other clothes, especially not to Sunday Mass. But if you honestly do not have anything better, it is no sin.

On the other hand, if you are wearing a tank top and short-shorts to Mass (as I’ve seen in NO parishes and not only on a single occasion or a single person!), then that is indeed sinful because you are creating an occasion of sin for others. It would also be sinful to wear that in public but because you are standing before the Almighty God in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, it becomes a much more serious sin.

So it really depends on what you mean by “appropriate” clothes. There are many clothes that you should not even have in your closet because they are always inappropriate (like short-shorts, miniskirts, tube tops/belly shirts, bikinis, graphic T-shirts with inappropriate messages, etc.). But if you are only worried that your Sunday best hasn’t been washed since last Sunday, either wear it without washing it (assuming it’s not too bad) or wear something else that is still modest.

As to whether it is better to go to Mass wearing inappropriate (immodest) clothes or to stay home, I would think of it this way. If you intentionally skip Mass, that is a mortal sin; but if you wear immodest clothes to Mass, that is also a grave sin (mortal or venial, depending on intention – mortal if your intention is to draw attention to yourself, venial if you honestly don’t realize that what you are wearing is drawing attention). So the easiest way is to think of it in extremes – would you walk into a church stark naked? Would you say, “Well, at least I am here, right?” If you would not do that, you should not go to Mass wearing immodest clothes. If you skip Mass, your sin is on your head; if you wear indecent clothes to Mass, you have your sin of immodesty and the sins of anyone who commits a sin of lust by looking at you because you have created scandal. So, if you honestly do not own any clothes that are not indecent, that would be a moral obstacle to assisting at Mass and thus you would not have a Mass obligation. But you also need to find clothes that are not sinful to wear in public so you can interact in society.

So get some clothes which are not a sin to wear in public, clothes which are modest and appropriately cover the body (that is the purpose of clothing – to conceal, not to reveal), and especially some Sunday best clothes that you reserve for Mass, especially Sunday Mass.

Disclaimer – I am not a moral theologian nor canon lawyer, I work retail…
 
God is not like us. He looks beyond the clothes we wear. You won’t be more favoured if you wear a suit opposed to a regular shirt like I wear.
 
Mass is not just where I get my needs met but also where I may meet the needs of my brothers and sisters. Think about it; If I am at Mass trying to focus on the Paschal Mystery, and sister see-through blouse is right behind me when I turn around to offer the peace of Christ, my sense of purity is out the window, particularly as a hot blooded heterosexual man. This same phenomenon happens in the grocery store, local pub, beach, etc. Sexual attraction is normal. In our society however, we have our sexual signals reception gear over-stimulated constantly. When women and men do not dress modestly (to cover your sexual signaling bits), then it is distracting. I may be at Mass trying to connect with a long lost friend named Jesus. If I am forced to look at your pants jammed in your bum crack, I am likely having trouble thinking about Jesus. I respectfully ask, as a normal, straight guy, and as a music minister, that we all get some clothes on and keep 'em on till after the Mass and we’re home. Then, and there, you get as nude as you need to be to feel right! Anyway, what a cool forum. I like it!
 
I know many say “Come as you are” and many priests would rather people show up even if they were dressed in super casual clothes compared to showing up dressed up.

I wish the issue was addressed more regarding Mass dress/etiquette in church bulletins, religious education classes, etc. Not just for adults but more for children & young people/teens who will often model appropriate behaviors from adults in their lives.

I did tell my 9 year old niece recently you should be glad you were able to wear something like a nice pair of pants and a dressy sweater to Mass as your grandmother had to wear a dress or skirt/nice shirt and a head covering like a veil when she was your age to church every time she went.

My aunt (my mother’s sister) still dresses up for Mass. If we went to her church, we HAD to wear a dress or skirt/nice shirt. She made her 2 daughters do the same thing.

In my opinion, I consider modest dress for Mass to be:

Men - no chest hair exposure, no sleeveless shirts, shorts to the knee in summer time/summer like climates. Typical dress for business professional or business casual offices is good for men - polo shirts, button down dress shirts, khakis, dress pants, dress shoes, casual or dress shoes that are not tennis shoes/trainers (unless they need to wear them for health reasons), Ties optional, sweaters/cardigans when the weather is cold, blazer/dress jacket. No hats of any kind in church. Clothing not tight fitting.

Women - no cleavage exposure. Dresses, skirts, and shorts/culottes/capris to the knees or below the knees. Typical dress for business professional or business casual offices is good for women which includes no tees, tank tops, spaghetti straps, strapless tops/dresses, no tight pants/slacks/skirts/dresses. Blazers/dress jackets or sweaters/cardigans based on weather & personal preference. Shawls/scarves etc should be used to cover shirts/dresses that are strapless, spaghetti strap etc in church. Dressy type hats or scarves/veils/mantillas (ivory, white, or black) on head - optional but would be nice to see more often. Tight fitting clothing/revealing clothing not allowed. Shoes should be casual or dressy, tennis shoes/trainers only if needed for health reasons not allowing for wearing of normal shoes.

Sandals on both genders - dressy sandals fine in summer/summer climates, flip flop types - NO.
 
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