Thinking of veiling

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littlestsouls2 said:
I admire women who veil. This simple act of modesty reminds me of the dignity and necessity of the virtue of purity. Furthermore, it removes the temptation that some men face in church, namely, to look around curiously at others. Veils promote purity. If you rearrange the letters in “veils”, you could say that veils prevent “evils” and promote better “lives.”
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No, no, no, no, no. Whether or not women wear covering at mass, had nothing to do with men looking at them. In the first place, the tradition in the North American churches when the rule was that all women cover, was to wear hats, not veils. I did not see veils until Jackie was shown writing veils in 1960. Veiling was more European, and specifically Spanish in origin. Maybe men should cover too, that would prohibit those loose women from looking at men during mass. If a person chooses to cover, it’s not to make life easier for the one man in a million who has a hair fetish. 2015 almost 2016. 🤷
 
kozlosap said:
No, no, no, no, no. Whether or not women wear covering at mass, had nothing to do with men looking at them. In the first place, the tradition in the North American churches when the rule was that all women cover, was to wear hats, not veils. I did not see veils until Jackie was shown writing veils in 1960. Veiling was more European, and specifically Spanish in origin. Maybe men should cover too, that would prohibit those loose women from looking at men during mass. If a person chooses to cover, it’s not to make life easier for the one man in a million who has a hair fetish. 2015 almost 2016. 🤷
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Or sheer lace on adult women or teen girls fetish. If you are wanting to go all out on the modesty veiling route, chose a fabric not associated with lingerie.
 
There are other, less conspicuous ways of covering your head. I have worn chapel veils, scarves, and hats - even wide headbands. Lately I have been forgetting because it feels like a miracle to get out the door at all, 😛 but it is my preference as a personal devotion. Since it’s personal, you can choose what you wear and when. If I were you, I would choose a less conspicuous option when you are serving in the choir, but that doesn’t have to mean not covering.

I go to a large OF parish. Not many women cover their heads, but there’s a handful of us who do. In the few years I have, I’ve gotten maybe 2-3 comments, all positive, and no looks that I’ve noticed, though I’m sure there have been some. 🤷
 
I am more used to replying to youtube videos about Muslim women wearing hijabs, but even on youtube “veiling” seems to be an issue with non-Muslim women. Very strange.

Wearing hijab in general: Today it is a political statement, like it or not. If you wear a veil in public, it’s much more political than religious. You can’t pretend it’s not.

Wearing a veil only in church: It’s a custom (even Paul in 1 Corinthians finally admitted that), not a requirement, and was dropped from canon law after women stopped covering their heads in the 1960s. I go to Latin Mass often, and women at that Mass tend to cover their heads–but that makes sense since we are celebrating a rite from the period when women did cover their heads. But at regular Masses, it’s extremely unusual.

So I would ask a couple questions: Why is this so important to you? Why is this public display so necessary? (and yes, it IS saying to other women, “I am more modest than you are. I am a better person.” Is that really the message you want to deliver? Have you read the Gospel story about the Pharisees praying the synagogue and the poor woman standing in the back? Who was God more pleased with?) Remember that communication is a two-way street: to truly communicate, you have to intend to send a message, and that message has to be received by the other person. If you intend X, but everyone receives Y, that’s not communication. You can’t stand there and say, “Well, I meant X. It’s not my fault you received Y as the message.” It IS your fault. Do you think this is somehow required by the Church? Have you discussed 1 Corinthians with others? Do you think other women are immodest? Why? Why would this “make you feel good”? Have you tried to analyze that?
 
mamlukman said:
I am more used to replying to youtube videos about Muslim women wearing hijabs, but even on youtube “veiling” seems to be an issue with non-Muslim women. Very strange.

Wearing hijab in general: Today it is a political statement, like it or not. If you wear a veil in public, it’s much more political than religious. You can’t pretend it’s not.

Wearing a veil only in church: It’s a custom (even Paul in 1 Corinthians finally admitted that), not a requirement, and was dropped from canon law after women stopped covering their heads in the 1960s. I go to Latin Mass often, and women at that Mass tend to cover their heads–but that makes sense since we are celebrating a rite from the period when women did cover their heads. But at regular Masses, it’s extremely unusual.

So I would ask a couple questions: Why is this so important to you? Why is this public display so necessary? (and yes, it IS saying to other women, “I am more modest than you are. I am a better person.” Is that really the message you want to deliver? Have you read the Gospel story about the Pharisees praying the synagogue and the poor woman standing in the back? Who was God more pleased with?) Remember that communication is a two-way street: to truly communicate, you have to intend to send a message, and that message has to be received by the other person. If you intend X, but everyone receives Y, that’s not communication. You can’t stand there and say, “Well, I meant X. It’s not my fault you received Y as the message.” It IS your fault. Do you think this is somehow required by the Church? Have you discussed 1 Corinthians with others? Do you think other women are immodest? Why? Why would this “make you feel good”? Have you tried to analyze that?
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Why is it important to you to question her motives? It’s not your business or mine. If she wants to veil it’s up to her. It’s not up to you or I to question her motives. Like it or not there is a long tradition of Catholic women wearing veils from Our Lady to European women to African women.

In Europe I noticed many women wore veils, especially in Spain.

Just as some Catholics pray Fatima prayer and others don’t, it’s a matter of private conscience. It’s not forbidden by the Church. I think your post is unnecessarily prying and judgmental.
 
AnneElizabeth said:
I veiled for a while. I felt strong conviction that it was what was right to do. I am not at all the type of person who wants to stand out in a crowd- I really feel very sick to my stomach doing anything that gets noticed or where people’s attention is going to be on me, so veiling was almost excruciating for me to do. I did it anyway- call it fear of God I suppose. I didn’t want to fear people more than God and at that point in my life I feared hell and leading others the wrong way so I had to do it. I still believe veiling is right. (I just don’t go to church anymore)

Hopefully this won’t discourage you- I’m not saying this to discourage but to prepare- but what I encountered was a mix of things… Some people were surprised and seemed to be pleased. Some people don’t really care (in fact, most people I found didn’t, thankfully). Some people think you are crazy because they know nothing about veiling at all and think you are some sort of wedding-wanna-be freak woman. I had a couple children come up to me and ask why I was wearing a veil- they seemed to imply they thought it looked weird. I had one young gentleman make fun of me who sat behind me with his fiance. He thought I was a joke for wearing it and continuously said things about it under his breath. (Very painful day for me, that day) Another older man made fun of me by asking me where the wedding was. Some other older men at another parish I was visiting just laughed as though I was utterly ridiculous for wearing it. While visiting another church, I overhead two women- one a nun- pointing at me, talking about me saying “isn’t that sad?” (as in, she’s stuck in the past that is cruel and oppressive). I highly suspect because I was wearing a veil in a church where no one else was. It was a very ‘modern’ parish there. There was no question they were talking about me.

So be prepared… you are going to get looks, stares, made fun of, yet some people might be the opposite and know why and WHO you are doing it for and appreciate your conviction. I hate to say it though all this was part of my catalyst in leaving the church- it got too much of a battle where I just felt like I was with a bunch of people who didn’t know their faith and didn’t know the reasons the customs ect… or especially God’s WORD which mentioned women should be covered. I go to church to follow God. I just wanted to be in a church where others felt the same convictions and followed the tenants of the church as much as I wanted to. I felt like I was in the wrong church, and at some point, with all the people who were making fun of me… I felt like I was in the church of the enemy. So in that way, it might have become that I was acting “holier than thou” without even wanting to with all those feelings I just expressed because it almost becomes a battle to stick to the conviction of wearing it… does that make sense? This is just me though. You might find that by doing it you might not get so much attention, negative or positive.

One really cool thing that I noticed after I started to wear it was that several other women started to veil at my home parish. I think there were about 5 or 6 other women. So rest assured you aren’t the only one who wants to… its just that the pressure to conform is too hard for some to start. Having others join you in something cuts down the amount of embarrassment and the difficulty of doing something that might seem ‘odd’ or stupid to others.

I have this question though… If its so ‘holier than thou’ to do it, how is any mass wrong going to be righted when no one dares “tamper” with the status quo which may be in error? Just a thought. You won’t find me waving the “wear a veil” flag though- I think things are so messed up in the church that I wouldn’t hold it against any woman for choosing not to wear it. I’m just confused as ever…another reason why I left the church./QUOTE

Hi, AnneElizabeth. I am so sorry you went through this. No one should be made fun of for doing something that had so much meaning for you such as veiling. I hate to see you leave the Church. Did you try the Extraordinary Form, too? The people might be more devout.
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mamlukman said:
I am more used to replying to youtube videos about Muslim women wearing hijabs, but even on youtube “veiling” seems to be an issue with non-Muslim women. Very strange.

Wearing hijab in general: Today it is a political statement, like it or not. If you wear a veil in public, it’s much more political than religious. You can’t pretend it’s not.

Wearing a veil only in church: It’s a custom (even Paul in 1 Corinthians finally admitted that), not a requirement, and was dropped from canon law after women stopped covering their heads in the 1960s. I go to Latin Mass often, and women at that Mass tend to cover their heads–but that makes sense since we are celebrating a rite from the period when women did cover their heads. But at regular Masses, it’s extremely unusual.

So I would ask a couple questions: Why is this so important to you? Why is this public display so necessary? (and yes, it IS saying to other women, “I am more modest than you are. I am a better person.” Is that really the message you want to deliver? Have you read the Gospel story about the Pharisees praying the synagogue and the poor woman standing in the back? Who was God more pleased with?) Remember that communication is a two-way street: to truly communicate, you have to intend to send a message, and that message has to be received by the other person. If you intend X, but everyone receives Y, that’s not communication. You can’t stand there and say, “Well, I meant X. It’s not my fault you received Y as the message.” It IS your fault. Do you think this is somehow required by the Church? Have you discussed 1 Corinthians with others? Do you think other women are immodest? Why? Why would this “make you feel good”? Have you tried to analyze that?
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You describe headcovering as a custom. St Paul said the Church had NO other custom. He then goes on to talk about another custom: the manner in which we celebrate the Lord’s Supper. Should we change the form of the Mass because it’s a “custom”? Veiling was custom for nearly 2000 years. That’s a pretty good innings for something that only the Corinthians did. The Fathers of the Church universally command it. St Paul offers several reasons why to cover and modesty wasn’t among them, neither was social considerations. He talks about creation, the glory of God and the angels. Surely these things are the same today as 50 years ago or 2000 years ago. Just because it’s not commanded doesn’t mean it’s now a bad thing. The Church doesn’t command us to read the Bible or pray every day either, does that make them a bad idea?
Sometimes public displays are necessary when it means being obedient or giving witness. I assure you, it doesn’t feel good to stick out, it’s like a slow martyrdom. Women don’t cover for other people, they do it for God. Should we maybe not go to Mass altogether because we’re implying were holier than the rest of the community? People won’t think you’re holier than thou if you stay at home. And when it comes to modesty, should women not be modest because it embarrasses the immodest? These days a woman stands out of she wears a skirt and sleeves, should we not do that either for fear of appearing Pharisiacal?
 
Wear a headcovering if it helps either you -or others- with your spiritual life. It doesn’t have to be a mantilla, it can be a hat or a scarf tied around your head. Check out how Jewish women wear head scarves. Wide headbands are in vogue now, too and are very subtle. Wear any colour you want, there are no rules. There was a time when only married women wore black dresses, which is probably where that custom came from.
 
kozlosap said:
No, no, no, no, no. Whether or not women wear covering at mass, had nothing to do with men looking at them. In the first place, the tradition in the North American churches when the rule was that all women cover, was to wear hats, not veils. I did not see veils until Jackie was shown writing veils in 1960. Veiling was more European, and specifically Spanish in origin. Maybe men should cover too, that would prohibit those loose women from looking at men during mass. If a person chooses to cover, it’s not to make life easier for the one man in a million who has a hair fetish. 2015 almost 2016. 🤷
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I only meant to suggest that it is less distracting for some men. I have seen males “checking out” girls at Mass. Veils make this more difficult. Sorry if I was unclear.

Of course, no one has to veil.
 
There are 5 reasons I choose to veil every Sunday even though other women choose not to.
  1. It tells me so in the Bible that I should. (1 Corinthians 11:1-16)
  2. It is an outward sign that Christ is present in the Eucharist. So if the red candle by the tabernacle is lit the veil is on.
  3. I pray better. I can pull the sides of my veil down the sides of my face and block out the world. At mass no one is there but me and my God and mass becomes very intimate.
  4. Women are co-creators and therefore sacred beings. Everything sacred at mass is to be veiled.
  5. Because ever since I’ve humbled myself to veil for Christ, it has become easier to humble myself in other ways too for Christ. It is a surrender. A gift. A beauty. So many things rolled into one devout action.
 
weepixie71 said:
There are 5 reasons I choose to veil every Sunday even though other women choose not to.
  1. It tells me so in the Bible that I should. (1 Corinthians 11:1-16)
  2. It is an outward sign that Christ is present in the Eucharist. So if the red candle by the tabernacle is lit the veil is on.
  3. I pray better. I can pull the sides of my veil down the sides of my face and block out the world. At mass no one is there but me and my God and mass becomes very intimate.
  4. Women are co-creators and therefore sacred beings. Everything sacred at mass is to be veiled.
  5. Because ever since I’ve humbled myself to veil for Christ, it has become easier to humble myself in other ways too for Christ. It is a surrender. A gift. A beauty. So many things rolled into one devout action.
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Beautiful put !
 
If we except what the BIBLE says; to not veil as a woman is disobedience to God and a disgrace to the woman, as well as an insult to man.
It is made clear that what came from St.Paul is not from man, but from God and as such is Commandment.
“Negative attention” to a Godly person would be for women to not cover their head like they are doing rebelliously (rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft).
It got popular after Kennedy was assassinated because everybody copied Jackie and the Pope was heartbroken over the fact that the Catholics follow the trends of the world rather than God and warned not to follow the celebrities, but people listened to the serpent instead of God.
Women that do not cover their heads should be shaven bald just as the inspired word of God says / commands.
The next time you hear somebody claim a catholic is a hypocrite remember that they see every women that prays without a veil on her head and then claims they love God wanting to be center stage. Their acts fall short of their boasts

and if they are asked why they do not cover their head they give a false philosophical view about how they do not feel humble in veiling; and how many times are we warned that the Faith is not about feelings, but following the Truth and loving God which is living in the Commandments.
Perhaps the humility to wear the veil is lacking because of their sin; Pride. That cross is too heavy and the instruction becomes rejected.
For a women, covering her head is part of picking up her cross daily.
I believe anybody that does not think so and teaches such has to repent for ‘the sin of human respect’
 
GF_Girl said:
This year I have been trying to grow in my faith, in that process I saw an article Bout veiling. Ironically, it was how the Catholic Church was oppressive,I immediately feLtd defensive and needed to do my own research on veiling. To on me it is such a beautiful reason, and find that I keep going back to the thought of veiling, so you lost Satan.
However,in my church no one but some of the elderly women veil. I am also in the choir, and feel like I am telling everyone “I am holier than thou”. Also read that married women can only use black veils and most of my clothes either have a pattern with black or are black. Can I, an unmarried women wear any color veil? I would like to hear others opinions on this subject.
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All I can say is that if you believe God is calling you to veil, then veil. I started to veil some years ago now and from the first time I did my conviction has grown ever stronger.
 
I wear all colors of veil. I go to a “regular” parish. I am the only one who veils. Sometimes I don’t veil, but I always cover. If I’m wearing my knit winter hat or if my hair is wrapped in a scarf for instance, I don’t remove it to put the veil on… because I feel like that’s being vain and showy. I’m already covered.

I do a lot of political advocacy and social justice work. I consider myself a radical and a feminist. I’ve had people confront me about this (and going to Church in general–their narrow views of ‘social justice’) I tell them it’s a personal decision and it’s what feels right for me right now. People who don’t respect it can do one, in my not so humble opinion.

I have spoken with women who do consider themselves feminist about their ambivalence about veiling as well. These people I don’t turn away. They’re not trying to talk me out of something, they’re truly trying to figure out something for themselves.

I have to say I got a lot of guidance from a lot of our Muslim sisters I’ve met in the Peace Movement on this. They may have different reasons for covering but secularly it’s seen as “backwards” and speaking with them really helped me decide how I wanted to toe the line between living my faith and living with the world especially working so closely with the left. I only cover 45 minutes a day for services! These women live this all day! 👍
 
Valarious said:
If we except what the BIBLE says; to not veil as a woman is disobedience to God and a disgrace to the woman, as well as an insult to man.
It is made clear that what came from St.Paul is not from man, but from God and as such is Commandment.
“Negative attention” to a Godly person would be for women to not cover their head like they are doing rebelliously (rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft).
It got popular after Kennedy was assassinated because everybody copied Jackie and the Pope was heartbroken over the fact that the Catholics follow the trends of the world rather than God and warned not to follow the celebrities, but people listened to the serpent instead of God.
Women that do not cover their heads should be shaven bald just as the inspired word of God says / commands.
The next time you hear somebody claim a catholic is a hypocrite remember that they see every women that prays without a veil on her head and then claims they love God wanting to be center stage. Their acts fall short of their boasts

and if they are asked why they do not cover their head they give a false philosophical view about how they do not feel humble in veiling; and how many times are we warned that the Faith is not about feelings, but following the Truth and loving God which is living in the Commandments.
Perhaps the humility to wear the veil is lacking because of their sin; Pride. That cross is too heavy and the instruction becomes rejected.
For a women, covering her head is part of picking up her cross daily.
I believe anybody that does not think so and teaches such has to repent for ‘the sin of human respect’
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You have got to be kidding? Women that don’t cover their head should be shaved? Sorry sweetie, the Church says otherwise. If you accept everything literally from the Bible, how should we treat our slaves?
 
Dear GF Girl,

My wife and I go to a mission church where 1/2 the women veil. It is an OF church but the preist faces the same way as the congrgation, communion is received kneeling at a rail, the chior is 4 part acapella and the mass takes 1.5 hrs (or so). The women who veil are of all ages.

When we started going there egularly, my wife decided to veil after she talked with some of the women about why they veiled. Then she did some research and alot of prayer. She also asked me but while I like it, veiling is between her and God.

Because this is a mission church, we needed a parish also and My wife and I are both in the chior at our parish. Because of the reason she is veiling (see weepixie71) she decided that she needed to veil at our parish also and she was worried about being veiled in front of the congregation. It turns out that one of the chior ladies said that she had a veil and should start veiling. Also, during Lent, a dozen kids from the teen group came to the morning Mass and the girls were all veiled.

If it is in your heart to veil, do so. Do not worry what others think, worry what God sees in your heart.

Patrick
AMDG
 
Evania said:
I feel God may be calling me to do this too. I’m definitely putting it to prayer.

I have a question though: I have heard a lot of people state their worry that it makes them appear holier than thou. I personally haven’t had that impression when I see women who veil themselves at Mass. Would some of you mind explaining what makes you feel this way, to us potential newbies?
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I don’t want to discourage anyone from wearing the veil, and its great that you did not have the impression when you saw women veiling at Mass, but please believe me when i say if you do, you WILL come across opposition. Some people respect it, but there are others who do not and will mock you openly for it. I’ve encountered it. I’m just saying be prepared, because it happens.

Most all the cases were men doing the mocking openly.
 
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