Veiling

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The campus minister is charged with caring for the souls of all of the community of students (and possibly faculty and staff) who are involved with the secular university.

The campus minister has been around the school longer than the OP and has a lot more experience dealing with the students who come to the campus and are away from their homes, families, and churches for the first time in their lives. The campus minister has seen what happens when women in a position of authority veil, and apparently that was not a pleasant experience for the campus minister or for the students involved with the Interfaith Center. It sounds to me like students were possibly hurt in their faith by the veiling. At the very least, they were confused in their faith.

Keep in mind that there is probably a sizeable population of these students and faculty/staff who are not from the United States, and truly could be confused about the faith practices of the Catholics here.

Also keep in mind that in various international traditions, women cover their heads and it is a sign of submission to men. It’s possible that some students, both male and female, cannot separate the use of veils by Christians from the use of headcoverings by other non-Christian faiths, and again, are confused or even hurt in their faith.

The OP needs to examine her motives and remember the words of our first Pope, St. Peter: “love covers a multitude of sins.” If the campus minister states that other students were “upset”, the OP needs to trust that the campus minister is probably under-stating the situation and that her continued wearing of the veil could precipitate the same unpleasant situation in the Interfaith Center and hurt the students who are weaker in their faith.

The OP apparently is strong in her faith. Others apparently are not strong in their faith. Colleges and universities are notorious “faith-destroyers”–many parents can testify that their children lost their faith once they went away to college. But the OP is strong, and removing a veil while giving announcements will not hurt her commitment to the Lord Jesus and His Church.

The OP has made it clear that Jesus is not Present in the Blessed Sacrament because the Mass is held in the Interfaith Center where there is no tabernacle. So there is no irreverence in removing the veil, and there is no break with Catholic tradition. Indeed, in our parish, the women who veil remove their veils once they are away from the Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

In fact, I think that removing the veil during the announcements makes it VERY CLEAR that the head-covering is worn ONLY when Jesus, the Lord, is Truly Present, thus making it clear that the Blessed Sacrament is Truly Jesus, Body, Blood,Soul, and Divinity.

If someone wears the veil when Jesus is not Truly Present in the Blessed Sacrament, then it seems more like a cultural thing, a sgn of “femininity” as someone said above. That’s not “faith,” that’s a tradition, and although it is a nice tradition, it’s not worth creating a conflict over in an Interfaith Center filled with students who are away from home and family, and are very likely questioning their faith in God and would love to find a good excuse to walk away from church obligations and just live “free.”

My suggestion is that the OP make use of the ecumenical/New Age/uber-tolerant apsect of the position of the campus minister on an Interfaith Center. As I said, this person is caring for the souls of ALL of the community, very likely from ALL faith traditions. So, OP, take advantage of that: cheerfully agree to remove the veil during the announcements, and tell the minister that you are grateful that she recognizes that the veil is an aspect of your spirituality.

Then ask the campu minister if you can please do a presentation during the week on “The Spirituality of Veiling in the Christian Church” (Remember, it’s not just Catholics who veil–there are several Protestant denominations where veiling is either required or done voluntarily). A university is a place where education is valued, and so hopefully the campus minister will welcome your suggestion and agree to it. If so, then work like a beaver to prepare an in-depth presentation about your topic, and make sure that the people who attend learn lots!

I would suggest doing some research and seeking out the Protestants in your university town who cover their heads when they are in their church (if there are any), and ask them if they will work with you on the presentation.

It’s possible that after the presentation, the “climate” of the Interfaith Center will change and the students will be able to accept that some Christian women cover their heads. In fact, more Christians may decide to cover their heads in the Presence of Jesus.

But you have to be careful of the souls of others. It would be wrong to hurt the soul of another for the sake of wearing a veil during a time when Jesus isn’t even Present in the Blessed Sacrament.
 
Hello Cat.
Cat said:
The OP needs to examine her motives and remember the words of our first Pope, St. Peter: “love covers a multitude of sins.” * If the campus minister states that other students were “upset”, the OP needs to trust that the campus minister is probably under-stating the situation and that her continued wearing of the veil could precipitate the same unpleasant situation in the Interfaith Center and hurt the students who are weaker in their faith… *The OP apparently is strong in her faith. Others apparently are not strong in their faith. Colleges and universities are notorious “faith-destroyers”–many parents can testify that their children lost their faith once they went away to college. But the OP is strong, and removing a veil while giving announcements will not hurt her commitment to the Lord Jesus and His Church…The OP has made it clear that Jesus is not Present in the Blessed Sacrament because the Mass is held in the Interfaith Center where there is no tabernacle…But you have to be careful of the souls of others. It would be wrong to hurt the soul of another for the sake of wearing a veil during a time when Jesus isn’t even Present in the Blessed Sacrament.

I have a few things to say about your words.
  1. I’m sure the Op examined her motives for some time BEFORE she decided to veil for Mass. Done and over with. No ulterior motive involved.
  2. Upsetting folks who are not used to seeing the Veil at Church is good for them in the long run. Keep in mind that unveiled women is the “new normal” which may not be the best thing for the women.
  3. Their faith is not her responsibility so attempts to place that responsibility on her shoulders is misdirection.
  4. This leads to the use of a false or mis-guided *charity *that you want her to see, that her veiled head is so offensive that some may actually leave the Church because they cannot stand to see women with their heads covered out of modesty! Are we to believe this? She is supposed to have pity on the poor lesser persons who may use her veiled head as an excuse to leave. Hear me loudly: AWWWWWWWWWWWWWW those poor sinners!
  5. The OP is in no way responsible for the “notorious” destruction of faith that the suddenly freed from parental restraints children becoming adults sometimes experience at College. If anything her piously bowed head with its modest veil flies in the face of all this destruction and could silently yet very loudly speak out against this and I’m even of a mind to think that the Holy Spirit can and does use this simple example of piety and reverence to “upset” many and quite often. Claiming their distress while seeing this reverent example is bad for them or uncharitable is really a stretch.
  6. Keep in mind that the announcements that she will be giving often occur before the final dismissal so those gathered have to stay and listen, so Mass is still happening and technically that is also still a time to be veiled. Your lack of understanding about the traditions regarding veiling is obvious. It isn’t so much about the place but the practice.
  7. The Presence of Jesus Christ remains in all persons who have received Him for fifteen minutes after consumption. That too is a reason to remain veiled. That is why some of us actually remain in Church to pray after Mass and those pesky announcements are such an annoyance because it intrudes on time I’d much rather spend talking with Jesus who is still with me for that length of time. Oh dear, I’ve gone personal. Forgive me.
  8. It would be wrong of the OP to think she is responsible for hurting anyone by wearing her veil even if she left it on all the way to class that day. A veil doesn’t hurt the faith of anyone. It challenges their lack of piety, modesty and reverence.
And since we’re on the subject, the real problem with the “new normal” of the women in the Church today who refuse to cover their heads is that is states silently that all those women who for millennia have covered their heads in Church were WRONG TO DO SO AND THEY (these modern women) ARE RIGHT. And nothing could be further from the truth. The Bible even supports the covering of the head by women. Where is the position of the woman challenging the OP Biblically supported? It isn’t in the Scripture you quoted.

Glenda
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Hello Cat.

I forgot to address this: " In fact, I think that removing the veil during the announcements makes it VERY CLEAR that the head-covering is worn ONLY when Jesus, the Lord, is Truly Present, thus making it clear that the Blessed Sacrament is Truly Jesus, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity."

Not so otherwise the practice of veiling by even secular heads of state and their wives when in the Presence of the Pope wouldn’t happen. Can you explain that? Also when touring over seas in other countries, women routinely veiled before crossing the threshold of a church regardless of time of day or if they even knew there was a Tabernacle even in the building and men took off their hats before they took the few steps up to the same threshold. Your attempt to make it appear as if the OP would be giving a better instruction by example of when to veil and when not to by complying with her challenger’s request is wrong. It isn’t just about the Presence of Christ although that is a part of it. It is about remaining in a pious and reverent state of mind and behaving accordingly.

Glenda
 
glendab said:
Hello Cat.

I have a few things to say about your words.
  1. I’m sure the Op examined her motives for some time BEFORE she decided to veil for Mass. Done and over with. No ulterior motive involved.
  2. Upsetting folks who are not used to seeing the Veil at Church is good for them in the long run. Keep in mind that unveiled women is the “new normal” which may not be the best thing for the women.
  3. Their faith is not her responsibility so attempts to place that responsibility on her shoulders is misdirection.
  4. This leads to the use of a false or mis-guided *charity *that you want her to see, that her veiled head is so offensive that some may actually leave the Church because they cannot stand to see women with their heads covered out of modesty! Are we to believe this? She is supposed to have pity on the poor lesser persons who may use her veiled head as an excuse to leave. Hear me loudly: AWWWWWWWWWWWWWW those poor sinners!
  5. The OP is in no way responsible for the “notorious” destruction of faith that the suddenly freed from parental restraints children becoming adults sometimes experience at College. If anything her piously bowed head with its modest veil flies in the face of all this destruction and could silently yet very loudly speak out against this and I’m even of a mind to think that the Holy Spirit can and does use this simple example of piety and reverence to “upset” many and quite often. Claiming their distress while seeing this reverent example is bad for them or uncharitable is really a stretch.
  6. Keep in mind that the announcements that she will be giving often occur before the final dismissal so those gathered have to stay and listen, so Mass is still happening and technically that is also still a time to be veiled. Your lack of understanding about the traditions regarding veiling is obvious. It isn’t so much about the place but the practice.
  7. The Presence of Jesus Christ remains in all persons who have received Him for fifteen minutes after consumption. That too is a reason to remain veiled. That is why some of us actually remain in Church to pray after Mass and those pesky announcements are such an annoyance because it intrudes on time I’d much rather spend talking with Jesus who is still with me for that length of time. Oh dear, I’ve gone personal. Forgive me.
. It would be wrong of the OP to think she is responsible for hurting anyone by wearing her veil even if she left it on all the way to class that day. A veil doesn’t hurt the faith of anyone. It challenges their lack of piety, modesty and reverence.

And since we’re on the subject, the real problem with the “new normal” of the women in the Church today who refuse to cover their heads is that is states silently that all those women who for millennia have covered their heads in Church were WRONG TO DO SO AND THEY (these modern women) ARE RIGHT. And nothing could be further from the truth. The Bible even supports the covering of the head by women. Where is the position of the woman challenging the OP Biblically supported? It isn’t in the Scripture you quoted.

Glenda
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We ARE responsible for the faith of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

The New Testament is filled with admonitions for us to look out for our weaker brothers and sisters and to live in such a way that we build others up in the faith, not tear them down.

Also, the OP is responsible because she was elected to the Executive Board and is the Vice President of Spirituality. She freely accepted this position (it was not forced on her). The implication is that she is responsible for helping others to become closer to the Lord Jesus and His Church.

You say that people can’t be hurt because someone is wearing a veil. You can’t speak for others. The campus ministries director SAID that there was confusion over the wearing of veils. What does that mean? It seems to me that the OP should dig a little deeper and find out why people were confused and if anything can be done to help them.

There is a big difference between being “offended” over someone’s veil, and being “confused” over it. Being easily offended is a bane of our current society. Being confused is something that God does not intend for His children–He wants us to become mature in the faith. If something is a stumbling block for someone, we shouldn’t just say, “Too bad, so sad for them. Let them get over it.” Instead, we should try to help them climb over that stumbling block. That’s why I suggested that the OP hold a class in “The Spirituality of Head-Covering in the Christian Church.” TEACH others with gentleness–the veil suggests a gentle spirit. It is not being gentle to insist that others tolerate her practice.

Also, the New Testament makes it clear that we are to submit to the God-appointed authorities unless they ask us to commit sin. It is not a sin for a woman to uncover her head during Mass.

Perhaps you are more experienced in college/campus ministry than I am, and your rather heavy-handed approach is indeed effective in evangelization and catechesis If you have had success with your approach, then I apologize for doubting you.

However, I suspect that this approach would serve to drive many college students AWAY from faith and the Church, and that a lighter touch with more “forbearance” (see Ephesians 4: 2) would be more effective with college students. Your contempt for this group is rather uncharitable, in my opinion. When someone leaves the Church or the Holy Mass, I do not think it is a very good witness for us to say, “AWWWWWWWW.” It’s a tragedy. Think of the parents at home who will be heartbroken to hear that their child is no longer serving at Mass on the obligation days.

One question I would like to ask is what the priest’s stand on this issue is. If I were the OP, I would ask the priest for his (name removed by moderator)ut.
 
glendab said:
And since we’re on the subject, the real problem with the “new normal” of the women in the Church today who refuse to cover their heads is that is states silently that all those women who for millennia have covered their heads in Church were WRONG TO DO SO AND THEY (these modern women) ARE RIGHT. And nothing could be further from the truth. The Bible even supports the covering of the head by women. Where is the position of the woman challenging the OP Biblically supported? It isn’t in the Scripture you quoted.
Glenda
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I think for 98% of women it’s “They had to, we don’t” and it never gets past that.

I don’t remember being taught any theology or deep thoughts about wearing a head covering at Mass before the rules changed. If you’d asked most of us in 1965 “Why do you cover your head in Church?” the answer would have been, “Because the Church says I have to.” In 1970 if you’d asked the same women “Why don’t you cover your head in Church?” the answer would have been “Because the Church says it’s not obligatory any more.”
 
Phemie said:
I think for 98% of women it’s “They had to, we don’t” and it never gets past that.

I don’t remember being taught any theology or deep thoughts about wearing a head covering at Mass before the rules changed. If you’d asked most of us in 1965 “Why do you cover your head in Church?” the answer would have been, “Because the Church says I have to.” In 1970 if you’d asked the same women “Why don’t you cover your head in Church?” the answer would have been “Because the Church says it’s not obligatory any more.”
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Well, that is certainly true. The good sisters never said why, but even if it was a Kleenex, we had to have something on our heads. When it was said we didn’t have to anymore, we were fairly relieved. 🤷
 
BlessedbyChrist said:
Hello Friends in Christ,

I’m looking for some advice on a problem I’ve encountered. I’m a Roman Catholic college student with a traditional lean. I attend a secular university but I’ve recently been elected to the Executive Board for our Catholic Community on campus. I’m very excited about the opportunity I have as the Vice President of Spirituality.

Although we celebrate a less than traditional Mass because we celebrate it at the Interfaith Chapel and we share the space with others, I wear a chapel veil during Mass. However, because of my recent election, our Campus Minister has requested that I remove the chapel veil if I am giving announcements at the end of Mass, as Executive Board members often do. She said she doesn’t want to interfere with my spirituality but she also doesn’t want others to feel that this is the required spirituality of the community. She said in the past she had to ask Eucharistic Ministers who preferred to kneel when receiving Communion to refrain from doing so when they were acting as Eucharistic Ministers because they received before the whole community.

What should I do? As I previously wrote, we are in the Interfaith Chapel, and therefore our tabernacle is in a separate Sanctuary, so I think it might be possible that the Blessed Sacrament has been removed by the time the announcements are given. She’s not asking me not to wear it at all, and it is pleasing to our Lord when we humbly submit to our superiors despite our own will. I veil whether I’m alone in Adoration or being a cantor at Mass, not because of anyone’s presence except our Lord’s.Overall I just want to show love and reverence for Our Lord and would appreciate any advice on how to proceed.

Blessings!
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Continue to wear your veil. Your “Campus Minister” said that she doesn’t want to “interfere” with your “spirituality”, and she shouldn’t have. What you wear is none of her business, and she has no right to ask you to refrain from wearing your veil.
 
I’ve asked before and I’ll ask again:

Why on earth is a legitimate practice for any Catholic woman something that she has to refrain from doing lest she ‘offend’ others who have misconceptions about it?

Here’s an idea. Why not have Ms Campus Minister write a nice little blurb in the bulletin:

"Dear valued guest:

Here at St Feelgoodaboutyourself we want to make sure that we don’t ruffle any feathers. We know that you are a very special and unique person and that however you have come to choose your ‘faith experience’ in your ‘community’, you want to feel comfortable. Now most of us born in the Spirit of Vatican II country know that as “We are Church” the 11th commandment is “thou shalt not make an individual uncomfortable–unless of course that individual is flat out wrong and needs to be set straight to have the freedom to do what the ‘group’ says is right”, but there are still some ‘throwbacks’ and ‘rebels’. Ordinarily, they’d have conformed to groupthink like the rest of you did, but now they’re starting to whine that they aren’t being respected boo-hoo-hoo-hoo. We, being the marvelous 'New Church", want to guide them, because otherwise we’ll wind up with the horrors of having Latin Mass forced on us since ISIS will probably kill Pope Francis and we’ll have another repressive Pope again. . .

SO, if you see some woman wearing a veil or hat in Church, we all know this is totally and utterly degrading and antiwoman, but we’ve discovered that forbidding or shaming does no good. These people will just wind up getting it forced on us (like that Motto Pope-eo or whatever) if they are thwarted now. So instead of doing that, let’s just ignore the whole thing. If you see it, pretend it’s not happening. I know, I know, but it’s really not hard. Just think of it like that icky news stuff that keeps interfering with watching True Blood. . .you just glaze over and wait until it’s gone, right? Do the same thing with this ‘veil’ thing. Honestly, most of those people are probably just doing this stuff to get us all upset, and if you don’t ‘feed the trolls’, they’ll give up.

Just remember, we’re the majority so we’re right. Nyah."

Problem solved.
 
Cat - thank you for your wonderful response!
My thought is that since “covering” is a private and personal devotion, I see no problem in her removing the chapel veil to read the announcements. Remember, covering is no longer required by the CCC. If, indeed, the tabernacle is not present, then this whole argument is moot and maybe wanting to cover is to show off a “holier than thou” attitude. When I attend mass at a parish where they kneel for the Eucharist, then I kneel, if not, then I receive in the hand, which is MY preferred method. When in doubt, follow local custom.😉
 
Tantum_ergo said:
I’ve asked before and I’ll ask again:

Why on earth is a legitimate practice for any Catholic woman something that she has to refrain from doing lest she ‘offend’ others who have misconceptions about it?

Here’s an idea. Why not have Ms Campus Minister write a nice little blurb in the bulletin:

"Dear valued guest:

Here at St Feelgoodaboutyourself we want to make sure that we don’t ruffle any feathers. We know that you are a very special and unique person and that however you have come to choose your ‘faith experience’ in your ‘community’, you want to feel comfortable. Now most of us born in the Spirit of Vatican II country know that as “We are Church” the 11th commandment is “thou shalt not make an individual uncomfortable–unless of course that individual is flat out wrong and needs to be set straight to have the freedom to do what the ‘group’ says is right”, but there are still some ‘throwbacks’ and ‘rebels’. Ordinarily, they’d have conformed to groupthink like the rest of you did, but now they’re starting to whine that they aren’t being respected boo-hoo-hoo-hoo. We, being the marvelous 'New Church", want to guide them, because otherwise we’ll wind up with the horrors of having Latin Mass forced on us since ISIS will probably kill Pope Francis and we’ll have another repressive Pope again. . .

SO, if you see some woman wearing a veil or hat in Church, we all know this is totally and utterly degrading and antiwoman, but we’ve discovered that forbidding or shaming does no good. These people will just wind up getting it forced on us (like that Motto Pope-eo or whatever) if they are thwarted now. So instead of doing that, let’s just ignore the whole thing. If you see it, pretend it’s not happening. I know, I know, but it’s really not hard. Just think of it like that icky news stuff that keeps interfering with watching True Blood. . .you just glaze over and wait until it’s gone, right? Do the same thing with this ‘veil’ thing. Honestly, most of those people are probably just doing this stuff to get us all upset, and if you don’t ‘feed the trolls’, they’ll give up.

Just remember, we’re the majority so we’re right. Nyah."

Problem solved.
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Why the sarcasm? Why the anger and contempt towards others who don’t believe the same way you do? Why all this negativity towards students who have obviously not been well-catechized? Why the disrespect of the Campus Minister who is responsible for the spiritual welfare of all the faith communities on campus, not just Catholics?

Will this really accomplish helping people to know Christ, the Lord? Really?

Why not try it the way I suggested?

First ask the priest, and abide by his ruling.

Second, ask the Campus Minister for permission to prepare and offer a class/presentation on Spirituality of Veiling in Christian Church to help alleviate the obvious lack of catechesis and to foster understand among people of faith.

Third, do all things in a gentle and respectful way, making forbearance for those who don’t have the same level of understanding as you do.
 
Tantum_ergo said:
I’ve asked before and I’ll ask again:

Why on earth is a legitimate practice for any Catholic woman something that she has to refrain from doing lest she ‘offend’ others who have misconceptions about it?

Here’s an idea. Why not have Ms Campus Minister write a nice little blurb in the bulletin:

"Dear valued guest:

Here at St Feelgoodaboutyourself we want to make sure that we don’t ruffle any feathers. We know that you are a very special and unique person and that however you have come to choose your ‘faith experience’ in your ‘community’, you want to feel comfortable. Now most of us born in the Spirit of Vatican II country know that as “We are Church” the 11th commandment is “thou shalt not make an individual uncomfortable–unless of course that individual is flat out wrong and needs to be set straight to have the freedom to do what the ‘group’ says is right”, but there are still some ‘throwbacks’ and ‘rebels’. Ordinarily, they’d have conformed to groupthink like the rest of you did, but now they’re starting to whine that they aren’t being respected boo-hoo-hoo-hoo. We, being the marvelous 'New Church", want to guide them, because otherwise we’ll wind up with the horrors of having Latin Mass forced on us since ISIS will probably kill Pope Francis and we’ll have another repressive Pope again. . .

SO, if you see some woman wearing a veil or hat in Church, we all know this is totally and utterly degrading and antiwoman, but we’ve discovered that forbidding or shaming does no good. These people will just wind up getting it forced on us (like that Motto Pope-eo or whatever) if they are thwarted now. So instead of doing that, let’s just ignore the whole thing. If you see it, pretend it’s not happening. I know, I know, but it’s really not hard. Just think of it like that icky news stuff that keeps interfering with watching True Blood. . .you just glaze over and wait until it’s gone, right? Do the same thing with this ‘veil’ thing. Honestly, most of those people are probably just doing this stuff to get us all upset, and if you don’t ‘feed the trolls’, they’ll give up.

Just remember, we’re the majority so we’re right. Nyah."

Problem solved.
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I think this sarcasm is totally unnecessary and adds absolutely nothing to the discussion. This is the type of post that gets topics closed by the moderator, (posting sarcastic remarks is against forum rules) and besides it is a poor witness of how Christians are to handle disagreement or conflict.
 
I read my husband the OP, and he said basically the same thing I said–this is the perfect opportunity for education. In her capacity as Vice President of Spirituality, the OP should offer a short class or presentation on veiling so that others can learn about the practice. Hopefully the class would lead to a more informed student body and perhaps some of the young women would decide to take up the practice of headcovering in the Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. .
 
Most women, when asked why they wear a veil, will usually bring up humility at some point, but wearing a veil is not the only way to practice the virtue of humility. One could also do that by obeying the reasonable requests of authority figures even when they conflict with one’s personal preferences. There have been many saints who have refrained from an otherwise acceptable activity because their religious superiors asked them to. There is disagreement on this thread about the reasonableness of the request, but I personally believe that the campus minister is not asking something unduly burdensome. I also think that the insistence of some posters that the OP get her way no matter what comes off as prideful. Remember everybody, while appearances are important, actions are more important.
 
Gia_B said:
Most women, when asked why they wear a veil, will usually bring up humility at some point, but wearing a veil is not the only way to practice the virtue of humility. One could also do that by obeying the reasonable requests of authority figures even when they conflict with one’s personal preferences. There have been many saints who have refrained from an otherwise acceptable activity because their religious superiors asked them to. There is disagreement on this thread about the reasonableness of the request, but I personally believe that the campus minister is not asking something unduly burdensome. I also think that the insistence of some posters that the OP get her way no matter what comes off as prideful. Remember everybody, while appearances are important, actions are more important.
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This is very good and I agree with it.

One other option for the OP, at least for next year, is to stop attending Mass in the “university”-run parish and find a parish OFF-campus.

Generally speaking, campus churches are more “liberal” because they have to be. There is a hodge-podge of students who attend these churches, including students who are just trying out every kind of church to see what they are like. After all, it is “college,” and that means the opportunity to learn and experience new things, including religions.

So the churches tend to be a lot more open to innovations.

My husband and I attended a large state secular college, and we tried the various on campus churches. We were Protestant at the time, and found these churches quite bland.

So we went off-campus and found a great church with a mixture of ages and a lot of good programs.

That’s another good thing about going to church off-campus–the mixture of ages and presence of elderly people, children, families, etc. On campus, you mainly see students and faculty–very homogenous and boring. It’s nice to see little kids!

The church that we attended in college made a special point of welcoming the college students. Once a month, they had an all-church potluck (covered-dish supper), and the people of the church brought GIANT dishes of the various casseroles because they knew that most of the college students lived in dorms on campus and had no way to cook anything. It was awesome!

So OP, maybe think about that for next year. I personally think that this year, you should finish the commitment to the office that you were elected for. I cannot see any good of resigning the office as long as you are not being asked to commit sin. I think Christians should fulfill their commitments, especially the ones that are distasteful to them.
 
Gia_B said:
Most women, when asked why they wear a veil, will usually bring up humility at some point, but wearing a veil is not the only way to practice the virtue of humility. One could also do that by obeying the reasonable requests of authority figures even when they conflict with one’s personal preferences. There have been many saints who have refrained from an otherwise acceptable activity because their religious superiors asked them to. There is disagreement on this thread about the reasonableness of the request, but I personally believe that the campus minister is not asking something unduly burdensome. I also think that the insistence of some posters that the OP get her way no matter what comes off as prideful. Remember everybody, while appearances are important, actions are more important.
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Obedience is a holy virtue. Any reading of the Rule of Saint Benedict will show that. I think what you posted is spot-on. While the campus minister has no instituted authority, clearly some degree of authority to organize campus celebrations of the Eucharist was delegated to her, so there is no reasonable grounds to disobey her request, because her request breaks no rules, and imposes no real burden. It’s a bit like our men’s schola. We have a dress code, that requires that we wear black shirts and trousers when we sing at Mass. I may not like black shirts and trousers (in fact I only have one pair of each… for the schola), but I will obey the choirmaster’s wishes for a uniform look.

In a sense, the campus minister is asking for no more than having some sort of dress code with respect to head coverings for a specific part of the Mass well after communion. So I would suggest complying.

There’s another aspect to consider. Looking at it from the point of view of the person in the pew, I like to be able to clearly see the face of someone speaking to the assembly. From a practical standpoint, facial expressions can mean a lot to understanding the person. Between poor quality sound systems and some people just being plain hard of hearing, seeing facial expressions can be of great help to understanding what the person is saying.
 
Dear Friends in Christ,

Thank you very much to each and every one of you who posted a response- I took them to heart, and after some reflection and prayer, I approached our Campus Minister again. I first asked her if there was another job that members of the Executive Board usually do, such as being a greeter, that I could do instead. She thought it might be a possibility and told me she would check with our pastor. I then mentioned the idea of wearing a hat if I were giving the announcements and she said that would be absolutely fine. I felt that uncovering my head so soon after Communion would express that I was covering my head because of other people’s presence and not our Lord’s. I have learned even more to deepen this devotion and I am grateful for all of the information you shared with me, particularly that veiling is one option of head covering. God bless you all as you strive to serve our Lord and please be assured of my prayers.
 
pianistclare said:
Veiling is normal for you,
Clearly it’s not for the community.
You have to decide if it’s a deal breaker for you. It’s your conscience. If you believe that not veiling is disrespectful to the Lord, then that’s your stance. Go with your gut.
Click to expand...
I agree with going with your gut…

The Church says that it is fine to veil or not to veil… To me this is a silly thing to create controversy over. I have no idea why someone would ask you not to veil.
 
I’ll have to add in that…I think OraLabora has an excellent point about obedience.
Obedience (or at least a sense of it) is something that many Catholics struggle with. Somehow we equate obedience with not speaking our mind and being doormats.
It’s not necessarily true. As I read back over all the responses, if it’s only for the announcements, it’s probably not so offensive.
But I think she has determined her course of action, and she seems content with her decision. 🙂
 
glendab said:
Hello Cat.
  1. It would be wrong of the OP to think she is responsible for hurting anyone by wearing her veil even if she left it on all the way to class that day. A veil doesn’t hurt the faith of anyone. It challenges their lack of piety, modesty and reverence.
And since we’re on the subject, the real problem with the “new normal” of the women in the Church today who refuse to cover their heads is that is states silently that all those women who for millennia have covered their heads in Church were WRONG TO DO SO AND THEY (these modern women) ARE RIGHT. And nothing could be further from the truth. The Bible even supports the covering of the head by women. Where is the position of the woman challenging the OP Biblically supported? It isn’t in the Scripture you quoted.

Glenda
Click to expand...
Bolding mine.

I’ve been around a while, since the time when hats or head coverings of some sort were required (NOT generally veils, except as worn by elderly Italian women in my parish or women copying Jackie Kennedy.) I was perfectly fine with it, and had a nice array of straw hats, beanies, berets, and a little round chapel veil for quick visits to church before or after school.

But you know, times and customs change. I refer (yet again) to the document* Inter Insigniores*, from 1976, in which the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith stated that the former requirement for head coverings was inspired by the customs of the times, was of only minor importance, and no longer had normative value. Combine that with the fact that the latest Code of Canon Law no longer includes the requirement, and we get a fairly clear indication that Holy Mother Church is not losing any sleep over whether women cover their heads or not.

My personal feeling is that I simply don’t care whether women cover their heads or not, and I think the campus minister was out of line and overreacting. OP, wear your head covering if you like.

However, statements such as the one in bold above are patently offensive and smack of a “holier than thou” attitude that is off-putting and makes no friends for those who choose to cover their heads.
 
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