Jose Guadalupe Martin Rabago, the archbishop of Leon, Mexico, has called on Catholics to dress respectfully when attending Mass. He made the request while speaking to reporters this summer after he was asked why posters were placed at the entrances of Leon parishes requesting that women not enter wearing miniskirts, sleeveless shirts or low-cut blouses. The archbishop said, “If you have any respect for [a church], dress appropriately. This is not a misogynist attitude of any sort. I am simply asking for the dignity and decorum that this place calls for, that is all.”
He added that men, too, need to be respectful in their choice of dress before entering a house of worship.
Bishops in other parts of the world have stressed the need for appropriate dress in church as well. In 2007, the Archdiocese of Manila, Philippines, issued a dress code for Mass, which included posters for parishes indicating appropriate dress. Davao, Philippines, Archbishop Fernando Capalla has made a point of reminding his parishioners of the code, stating, “Everyone should be able to dress up simply and decently [but not necessarily] elegantly for Mass. ... Beach wear and working-out outfits are not for solemn and sacred celebrations like the Mass.”
More than just making a request, the Vatican has insisted that tourists visiting St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome adhere to a strict dress code. Pictorial signs explaining the dress code are on display at entrances; men and women in shorts or with bare shoulders (e.g. wearing tank tops) are routinely turned away by the Swiss Guards.
The primary motivation for such policies, say those in leadership roles in the Church, is to promote the virtue of modesty. The Catechism of the Catholic Church offers several paragraphs on the topic of modesty (2521-2524), saying in part: “Modesty is decency. It inspires one’s choice of clothing. … Modesty inspires a way of life that makes it possible to resist the allurements of fashion and the pressures of prevailing ideologies.”
Many of the popes have spoken out about the importance of modesty, including Pope John Paul II in his book Love and Responsibility: “Man, alas, is not such a perfect being that the sight of the body of another person … can arouse in him merely a disinterested liking which develops into an innocent affection.”
Chastity/modesty speaker and Catholic Answers’ apologist Leah Darrow, once a successful model and contestant on America’s Next Top Model, added, “Although the Church has no dogmatic teaching on modest dress, it exhorts us to use common sense. If we are invited to a gala event, we don’t dress like we were invited to a beach party. Christ himself has invited us to partake in the sacred banquet of the Eucharist. Should not our attire and our reverent actions reflect where we are and who we are in the presence of? Reflect upon the Crucifixion; the invitation has been sent. Let us respond promptly and appropriately.”
It was a desire to teach her teenage daughter the virtue of modesty that led Martha Fernandez to request a dress code be adopted at her parish, the National Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Sacramento, Calif.
Fernandez went to the pastor, Father Lino Otero, and asked if she could place dress-code signs, similar to those at the Vatican, at the church entrances. He agreed.
The sign indicates that shorts, bare shoulders and tight clothing are not appropriate for church. The feedback in the two years since the policy was implemented has been universally positive. In fact, two neighboring parishes, Divine Mercy and St. Joseph, also in Sacramento, copied Fernandez’s signs and implemented the dress policy as well.
It was director of religious education and parishioner Irene Ogbonna’s idea to bring the code to St. Joseph. Such a code is important, she believes, because it reflects a respect the individual has for the Mass, and immodest dress can be a distraction to others.
Ogbonna liked the idea of a sign, because it relieved the pastor or fellow parishioners of the job of verbally sharing their concerns about the way people dress for Mass. She said, “It’s a gentler approach. It can be difficult for a priest to address such a topic.”
But such codes are not always well received. Father Gregory Pilcher, pastor of Holy Redeemer Church in El Dorado, Ark., has a dress code that allows parishioners to wear casual clothes, provided they are “clean, neat and modest.” The policy is posted on the parish website, in the parish bulletin and has been announced from the pulpit. But some have refused to comply with the directives.
In response to one family, Father Pilcher said, “I asked them if it would be okay if I wore only a bathing suit with the right liturgical colors to celebrate Mass. But my argument didn’t work; they insisted what I wore wouldn’t matter either.”
Overall, most of the parish’s 300 families have been supportive.
Father Anthony Stubeda, pastor of Holy Family Church in Silver Lake, Minn., requests church modesty from his 738-member parish via a parish bulletin insert entitled “Modest and Appropriate Dress for Mass and Other Church-Related Activities.” Among other things, it declares that “dressing up for Mass is not out-of-date” and asks parents to monitor the dress of their children. It concludes, “Blame Adam and Eve! Ever since their fall, nakedness has been a spiritual issue. We are not living in paradise, where sin and temptation do not exist and nothing can harm us and others; we are living in a world where temptations and sin are a reality.”
Recognizing it can be a sensitive subject, Father Stubeda likes to use humor when addressing the issue. He said, “When the issue arises, I tell our parishioners, ‘We like seeing you in church — just not so much of you.’”
But the impetus for requesting modest dress often does not come from him, he noted, but from the parishioners themselves, particularly parents. He said, “They get concerned that people wear clothes to church that are too informal and too revealing. They ask me to say something, and I do.”
Silver Lake is a small town in southern Minnesota and is part of the Diocese of New Ulm. Father Stubeda is also pastor of St. Pius X in Glencoe, where he also stresses the importance of modesty in church. He said, “Our society has changed in regards to its attitudes on dressing up. That said, it’s not going to hurt anyone to wear a pair of long pants for the time it takes to go to Mass. I tell people, ‘We want you here; we just want you to be respectful and dress appropriately.’”
For Msgr. Christopher Nalty, pastor of Good Shepherd Parish in New Orleans, dressing appropriately for church is one in a list of 14 rules of “Good Church Etiquette” he distributes annually to parishioners. The list also asks that parishioners arrive on time and stay for the entire Mass (as he likes to say, “Only one person left the Last Supper early”), genuflect towards the Blessed Sacrament, join in the singing, listen to the reading, prepare properly for holy Communion, and avoid “chit-chat which distracts others who are connecting with God through prayer before Mass.”
In general, he has had few problems with parishioners: “Fortunately, the parish has a good sense of modesty without my needing to say anything.”
Jim Graves writes from Newport Beach, California.
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Your weather in Newport Beach is in the 70s and 60s all week. I just looked at the weather for Roma also. It is similar.
Here’s the link for my weather. http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/weather/forecast/todays_forecast/latest-accu-weather-forecast
My point is this: most of us do not wear shorts to church, unless you are in a real resort part of Florida. The non resort parts DO EXIST.
In other words, most of you all would not and do not live here because you complain about the heat. I dread when the winter residents come back and moan and whine and it is only 85 F.
How do we send them and their bad fashion they bring from up north and out west out of our state?
Our parish has been repeatedly stressing this point. However, at the same time there was an announcement in the bulletin about how one person who had very noisy kids who were running around during mass felt she was unjustly treated by fellow parishioners. Mass is a participation event. I think loud kids who distract those from being a part of the mass should be targeted first before we get to concerned about how people dress to mass.
Questions - is there a difference between what qualifies for appropriate dress for a Sunday mass and a weekday mass? if so, why is there a difference? to what extent should I miss a weekday mass if I’m not most appropriately dressed if I’m otherwise available? what role should cultural expectations play? does culture determine modesty? could what is appropriate at one point in time be inappropriate in another, and vice versa? how do we know when the new time has evolved?
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Thanks for your insights! I liked your article.
Yet another article about modesty, that focuses on women’s dress. With examples of parishes doing the exact same, with only the occasional nod to a hairy man’s knee..
If it is “not about misogyny” then why can’t the Catholic press cover the topic in a way that does not leave women responsible for the burden of the problem?
Poor showing, NCR. You can do better. It IS possible to discuss modesty without sounding like it is all about women’s cleavage!
I often dress casual for Mass, I go to daily Mass sometimes in my jogging suit because I work out afterwards, but I fully believe in COVERING yourself. At my church, especially the Life Teen Mass, the girls wear mini-skirts and have cleavage hanging out and wear flip flops to serve on the altar. The boys come in with their pants hanging down & underwear showing. I just think it is common sense to A. Not show underwear. (this covers mini skirts where you can see underwear when they bend over, bras, thongs, men’s boxers etc.)and B. You should also not show cleavage if you are a girl. Just those two things alone would do wonders. I once read an excerpt from a teenager who complained he looked with lust at young women. When his Priest told him to walk away from the Temptation the boy replied, “I can’t, I am in between my parents at Mass and I would have to leave the building during Mass to get away from the scantily clad women.”
@Corita:
because women are the main problem, that’s why. Sure sometimes a man may come to Mass wearing shorts. If so, that is wrong. But women have a unique power to distract men with their bodies. Clothing that is too revealing of a woman’s body shape draw attention to those bodies. Is that the point of Mass? Should everyone do all they can to help other put their focus on Christ?
Now if men had a habit of walking into church wearing monkeys on their heads they would still be less of a distraction than an attractive woman kneeling in front of a boy or man wearing spandex pants, etc. There really aren’t words to adequately describe this phenomena. Take my word for it that it exists.
This is just one of a million reasons why women are so special, but they need to be aware of how special they are. Many are not. (If the thing that made me very special was my ability to yodel, you can be sure that I wouldn’t be yodeling in church either!)
“I think loud kids who distract those from being a part of the mass should be targeted first before we get to concerned about how people dress to mass.”
—————
Or…we could do both.
As for the children, having many of them around for Mass usually signifies that those in the parish are open to life and should be seen as a blessing. Even with the penalty box (cry room) at my church, you can still here all of the children in there even with mothers who are doing their best to keep them quiet.
So at least for me, if we have to pick one issue, I’d rather see the adults, who should be able to control themselves, encouraged to dress properly for Mass.
or again we could stress both.
Corita,
As a man, I once brought up the point on a blog that I stopped wearing shorts to Mass (and altogether except when working out) because a very devout family friend remarked that she had particular difficulty with finding men’s legs attractive and thus a distraction. She said this as I was there in my shorts. Funny thing is that I was ridiculed by many of the women participating in that thread.
I think we focus on the women because of man’s visual nature BUT I firmly agree with you that men have a part in dressing modestly themselves.
Stu
They need to put up billboards here in Florida! That might help. But I don’t know what they will do to stop the incessant loud talking that goes on before Masses.
I thought Catholics understood the “Real Presence” of Christ in their Sanctuaries. You’d think you were at a social or public function!
@ STU
The part about the kids… Even when I was a young kid myself I remember watching a baby cry and seeing adults nearby react with disgust. And I remember thinking to myself, “What is WRONG with you?” I would pray for that baby and pray for those parents. Now, as an OLD guy with toddlers of my own (yikes!) I know how hard it is to keep them quiet and attentive. I am a very strict disciplinarian and everyone who sees me with my kids is shocked at how WELL they behave, BUT… kids are kids. Sometimes they get cranky or whatever. If I can’t get them to be quiet quickly, I take them out fast and spend the rest of my time wondering what happened in Mass. But, I will never NOT take them to Mass.
Point is this: I agree with you that as adults we need to be aware of how we dress and behave at Mass, but people who get upset over a noisy child have a problem with mercy, forgiveness and empathy. (That is unless, the parent is just sitting there doing nothing while the kid goes crazy. But that’s pretty rare. When that happens, I actually go over and ask if they need help. People LOVE it when I do that. HA!)
A whinny kid is still nothing compared to “tight clothed young lass in front of me in Mass.”
(Sometimes, I have to then skip communion, go to confession AGAIN, then go to Mass again. Which is fine, but it would be more convenient if people were just a bit more respectful of others. End rant.)
It is disgraceful how most women dress in Mass. Why is it that women wear shirts that are getting smaller and smaller and use less and less fabric? Especially in Mass! As for men they should always wear dress pants,collar shirt and tie. There is no excuse for anything less. The reason why everyone talks about women’s dress and modesty is because women are the worst offenders. I will say it again - Women are the WORST offenders.
As for kids making noise in church - if they are not your children just ignore it. Offer it up. Last thing you should do is give the parents dirty looks. It is horrible that older people act so immature sometimes and give young parents such a hard time. Parents with young children: stay in church even if they are making a noise and if someone gives you a hard time you should put them in their place firmly so that they won’t do it to anyone else. This just shows their own immaturity and inability to focus on important things. It is wonderful to see families with many, many children. A church full of baby noises is a good church. Don’t ever use a cry room - that is for protestants. Catholic babies belong in Church for such is the kindom of heaven!
I am thinking of CGS who posts that he or she dresses in a modest jogging suit to go to Holy Mass because he or she goes jogging afterward.
What about priorities? Is it honoring God our Father to subjugate Holy Mass to our daily schedule? What about wearing a nice outfit to Holy Mass and changing afterward to the jogging suit? I certainly would never think of wearing a jogging suit, however modest, to work. Isn’t Holy Mass more important than the workplace? That having been said, if an elderly person or sick person is at Holy Mass dressed in a track suit or other clinically appropriate dress for a sick person, that’s OK.
Sad to say, I see young girls at my parish’s 9:30am and 5pm Holy Masses in spaghetti straps, hot pants, mini-skirts and sheer outfits leaving nothing to the imagination. Even a youth group lector!
And the men in vulgar t-shirts and shorts! T-shirts with offensive pictures and logos. Please gents - some respect for the Holy Eucharist!
All this having been said - it is lovely that people come to Holy Mass. We are there most of the way. Let’s be in holy worship, reverence and respect all the way! And, Ladies, dig out your chapel veil. What a lovely way to show respect to Our Lord…
Most parents try to control their children during Church, but I have three boys, and they are a handful. Let me tell you, that a quiet church will be empty in 20 years. All those distracting sounds of children are the future of your church; just try going to a Congregationalist service someday….silent, sparse, lovely and uniformly white-haired.
I wish all of the bishops in the US would enforce a dress code and no talking before mass. People are so casual about everything today, even their places of worship. If the bishops and the parish priests would enforce this the people would eventually get it. Our pastor is before the Blessed Sacrament before the 8:00 am mass and people are coming in chatting away. Rude and very disrespectful in my opinion. The church should come first in one’s day and the exercise afterwards. Everyone is very busy today but what an awesome privilege we as Americans have to worship! Let’s show a little more respect! Cindy
At St. Nemo’s here in East Pond Village near Ventura, California I am weary of tight jeans, sleeveless blouses tied at the waist, also shorts with flip-flops…..and these are the men! One of the ushers wears shorts and flip-flops as did a gentleman minister of the cup c.60 years of age.
We are told to prepare for Mass at home, church is for chatting and catching up. As for proper postures during the liturgy, the pastor has decreed that there will be “no Catholic calisthenics at this church.”
I have to admit that women can be the worst offenders when it comes to dress at Mass. I see a woman with a low-cut blouse, I want to run and throw a scarf over her, or say “Cover up.” But I don’t. As for the crying babies, most of the parents I see at Mass do make an effort to keep them quiet. But what really bothers me is not the kids, but some of the couples who insist on showing PDA’s at Mass. And I’m not talking arm-in-arm.
“Posted by catholicgauze on Thursday, Sep 29, 2011 6:33 PM (EDT):Our parish has been repeatedly stressing this point. However, at the same time there was an announcement in the bulletin about how one person who had very noisy kids who were running around during mass felt she was unjustly treated by fellow parishioners. Mass is a participation event. I think loud kids who distract those from being a part of the mass should be targeted first before we get to concerned about how people dress to mass.”
-My reply-the thing you need to be careful with this, is that there are children that cannot help it—such as children that may have ADHD or are Autistic. Yes, they can be disruptive, but they have a right like anyone else to attend the house of the Lord.
As with parents that have children without these problems-and the parents simply don’t care, maybe a booklet or a class at parishes should be available on how to keep your child quiet and/or attentive during mass—and ALL parents should be told to attend as not to single people out…
It can be a challenge, wearing shorts in the summer (at least it goes to the knees, but many times I wear a t-shirt under a jumper.
Easier in the winter…I wear flannel nightgown, under a house coat, under a full length poncho, three scarfs, mittens AND gloves (and I live in MA). NO ONE knows I’m wearing night wear…it looks like I’m wearing a floor length skirt.
Sometimes I feel as restless as the kids.
“Posted by Corita on Friday, Sep 30, 2011 9:23 AM (EDT):
Yet another article about modesty, that focuses on women’s dress. With examples of parishes doing the exact same, with only the occasional nod to a hairy man’s knee..
If it is “not about misogyny” then why can’t the Catholic press cover the topic in a way that does not leave women responsible for the burden of the problem? “
Did you READ the article, Corita? It CLEARLY stated that MEN and women were not to have bare shoulders or short pants, that BOTH genders need to NOT wear beach or similar attire.
Do not be so quick to be offended that you fail to actually read the material being presented. This article was VERY fair to both genders.
Timothy Hayes: We do believe in the real presence. Who are you to say otherwise? You must not be a real Floridian otherwise you would have spoken up other than here. But that is not polite right? Be timid….
I don’t know what part of Florida you are… but there are COUNTLESS OPPS FOR adoration in my Tampa area.
THESE STRAPLESS dresses at weddings are horrible. They do not allow them in Churches in Europe. Something needs to be done. These women are HALF DRESSES AND THEIR BOOBS ARE HANGING OUT. You ALL SHOULD BE HARPING ON THIS MORE.
Jeanne—I agree, and I love that our pastor makes it quite clear that ANY of the bridal party with bare shoulders or exposed cleavage or otherwise dressed inappropriately for the occasion, will be cause for him to leave the church and there will be no wedding. He has walked out before on a stunned bridal party that tested him. It’s not that difficult to cover up for an hour.
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