Go here to read the story. Most things old eventually become new again. My mother prior to Vatican II always covered her head and sometimes wore a veil. To my childish eyes she always looked mysterious when she wore the veil, and it underlined in my mind that Mass was solemn, important and something well beyond my understanding. What do our cadre of female commenters think about this development?
I have dozens of veils in all of the liturgical colors and several in blue. As veiling was never outlawed this is a positive development! I have veiled for over twenty years and am not the only one at my NO parish! Lead by example!
I wouldn’t mind wearing a veil and my daughter would probably like to as well – she likes nice headbands and other hair gear – but I have always hesitated to do so for fear of looking “holier than thou” or standing out too much from everyone else. I do occasionally see one or two other women at Mass wearing veils at larger parishes.
Elaine, I think the question is not what others might think but whether wearing the veil would aid in your attention during Mass.
Our pastor has stressed the importance of modest dress. He publicly instructs the men to never come to Mass in golf shorts, but always pants. Blue jeans are frowned upon.
Women’s skirts the hem, must be below the knee. No yoga pants or spandex. Blouses must be properly buttoned.
I have multiple acquaintances who wear veils.
I believe this definition of modesty fits them as a reason to wear them. Taken off the internet;
Taken together, these aspects of biblical modesty help to give us a working definition. Modesty is a respectable manner of adorning one’s body and carrying oneself, born out of a freedom from a worldly definition of beauty and worth, and motivated by a hatred of sin and a desire to draw attention to God.
1st Corinthians 11:2-16
2 I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions just as I handed them on to you. 3 But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the husband[a] is the head of his wife,[b] and God is the head of Christ. 4 Any man who prays or prophesies with something on his head disgraces his head, 5 but any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled disgraces her head—it is one and the same thing as having her head shaved. 6 For if a woman will not veil herself, then she should cut off her hair; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or to be shaved, she should wear a veil. 7 For a man ought not to have his head veiled, since he is the image and reflection[c] of God; but woman is the reflection[d] of man. 8 Indeed, man was not made from woman, but woman from man. 9 Neither was man created for the sake of woman, but woman for the sake of man. 10 For this reason a woman ought to have a symbol of[e] authority on her head,[f] because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man or man independent of woman. 12 For just as woman came from man, so man comes through woman; but all things come from God. 13 Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head unveiled? 14 Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair, it is degrading to him, 15 but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering. 16 But if anyone is disposed to be contentious—we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.
We attend an FSSP parish in North Idaho. A woman without a veil is an anomaly here 🙂
My wife picked it up well before we moved out here before we stumbled across the FSSP.
When we went to a NO parish on the coast; we were out of place as I always wore a suit and my wife always wore a dress and veil to mass…
Way too casual over there. Crop tops and sweatpants are far more common on the coast than anything reverent.
“The question is not what others might think but whether wearing the veil would aid in your attention during Mass.”
I’m not sure that it would, I’d probably be constantly fiddling with it and trying to reposition it or keep it from falling off. I already have a bad habit of constantly fiddling with hair tie-backs and headbands. That’s the other thing, wearing a veil would be MORE distracting to me than not wearing one, unless I stuck with it long enough to get used to it, I suppose.
Elaine-
Perhaps being aware of the veil and fiddling with it is superior to being aware of the hair tie since it is seeking to serve a superior purpose (ie reverence to God vs simply practical hair control)
Disclaimer: Thoughts from a man who has never sported long hair…
Elaine Krewer.
Just my observations at Mass.
I don’t notice women making numerous adjustments to their veils.
I do see a great teaching tool for the young daughters of the mothers who do wear them.
In a world of extreme immodesty these mom’s are battling a fierce enemy. God bless them.
As for your personal use, it might not be your thing. Will that change the love God has for you?
Ofcourse not.
🙏🙂
Well, I don’t currently have a full veil but I do have a very wide white lace elastic headband that could, maybe, pass for one of those small head coverings that were common in the pre-Vatican II era so I might try wearing that to Mass regularly and see what effect it has.
Word on the street–I’m getting this from the junior Marines and Sailors I work with–is that Millennials and Gen-Zers, if they are religious, are looking for formal, liturgical worship. The “feel-good, free-to-be-you-and-me hootenanny”style of worship has reportedly become distatsteful if not ridiculous to them. Deo gratias!
There are many women who wear veils at our church. Middle aged mostly but I do see some young ones with them on. All different colors. Haven’t heard any catty remarks about veiled women. A new religious goods store carries them and of course veils can be bought online. On a trip to Spain many years ago my mother, grandmother and I bought veils. Theirs were black and mine was white. I’m tempted to dig out my grandmother’s long black veil she bought in Spain. My white one if I could find it is full of holes.
Normally I wear a wide brimmed hat to church, not to stand out although I have gotten compliments, but as a sign of respect. Plus it helps to avoid skin cancer in a hot southern state and it also pleases my husband who buys me hats.
According to a Bible study that I took St. Paul’s comment about women covering their head was in response to the pagan worship practices of the time. The general sequence for pagan worship was for there to a sacrifice to a pagan god. The meat was served in attached dining halls or sold in meat markets. The people in the dining halls got drunk and engaged in sexual orgies. In the pagan temples women who wore their hair down meant that they were sexually available. Proper women wore their hair up.
“is that Millennials and Gen-Zers, if they are religious, are looking for formal, liturgical worship. The “feel-good, free-to-be-you-and-me hootenanny”style of worship has reportedly become distatsteful if not ridiculous to them. Deo gratias!”
I am in a large suburban parish that we joined 30 years ago that went from one being led by a kindly Irish priest, to a hootenanny priest who left the priesthood to find himself to a fairly young priest who immediately turned over the temple tables. He did this by introducing select Latin responses and incense during the Mass thus scandalizing the mostly 60’s crowd that was disturbed by the banishing of David Haas and Dan Schutte songs. They complained but he politely responded as pastors often do with “Thank you for your feedback but I’m the pastor, so…” Many of the scandalized left to a nearby parish so there was a drop-off in attendance, but our kindly pastor quickly followed up with refurbishing the Church with sacred art, statues and moving our relic wall from the chapel to the main space (looks like a Catholic church now instead of a protestant one). David Haas is mostly banished with music being predominant singing of the Psalms and Antiphons. We now have adult acolytes that also serve to train younger acolytes who went from being all girls to mostly boys. Somehow (!!!) attendance and people joining the parish went up with dress and behavior being more reverent. Pertinent to the topic, many women (including many younger with 3-5 kids in tow) in increasing number wear veils and we no longer have to remind people about appropriate dress. We now typically have between 150 and 250 people at daily Mass and the Church is full at 5 Sunday Masses. So, Fr., my point is that while Jesus built it, if you show the beauty of the Faith and the Church, especially from times gone by, they will come!
Elaine Krewer, I understand your fear of looking “holier than thou”. Particularly, being close to 5’10”, I always feel like I stick out like a sore thumb. I do have an “infinity” veil, exactly like the one the woman at the top of the article is wearing (Think long lace Moebius strip), which I wear entirely too infrequently. I need to work on this. BTW, when I first wore it, it would slip and fall like crazy. Tried pins and clips. Eventually, something worked itself out and now it will stay on all on its own.
The things we learn on T-A-C. I had to look up Moebius which made me
realize that I have a silver Moebius bangle that is engraved with St. Paul’s “Love is patient;:Love is kind; Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth, etc.” I have given the bracelete to a few very close female friends on their special anniversaries. Most of us had that New Testament reading at our nuptials. When we get frustrated with our spouses it reminds us of why we married our fellas and perhaps we should look in the mirror.
I have been wearing a veil for about 7 years. I have several and carry one in my purse. At my very reverent Novus Ordo parish, many ladies, even young women and girls wear veils especially at daily Mass. When I go to other Novus Ordo parishes, I might be one of a handful or sometimes, I have been the only one. When I attend a TLM, almost every (99%) of the ladies wear a veil and a dress. The men are also well dressed. At the Novus Ordo, too many men in the summer in shorts and sandals.