Would tattoos offend a traditionalist Catholic?

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Godefridus

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I am courting a mind-meltingly beautiful, faithful, intelligent young woman who is an SSPX sympathizer. Seriously, romance novels couldn’t invent someone more perfect than her. It might be sappy, but talking to her makes me believe God sent an angel to this earth just for me. I want to be her St. Joseph. I want to build a mansion just for her. Seriously, the fact that she gives me the time of day should make all of you insanely jealous. :p:p:p

Courting, yes, because traditionalists don’t “date”. 🙂

Two years ago we actually tried to start a relationship but we were both a lot more rigid back then and we couldn’t get over the religious differences.

Now, we’re looking at granting each other every possible concession within the bounds of our consciences. I am writing to the relevant Catholic authorities about our situation, seeing if I can, without sinning, occasionally join her for Mass with her SSPX community, including receiving Communion. At the same time, she is willing to respect that I must obey whatever those authorities say. Whether she will continue seeing me even if they say “no”, remains to be seen.

Anyway, that’s all background stuff. Now the question. I’m pretty sure there is no Catholic moral prohibition against tattoos. However, I have been to Catholic churches where the priest condemned it, calling it “self-mutilation”. I’ve been wanting to get a 5-6" tall shoulder tattoo that I designed myself, essentially summing up my theology. (I’d put a cross in the center).

Before I open the topic with her (I’m still in “make a good impression” mode) I thought I would bring it up here and see what traditional Catholics had to say on the issue.
 
If you already had the tattoo and told her it was something you did in that past that you now regret, her and her family might give you a pass; but telling her you are thinking of getting one now is not going to be good. If you are currently a 9 in her book, you will quickly drop to a 6.
 
Godefridus said:
I am courting a mind-meltingly beautiful, faithful, intelligent young woman who is an SSPX sympathizer. Seriously, romance novels couldn’t invent someone more perfect than her. It might be sappy, but talking to her makes me believe God sent an angel to this earth just for me. I want to be her St. Joseph. I want to build a mansion just for her. Seriously, the fact that she gives me the time of day should make all of you insanely jealous. :p:p:p

Courting, yes, because traditionalists don’t “date”. 🙂

Two years ago we actually tried to start a relationship but we were both a lot more rigid back then and we couldn’t get over the religious differences.

Now, we’re looking at granting each other every possible concession within the bounds of our consciences. I am writing to the relevant Catholic authorities about our situation, seeing if I can, without sinning, occasionally join her for Mass with her SSPX community, including receiving Communion. At the same time, she is willing to respect that I must obey whatever those authorities say. Whether she will continue seeing me even if they say “no”, remains to be seen.

Anyway, that’s all background stuff. Now the question. I’m pretty sure there is no Catholic moral prohibition against tattoos. However, I have been to Catholic churches where the priest condemned it, calling it “self-mutilation”. I’ve been wanting to get a 5-6" tall shoulder tattoo that I designed myself, essentially summing up my theology. (I’d put a cross in the center).

Before I open the topic with her (I’m still in “make a good impression” mode) I thought I would bring it up here and see what traditional Catholics had to say on the issue.
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It would not even come up because traditional Catholics don’t reveal skin to one another.

There was a saint who branded himself, why don’t you pray to him before talking to her about it. (Don’t remember who it was)
 
I hate to get too far off topic, but don’t get the tattoo!!!

Ask anyone who has one, and has had it for a while. I guarantee you that 9 out of 10 of them will tell you that they wish they hadn’t gotten them. I have several that I wish I had not gotten; not for ideological reasons or anything like that, but because they fade and look bad. I’ve had mine for about 12 years and I regret all of them.

Do yourself a favor and stay away from the ink!

(OK, I just had to get that out there).

🙂
 
A tattoo about theology doesn’t really sound very cool, hahaha. 😛 That’s the first time I’ve ever heard someone say, “I want to be her St. Joseph”. Wow, you guys are very traditional. 😃

I think you should just ask her for her own opinion before you go doing anything else. If she’s as rigid as you describe, I very much doubt that she’d like the idea.
 
My husband has a small tattoo on his wrist from his youth. It’s a simple, little rose. I hate it. My instinct tells me that the young woman you are courting would be dismayed if you show up on her front porch some evening sporting your religiously-themed-self-mutilation 😃
 
I’ve thought about getting one but I doubt I will. Even though I may have an insanely cool Celtic Cross on my arm, that will be hard to explain to my grandchildren or parishioners! 😃
 
Yours_Truly said:
If you already had the tattoo and told her it was something you did in that past that you now regret, her and her family might give you a pass; but telling her you are thinking of getting one now is not going to be good. If you are currently a 9 in her book, you will quickly drop to a 6.
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Actually she comes from a very religiously diverse family. I think the parents are rank-and-file Novus Ordo Catholics; but her siblings, aunts, and uncles range from Protestant to atheist. She’s the only trad Catholic; she discovered it in her late teens.

But your advice is very well put.
There was a saint who branded himself, why don’t you pray to him before talking to her about it. (Don’t remember who it was)
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Google search is hopeless. Too many people branding themselves with saints to find a web page about a branded saint. 🙂
Ask anyone who has one, and has had it for a while. I guarantee you that 9 out of 10 of them will tell you that they wish they hadn’t gotten them.
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My experience is different, but that might be because most of my friends aren’t religious. I live in a big city, and among my generation it seems more people have tattoos than don’t. I know I know, “If everybody jumped off a bridge, would you, too?” Actually, that sounds kind of fun…
A tattoo about theology doesn’t really sound very cool, hahaha. 😛
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You kiddin’? In the world of tattoos–a world of misinterpreted kanji, misshapen yin-yangs, and “I love -]Joe/-] -]Frank/-] Matt,” a theological tattoo (and one that I’ve written essays on) is awesome by comparison. But that’s not saying much.
That’s the first time I’ve ever heard someone say, “I want to be her St. Joseph”. Wow, you guys are very traditional. 😃
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Actually I’m just a knowledgable Novus Ordo. I can explain why your average NO is theologically bankrupt, but I attend my high school’s jiggy-wit-it Mass without batting an eyelash (I’m a teacher, not a student). If we’re going strictly for theological depth, IMO the Byzantine rite trumps the old Roman Missal. But both are preferable to the Mickey Mouse showtune singalongs most of us are subjected to.

(Can you see why she likes me? :P)
My husband has a small tattoo on his wrist from his youth. It’s a simple, little rose. I hate it.
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This just about clinches it for me. I would hate to inflict something like that on my beloved. But could you go into more detail about precisely what you hate about it? Especially given that it is so small.
 
To be quite honest, I don’t see why people get tattoo’s in the first place…but that’s just “me”. Everyone I know who has one (or several) wishes they’d never done it.

Given the enormous choices of tatto’s, it would depend on how “radical” a one you would get…so if you are unsure of how it will be received by this woman or her family, etc., why not try one of the temporary or “removable” one’s first? Better to find out with a fake one than a real one.
 
IrishDude45 said:
I’ve thought about getting one but I doubt I will. Even though I may have an insanely cool Celtic Cross on my arm, that will be hard to explain to my grandchildren or parishioners! 😃
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Don’t worry - my dad, an old-enough-to-know-better, old-enough-not-to-care gent in his 60s, a few years back got a good-looking Tau (St Francis’) Cross on his forearm.

It suits him, his grandchildren think it’s cool, his patients (yes, he’s a doctor) frankly don’t really care - even Mum doesn’t mind, and I thought she’d hit the roof (he did it when he went overseas without her)
 
Getting a tat with your theology is great – until your theology changes, or matures, or whatever. Talk about embarrassing!

Actually, I don’t get tattoos; I mean, i don’t understanding getting ones body tattooed. Must be my generation.

This goes on your permanent record, so to speak. So, choose well.
 
You have to decide what’s right for you and your potential relationship. Everyone here is giving opinion/personal experience. That’s not to say that your decision will have the same results as theirs. I myself have six. Each one represents a part of my life and where I was at that point. It is easy to see the evolution of the subject matter if I show them to someone chronologically. Perhaps, after consulting your intended, you could try a henna tattoo before committing to the ink!:cool:
 
Godefridus said:
I am courting a mind-meltingly beautiful, faithful, intelligent young woman who is an SSPX sympathizer. Seriously, romance novels couldn’t invent someone more perfect than her. It might be sappy, but talking to her makes me believe God sent an angel to this earth just for me. I want to be her St. Joseph. I want to build a mansion just for her. Seriously, the fact that she gives me the time of day should make all of you insanely jealous. :p:p:p

Courting, yes, because traditionalists don’t “date”. 🙂

Two years ago we actually tried to start a relationship but we were both a lot more rigid back then and we couldn’t get over the religious differences.

Now, we’re looking at granting each other every possible concession within the bounds of our consciences. I am writing to the relevant Catholic authorities about our situation, seeing if I can, without sinning, occasionally join her for Mass with her SSPX community, including receiving Communion. At the same time, she is willing to respect that I must obey whatever those authorities say. Whether she will continue seeing me even if they say “no”, remains to be seen.

Anyway, that’s all background stuff. Now the question. I’m pretty sure there is no Catholic moral prohibition against tattoos. However, I have been to Catholic churches where the priest condemned it, calling it “self-mutilation”. I’ve been wanting to get a 5-6" tall shoulder tattoo that I designed myself, essentially summing up my theology. (I’d put a cross in the center).

Before I open the topic with her (I’m still in “make a good impression” mode) I thought I would bring it up here and see what traditional Catholics had to say on the issue.
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You are permitted to attend the SSPX. Whether or not you can receive, depends on the spirit in which you attend. Are you attending in a schismatic (even though they are not schismatic) mindset? Or are you attending because they offer the Extraordinary Form, and you are attached to it?

As to the tattoo, I don’t like it. But, I also don’t promote/support tattoos.
 
Godefridus said:
Actually she comes from a very religiously diverse family. I think the parents are rank-and-file Novus Ordo Catholics; but her siblings, aunts, and uncles range from Protestant to atheist. She’s the only trad Catholic; she discovered it in her late teens.
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Why don’t you ask her? 😛 My sweetie has a very large tattoo, which he got long before we met, that he’s very proud of. I am … less happy about it …

And I’m a quite liberal Protestant. Definitely ask her what she personally thinks about them.
 
i would ask her about it then if she does not mind you getting one you should ask her to go with you to get tattooed.

i have 2 tattoos (1 small and 1 medium sized) so i’m biased but i didn’t hide it from my friends or family. actually my family came with me to get my 1st tattoo and a couple of family members received touch ups or got a new one at the same time.

that being said, i always wanted to get the image of the sacred heart of jesus as a full back tattoo like my father. but the pain of the 2nd tattoo stopped that idea.

in my experience having a tattoo is a great way to meet people and share your experiences. you’d be really surprised how many people have religious tattoos and will share their stories with you. it’s a great way to share the faith in a different way.

i hope that helps.
 
Excuse me for getting off thread but what is a “rank-and-file Novus Ordo Catholic?” And why is the title of this thread “…offend a traditionalist Catholic?”

WE ARE ALL CATHOLIC. 😦

As to the self mutilation, if you look in the Leviticus (I forget the Chapter and Verse) you will find that people with tattoos are among those deserving of being stoned to death.

Just a thought!
 
Stop! Put down the tattoo needle, and step back!

Tattoos are stupid and sleazy, and having one WILL make a lot of people (Catholic and non-Catholic) think that you’re dumb or scum or both. Sorry tattoo fans, but that’s the truth.

Now, some might say, ‘Be a rebel! If you want it, go for it! What do you care what other people think?’ Obviously, that mentality is inapplicable in your case, because if you thought that way, you wouldn’t have asked this question in the first place.
 
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