Wearing Jeans In Church

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I look upon the attire one chooses to wear to be a balance between comfort and respect. I myself almost always wear a suit and a tie to church, and usually wear a hat, which I make sure to take off when coming in. (Yes, men, etiquette demands that you remove your hat when entering a building, especially church.)

There are time, like an after work evening mass on a feast day, or the times I can make it to morning mass before work, that I go in my work clothes, because I either don’t have time before work, or after work before going to mass to change.

I understand that not everyone is comfortable wearing a suit and tie, or as I mentioned, may not have the time to change even if they are comfortable wearing that sort of garb. What I do feel strongly is that whatever you do wear, you should make every effort to be clean, not wearing torn and stained clothing, assuming that the tears and stains didn’t happen as a result of your days work, in the case of coming to an evening mass. Your attire should show modesty, which I feel is an often overlooked thing with women. I have been in church at times, where adults and teenagers were dressed more like they were going out to a stripclub, then going to church.

I feel the best advice for what to wear to church would be to ask yourself “would you be comfortable in your attire that you chose to wear, if you were going to meet (insert someone you greatly admire)?” or, “Does both my demeanor and attire demonstrate how I feel about being at mass?”
 
Let me tell you something. When it’s 90-100 degrees outside and 120 inside a church with no AC I am wearing shorts. Granted this only happens a few times a year where I live but I don’t find anything wrong with a decent pair of shorts or jeans for that matter. But until they start putting AC in churches I am going to be as comfortable as possible while still looking presentable.
 
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Petertherock:
Let me tell you something. When it’s 90-100 degrees outside and 120 inside a church with no AC I am wearing shorts. Granted this only happens a few times a year where I live but I don’t find anything wrong with a decent pair of shorts or jeans for that matter. But until they start putting AC in churches I am going to be as comfortable as possible while still looking presentable.
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When I was still a High Church Episcopalian, our church was not air conditioned, and the patronal feast always had the distinction of being the hottest day of the year. One year the choir loft hit 103, and the six large candles on the reredos bent over in the heat and crashed all over the sanctuary during the offertory.

Nobody ever would have dreamed of showing up in shorts. The acolytes wore cassock and surplice; clergy wore cassock, alb, amice, and chasuble (or dalmatic or tunicle). I credit those gentlemen with character and grit. Witnessing that level of commitment, the people in the pews responded with equivalent generosity. No. It wasn’t 50 years ago and it wasn’t a Park Avenue parish. It was the 1990s in a blue-collar congregation. It is a matter of personal standards and love of the Lord and his worship. The absence of such standards is one of the things converts have difficulty adjusting to in the Catholic Church.

I denigrate no one for rejecting the more demanding standard but I have a lot of respect for those who hold to it.
 
But somehow, the reasoning seems to be that because “people wore this in the past” we’re automatically supposed to wear it today. So people wore heavy wool suits in 95 degree weather in 1920. Well, what is so sacred about the year 1920? Why not go back to 1870, and dress like Ma and Pa Ingalls? Or for that matter, we could go back to the 1700s, and men could wear those velvet breeches, tights, and lace ruffles again. Or, we could go back to 2000 BC and wear bearskins. 🙂 OK, that’s silly, but I’m just pointing out that a style of clothing appropriate to one time and place shouldn’t necessarily be the standard for another time and place.

You are right. You are not getting it. The point was that clothes aren’t what make one hot, or even uncomfortable, necessarily. Who ever said that it was wrong to wear a light dress? Not me. But it is apparent from this thread that people have a million justifications to dress poorly in front of the Lord. None of them are worth anything.
 
Our family was running errands one Saturday & we weren’t looking our best. We drove by church & decided to go to mass. We’d never been to mass as a family in anything less than our best clothes.

Wouldn’t you know it, that Saturday we were asked to take up the offering. Our children had always wanted this honor, but we had never been asked until we looked our rattiest. Go figure!
 
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StratusRose:
Depends on which church I go to. If I go to mass on a college campus then I’ll wear jeans but if it’s an “adult” church I’l try to wear something more dressy. If I do wear jeans at an “adult” church I’ll sit in the back. All in all I don’t see a problem with it. If they’re nice pants with no rips or stains then it’s fine with me.
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I don’t see what the difference is? Mass is Mass. Where do people get these ideas from? Why so much dissent? Either one is Catholic or not.
 
otto22 said:
You are right. You are not getting it. The point was that clothes aren’t what make one hot, or even uncomfortable, necessarily. Who ever said that it was wrong to wear a light dress? Not me. But it is apparent from this thread that people have a million justifications to dress poorly in front of the Lord. None of them are worth anything.
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Huh? Are you sure you meant to reply to my post? I don’t remember saying anything about it being OK to “dress poorly in front of the Lord.” I was only talking about wearing clothing inappropriate for the climate, which, for some mysterious reason, is the only kind of clothing deemed appropriate for Mass by some. What I said, and what I still believe, is that just because people in the “olden days” may have worn heavy woolen suits in the hot summer weather, is no justification for anyone to have to dress like that today.

(In case you’re wondering, I usually wear lightweight dresses to Mass in the summer. 🙂 )

Crazy Internet Junkies Society
Carrier of the Angelic Sparkles Sprinkle Bag
 
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otto22:
shouldn’t necessarily be the standard for another time and place.

But it is apparent from this thread that people have a million justifications to dress poorly in front of the Lord. None of them are worth anything.
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Your opinion is duely noted. That is, however, all it is, an opinion.
If you want to dress a certain way for Mass, you have the right to do so. If someone else wishes to wear jeans, that’s their business…and it’s none of yours or mine. The word “poorly” is entirely subjective.
 
Dressing up for our King is a fine thing, although I wouldn’t look down on someone who wasn’t dressed up. You never know if someone can’t afford dressy clothing. However for those who want to dress up, there are dress clothes that are actually quite breezy and cool- cooler than jeans. Males can wear dress clothes that are cool. I don’t think the temperature issue is really a big deal, unless there’s a severe heat advisory, or one has health issues that may become upset because of the heat. With that said, the best form of clothing is modesty. While dressing up for our King is a fine thing, I recall to mind Saint Francis of Assisi in his day. He was bothered by people’s vanity, in society and in clothing. If we do dress up, we must be careful not to become prideful or look down on others. Modesty in dress the most important thing. Here’s a link for women that I find helpful:
❤️catholictradition.org/purity.htm❤️
 
Many valid points have been raised. I’m with the “jeans” wearers, however. I don’t believe the Lord judges me on my dress. I DO believe other parishioners judge me on my dress, and they don’t count.

Having a personal relationship with God means (to me) having him around me all the time. I pray in the morning, in the evening, in the car, while in line at the grocery store. He’s my friend, my confidant, my Savior. When I attend church, I’m congregating with other like-minded people to worship. Because I have this personal relationship with God, I don’t see the time spent in church as something astoundingly different from any other time I spend with God.

I’m most offended by worshipers who feel compelled to decide for me what type of dress they think God wants to see me in during Mass. I don’t have a personal relationship with the President, the Queen or the Prime Minister. I dress casual for God because He’s my Father and I feel close to Him. I do dress nicely on certain holidays, like Easter and Christmas, because those are special occasions and I like to treat them as such.
 
When I attend church, I’m congregating with other like-minded people to worship. Because I have this personal relationship with God, I don’t see the time spent in church as something astoundingly different from any other time I spend with God.
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Well, I am forced to ask if you are Catholic…
If not, then anything else I could say would be pointless as it refers to the Real Presence in the Eucharist…
While Mass is gathering with others to worship The Lord, it is The Sacrafice of Christ in the Eucharist…
When simple bread and humble wine are each turned into Christ’s full Body and Blood at Mass, that is why we are there… To witness this Amazing, Spectactular Feat…
Yes, We can have an Intimate Relationship with God, and should feel Comfortable near him, but Should we not also dress for reverence and respect while attending Mass because we have an intimate relationship?

If you were friends with the President, sure, you might lounge around in jeans and a t-shirt while hanging out with him and just days when your doing nothing…
But what if you attend a Dinner with him… Would you just wear jeans and a tshirt then as you two are friends?
If your Father was taking you somewhere special, or doing something extra special for you, would you dress nicely or just go in jeans…

Though, I agree one should not look at and judge others at Mass… As they apparently don’t have their mind on the correct thing…
 
Hi!

Hushpuppy is my friend and is just starting to rediscover her faith. I’m just so glad to have her back in Mass, that she could wear a clown costume (well, maybe not… 😉 )!

I ❤️ you, HP!
 
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hushpuppy:
I’m most offended by worshipers who feel compelled to decide for me what type of dress they think God wants to see me in during Mass. I don’t have a personal relationship with the President, the Queen or the Prime Minister.
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It is not about what we think God wants you to wear. Suppose He doesn’t care what you wear. That’s what makes dressing respectfully mean that much more. It is something we do out of love for Him even though it is not required.

Consider this: do you think that the priests should give up wearing fancy vestments and just come in jeans? I mean, it really doesn’t matter what we wear, right? Clothes are just superificial, aren’t they?

One of things I point out to my 8th grade SOR students is that God being infinite does not just mean nothing is too big for God. It is also means nothing is too small for God. His thoughts cannot be numbered, as it says in Psalms, and so He has a thought to spare about everything. Christ tells us that every hair on our heads is numbered. Everything we do, when done for the glory of God, matters.
 
Racer X:
Consider this: do you think that the priests should give up wearing fancy vestments and just come in jeans? I mean, it really doesn’t matter what we wear, right? Clothes are just superificial, aren’t they?
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I wouldn’t mind if the priests gave up their finery. I think scripturally speaking, dressing modestly is important, but not dressing “up.” I won’t argue this point as it appears to be a matter of opinion.

I don’t like our President, so I sure wouldn’t dress up for him. I’m surprised no one mentioned the girl’s volleyball team who visited the President in their best flip flops. :o
 
No one is going to die from heat stroke by not wearing beach clothes to Mass.

And if people insist on saying “God doesn’t care how we dress when we go to Mass,” why don’t they come to church naked, the way we were created? There is a cultural reason we wear clothes in the first place. And it is a matter of respect too.
 
if i were going into court… i wouldn’t wear jeans…
i’d dress to show my respect for the bench…

if i go to church, i dress to show my respect for
the church…

the respect i show to God, is shown in the way
i try to live my life, and the way i act toward others,
dress doesn’t enter into it…

the respect for church and for God are 2 different
things…

and i own lots of jeans… lol

🙂
 
Yes,I do.I’m not offending God by showing up in jeans.My devotion is more important,that’s what He really cares.:yup:
 
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Ham1:
Clearly, there is nothing immoral with wearing jeans to Church. However, I would say that in our culture jeans are too casual for Mass. In current society, commonly accepted business attire does not include jeans. You don’t show up in a business environment in jeans. You don’t go to a dinner party in jeans. You probably shouldn’t wear your jeans to Mass either. One’s attire at Mass should be a notch above the attire worn to mow the lawn or attend a baseball game.
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I work in jeans everyday and I work in an office, and I have worn them to dinner parties and worn them while throwing dinner parties.

I would never wear jeans mowing the lawn though. I don’t want grass stains on them. So I wear my frumpy old sweats. 😛
 
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mercygate:
Depends on where you are. I have a house in a rural town where clean jeans and a baseball cap are considered dressy.

At St. Vincent Ferrer on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan that woudn’t fly. :nope: It’s more cultural than religious, and as much class related as cultural. There is a spectrum of what is considered respectful/disrespectful.

Me? I’m a card-carrying fuddy-duddy. I don’t even own a pair of jeans.
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Is that a upper class church? I heard it is? I once was there when in New York: I did like the confessionals and the confession. The priest seems very smart, and holy.
 
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Isidore_AK:
You don’t want to see me in what I wear when I mow the lawn (OLD Army PT shorts & T-Shirt. They’re pretty ratty…).

Jeans are about the nicest pants I own- I don’t own a suit or slacks, and I’m not going to buy them just to wear to church. I don’t have money to spend on that. I wear the best pair of jeans I own (3 pairs, these are my work clothes), and I usually wear one of my better T-shirts (plain black or navy). I wear a fleece vest or jean jacket anyway, so whatever shirt I wear is usually covered.

I don’t know how many of y’all are ‘low-income’, but from down here (my income level that is), I get pretty offended when people tell me what I wear to Mass isn’t good enough. All of my private bits are well covered, I’m not wearing anything offensive, and I’m clean. What more do you want? Other people have mentioned dinner parties, or the President…but you know what? I’d wear the same thing I do to Church, & if thats a problem, then I guess I’m just not good enough for you…

I wouldn’t go to some stupid dinner party anyway…
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Forget about the dinner party, what about a Funeral or a Wedding? Truly, you don’t have to spend alot of money on a basic black or navy dress/skirt/ or pants for special occasions. I wear the same type thing for Mass. But that’s how I was raised. Sunday best dosen’t have to be extravagant, expensive or formal. This issue has been talked to death here on the forums. There is clearly no right or wrong answer. Just opinions. Everybody’s got one. For me, the bottom line is that I am going someplace special when I go to Mass, so I dress modestly, reverently and alot nicer than I would if I were going shopping, cookout etc. That’s my:twocents: .
 
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