I suggest a few norms and I hope you’ll supply your own as well:
1. Men should wear formal shoes to Church. We used to call these hard shoes (because they were) but today many formal shoes are actually quite comfortable.
2. Men should wear trousers (not jeans).
3. Men should never wear shorts to Church.
4. Men should wear a decent shirt, preferably a button down shirt. If it is a pullover shirt it should include a collar. Wearing a plain t-shirt without a collar is too informal.
5. Men should consider wearing a tie to Church and in cooler weather, a suit coat. Some may consider this a bit too stuffy and formal but who knows, you might be a trend setter!
6. Now as I talk about women I know I’ll get in some trouble!
7. Women should wear decent shoes to Church. Flip flops, beach sandals etc. seem inappropriate.
8. Women should not wear shorts to Church.
9. Women, if they wear pants, should never wear jeans to Church. Some nice slacks that are not too tight can be fine.
10. Women should consider wearing a dress or at least a skirt in preference to pants. It just looks a bit more formal than pants.
11. Women should wear a nice blouse (if they are not wearing a full dress). The blouse or shirt they wear should not be too tight.
12. Sleeveless garments are pushing it a bit but can be acceptable.
13. Women should never wear tank tops, tube tops, spaghetti straps, or bare midriffs to Church.
14. Well, you may have at this list. Add or subtract as you will.
1 comment:
1) Men should remove their hats when entering the church.
2) Women should retain their hats, or otherwise cover their heads, when entering the church.
3) Men, women and children need to wear their "Sunday best," even if they are assisting at Mass on a day other than Sunday. While some may not have the means to buy expensive clothes, most are able to afford respectable and modest clothing.
- For men, this usually includes a pair of dress pants, a button up shirt, a tie and a suit coat. In essence, a man should at least wear something as respectable as if he were going for a job interview or meeting a dignitary (e.g. the Governor, President, etc.). Another decent rule of thumb, which is increasingly considered too "stuffy" itself, is to wear similar clothing as you would to a relative's wedding.
- For women, this usually includes a modest skirt and blouse or dress. While my wife can testify finding modest clothing is difficult, it can and should be done!
Various circumstances may prohibit this norm, such as a farmer coming in directly from the fields, but should really be observed more in practice than in the breech. It seems to me that one of the best ways to introduce more modesty in dress at Mass or to instruct young girls about modesty is for females to wear some sort of head covering. The custom (law) that requires men to remove their hats when entering a building (especially a church) is derived from the same source that requires women to wear a head covering. I pose that if people, and women in particular, believe that the rule of men removing their hats upon entering the church is still the norm, then they should also believe likewise about the rule of women's head coverings.
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