Women's Dress

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Does the Church have any official teachings on how women are to dress?
 
Yes. They are most certainly expected to dress, but it is left up to them if they put on the right pant leg first or the left.
 
When determining what to wear, I ask myself “Would Mary wear something like this? Would I like to meet Mary while I’m wearing this, or would I be embarrassed?”
 
grasscutter said:
Yes. They are most certainly expected to dress, but it is left up to them if they put on the right pant leg first or the left.
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😃
You forget, underwear first. THEN the right or left pantleg, or even both pantlegs if one prefers.
(Apologies to the OP, I know that your question was asked in sincerity.)

I predict that this thread will be short-lived.
:stretcher:
 
Catholic4Jesus said:
Does the Church have any official teachings on how women are to dress?
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You might want to check the Catechism or ask a priest or nun. I don’t know.

During my time in the Church, I always dressed modestly. I’m not a skirt or dress person, but I wore nice dress pants and a nice blouse or shirt. For more casual occasions, I would wear a shirt and jeans.

I have seen women wear dresses, skirts, pants, or jeans depending on the parish. I know some lay Catholic women wear veils but I have never seen this in church.

Dress also might depend on local custom.

I would suggest modesty in dress.
 
I asked my priest about proper attire last September, since he teaching my RCIA class. He stated we should wear the best we can without worrying about breaking the bank. He also said “Mass is a dinner party for Christ Himself; hence we should dress appropriately for our divine Guest.” He also stated when people wear jeans, t-shirts, shorts, flip-flops, etc, this shows the apathy they have for coming to Mass. Then he said he does not judge because he does not know their economic situation.

Here in the South I like to dress up, heels, hose, dresses, pants, skirts. I almost forgot, I was told women’s shoulders must be covered, no sundresses without a jacket or sweater.

Just think business casual, if that helps. Don’t stress and try the thrift stores.
 
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, which Pope John Paul II called “a sure norm for teaching the faith” says:
2521 Purity requires modesty, an integral part of temperance. Modesty protects the intimate center of the person. It means refusing to unveil what should remain hidden. It is ordered to chastity to whose sensitivity it bears witness. It guides how one looks at others and behaves toward them in conformity with the dignity of persons and their solidarity.
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2522 Modesty protects the mystery of persons and their love. It encourages patience and moderation in loving relationships; it requires that the conditions for the definitive giving and commitment of man and woman to one another be fulfilled. Modesty is decency. It inspires one’s choice of clothing. It keeps silence or reserve where there is evident risk of unhealthy curiosity. It is discreet.
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2523 There is a modesty of the feelings as well as of the body. It protests, for example, against the voyeuristic explorations of the human body in certain advertisements, or against the solicitations of certain media that go too far in the exhibition of intimate things. Modesty inspires a way of life which makes it possible to resist the allurements of fashion and the pressures of prevailing ideologies.
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2528 “Everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Mt 5:28).
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Jkita said:
Just think business casual, if that helps. Don’t stress and try the thrift stores.
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Most of my wardrobe came from thrift stores. Depending on your location, you can find excellent clothing there for very little money!
 
The Catechism of the Catholic Church says you should be dressed up if you are going to receive the Eucharist.
1387 To prepare for worthy reception of this sacrament, the faithful should observe the fast required in their Church.220 Bodily demeanor (gestures, clothing) ought to convey the respect, solemnity, and joy of this moment when Christ becomes our guest.
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Catholic4Jesus said:
Does the Church have any official teachings on how women are to dress?
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There are no official specifications on what exactly to be worn for either women or men. This sign should give you a general guideline, though
 
Jkita said:
I asked my priest about proper attire last September, since he teaching my RCIA class. He stated we should wear the best we can without worrying about breaking the bank. He also said “Mass is a dinner party for Christ Himself; hence we should dress appropriately for our divine Guest.” He also stated when people wear jeans, t-shirts, shorts, flip-flops, etc, this shows the apathy they have for coming to Mass. Then he said he does not judge because he does not know their economic situation.

Here in the South I like to dress up, heels, hose, dresses, pants, skirts. I almost forgot, I was told women’s shoulders must be covered, no sundresses without a jacket or sweater.

Just think business casual, if that helps. Don’t stress and try the thrift stores.
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I LOVE this analogy… I confess to always being careful about my dress at Mass or when attending any church events. Always a dress or skirt and hose. Not sure about bare legs although we do not have the extreme heat of some climates so I understand why some may not want to wear stockings…

On another thread we had suggestions to “dress for success” without as you said breaking the bank. Thrift and resale shops and I go to Ebay where I find very nice clothes for work or Mass in great condition and for a fraction of the original price. I get many compliments on a dress I bought for $5 at a company close out. Honestly given the price of jeans, I don’t think they are chosen because they are inexpensive!

I don’t really notice what other people wear other than if it’s very distracting. Some of the young ladies tend to extremely short skirts or low cut tops or short shorts which are a little over the top although I guess we should be happy to have teens at Mass despite the dress issue. We do have one young woman who always sits in the front pew, she wears pants that do not fit at the waist and she bends over frequently giving everyone behind her a view of her underwear or what’s underneath :eek: Definitely TMI.

BTW a couple of the older ladies wear a scarf or veil, not obtrusive or full cover but just something on the head. I understand this was required at some point in the past.

Lisa
 
Nothing official on specifics (dresses/skirts vs women’s pants, turtleneck vs bateau neck, cotton vs polyester, etc), but here’s the guidelines for entering the Vatican Churches. As you can see from the picture, women are in both skirts and pants and shirts with sleeves. Men are in pants with sleeved shirts. I don’t know about men wearing kilts in there, but that’s a cultural thing, like robes on men.
 
LisaA said:
Some of the young ladies tend to extremely short skirts or low cut tops or short shorts which are a little over the top although I guess we should be happy to have teens at Mass despite the dress issue. We do have one young woman who always sits in the front pew, she wears pants that do not fit at the waist and she bends over frequently giving everyone behind her a view of her underwear or what’s underneath :eek: Definitely TMI.
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Wow… :eek:

I’ve never thought much about what to wear to church (or anywhere, ever). Nothing in my wardobe is revealing, but very little of it is dressy because I hate nice clothes (even if I wore them, they wouldn’t be nice for very long! :p). I don’t think of wearing jeans to mass as disrespectful… But then, I’d wear jeans to almost any king of social gathering except a school dance. Assuming I wasn’t so lazy as to grab my school uniform, which is at least a 50% chance. 😊

One thing I’m not clear on- is this thread about how to dress for mass, or how to dress in general? Or both?
 
Kamaduck said:
Wow… :eek:

I’ve never thought much about what to wear to church (or anywhere, ever). Nothing in my wardobe is revealing, but very little of it is dressy because I hate nice clothes (even if I wore them, they wouldn’t be nice for very long! :p). I don’t think of wearing jeans to mass as disrespectful… But then, I’d wear jeans to almost any king of social gathering except a school dance. Assuming I wasn’t so lazy as to grab my school uniform, which is at least a 50% chance. 😊

One thing I’m not clear on- is this thread about how to dress for mass, or how to dress in general? Or both?
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I just think things have changed with respect to appropriate dress. Used to be a concept of “Sunday best” clothes for church. At school until I was a junior in high school, we still had to wear dresses or skirts everyday. Now even at what I’d consider formal occasions, people in this area wear jeans or even shorts/cargo pants. Very casual. I was at the ballet and everything from formal gowns to ratty jeans was the dress code.

I think of Mass as going to God’s house to meet Christ in the Holy Eucharist. I would feel very odd in jeans but I suspect I’m much older than you. I think that’s the reality of a different generation. As to the thread I think it relates to attending Mass or other church event.

Lisa
 
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