Btw, if/when I do not have a skirt of slacks available to me (traveling, backed up on laundry, etc), my rule is to dress like I would dress on a date: nice jeans, heels, nice blouse, jewelry, make-up, etc. ??
I’m glad someone mentioned jeans and heels. That’s something I wear to church also if I do not have “church clothes” available for whatever reason. Dark jeans are nice, and flattering, and paired with heels, a nice top and a blazer can be quite dressy (that’s actually erring on the dressy side for me because I’m something of a tomboy!) For daily mass if I make it there, I’ve been known to show up in anything from scrubs to sweats (to my understanding daily mass can be much more casual), but occasionally I will dress up a little. I tend to observe what others wear to daily mass or Sunday mass and go from there with my own wardrobe.
OK Sarah, well noted. For the record we have had discussions on the blog pertaining to men and modesty: I have not noticed that men wear tight jeans much, but to be honest, I don’t pay that much attention to men ??
Not to turn this very worthwhile article into a fashion commentary but it might be worth mentioning (as the men here, and the Monseignor as well, appear not to appreciate) today’s fashions are designed for the most part for the under 25 female …not for the mature woman….regardless of price! However that being said it is still possible for most of us to find appropriate clothing for Church. As many have mentioned, the non-Catholics do not seem to have this problem. If you stand outside any Protestant Church you will notice the entering congregants in dresses, perhaps an occasional appropriate pant suit, and the men in jackets and ties. Try the same exercise in front of most if not all Catholic Churches on any given Sunday and you will think the “beach crowd” has been mis-directed. Since so few times, if ever, are we reminded of this truth from the pulpit, it would appear we have either forgotten or rejected this truth. Yes, God cares what is in our hearts…but our clothing often indicates outwardly that our hearts are indifferent to this Reality. What kind of witness to truth are WE presenting with such indifference? Tomorrow I must attend the occasion of the funeral of one of our teen-age parishioners. A very sad event….and one at which I can almost guarantee everyone, from the youngest to the oldest, will be appropriately dressed out of respect for the ily. Do we not owe the same respect to He who died for our salvation? After all, every Mass is a BANQUET as well as a re-presentation of Calvary’s Cross! Let us dress as if we REALLY believed that!
Although I like to wear trousers and a shirt (and my Dad always wears a tie to Mass), I am often very much aware that there are those among us whose clothes are ragged and unclean because of personal circumstances
Although I am all for modesty, I feel that once modesty is accounted for, the issue of dress is rather more complex than is being given due.
The irony is that only in the Catholic Church do we have the Real Presence…Jesus present to us in a SUBSTANTIAL way
Apart from the difficulties a daily Mass goer can face https://maxloan.org/payday-loans-vt/ regarding dress – quite likely attending Mass on the way to or from work, shopping etc. and having to do with whatever ‘work clothes’ or such – I can’t help feeling that clothes always bring judgement from other people (as has been noted above). In the past, the rich dressed well; the poor could not. Unfortunately there are still many poor among us, and often the same still stands. Even today, clothes cannot be separated from making social statements (business suits, designer labels, gang clothes, goths, sports enthusiasts etc.).