Posted on 05/20/2015 4:00:09 PM PDT by markomalley
From a reader…
QUAERITUR:
I have noticed at the Traditional Latin Mass I attend that the women cover their heads with their veils once their sit down in their pews. [?!?] I was told by a friend that the norm years ago was that women veiled their heads before their entered the church and took off their veils once they stepped out of church, not once they sat down in their pews. [!] Which is the proper way for women who veil their heads? Are the women who veil once they enter their pews doing anything wrong? Should the priest(s) address this?
Ahhhh…. such an important question!
Boy are you onto something!
Yes, there is an exact way for the veil to be worn and when it should be put on.
As far as the act of veiling is concerned, it should be done no farther than 20 meters from the lowest step of the church’s door.
Moving on, the edge of the veil should be drawn precisely 4.25cm from the critical angle of the hairdo’s forward arc. Centimeters, mind you.
I suggest that you keep records on this. Using a clipboard, start tracking stats for the actual veiling, changing doors each week. Then, perhaps after Mass and after women have had a chance to say their thanksgiving prayers, using a discreet measuring device… perhaps some sort of caliper… measure the width of the “draw”.
You would do a real service for the pastor were you able to chart this out, perhaps with graphs (priests can be a bit flummoxed by tables of numbers and such). That way Father can intervene with stern admonitions when veils are being improperly deployed.
You have your mission!
And remember, there are no longer any canonical penalties for veiling in the wrong place or with the incorrect draw. Okay? That’s key! We aren’t judgmental about these things anymore. For a couple years now we are being more merciful.
I would hope that this caveat is not necessary (but fear that it is): I hope that all recognize that Father Z is practicing the ancient art of sarcasm here...
Yes, I figured he was being sarcastic. But I’m not sure why. Women don’t have to wear veils any more, but it seems legitimate to ask what was customary before the rules were thrown in the trash.
Basically, women were expected to wear veils or hats at the same boundaries where men removed them. Men still are expected to remove their hats in church. The correct boundary is the door between the vestibule and the church. Men are allowed to wear hats in the vestibule, I suppose so they won’t be struck down by the cold when they go through the outer door in winter. I presume it would be the same for women.
Of course, it was unthinkable for a gentleman or a lady to go outside in the old days without a hat, and that custom has changed, too—no reference to the Church.
Yes mine wasn’t a satirical representation of veil wearing woman worshipping in Catholic Churches
Yours on the other hand gives me the understanding that mannikins worship freely and are Roman Catholic
That’s quite lovely.
Yep. And a black veil (or mantilla) if married or widowed.
Very nice.
In grade-school, the girls always had their chapel veils on before we entered the Church. If you forgot yours, you had to use a paper towel and pin it to top of your head.
Precisely.
I love to wear mine.
I agree.
Though I am not Catholic, I was surprised at the strong sarcasm in answer to what seemed to be a sincere question.
I have a burqa.
I wore it in Riyadh.
:*(
This custom strikes me as graceful, feminine, and respectful.
Back in Catholic school we always put them on before we went into the church. We put them on in the classroom so if someone didn’t have theirs the teachers/nuns would know right away and they’d have to wear a hankie on their heads.
Remember the little round doilies you also could wear? They came in black or white and were held on top of the head with a stick pin or bobby pin.
I agree and have thought so since I was a little girl, admiring all the beautiful ladies in Church, back when ladies always wore hats, scarves or black veils.
I remember Jackie Kennedy’s beautiful black veils.
Bummer for you to have had to wear it.
If the occupant of the white hut has his way sharia law would require it be worn here
Oh, I remember the pictures of her on the day of JFK’s funeral. The veil added a certain poignancy to the images.
I was there for a short time during which I only saw 2 other females- one was a hotel guest and the other was the woman at the security check in the airport. She was in a separate room and wanded me, the whole time avoiding all eye contact.
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