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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Is Saint Augustine’s exegesis of the 2nd and 3rd chapters of Genesis correct? Do a search: First Scandal.
This is interesting to note. We are expressing this on our blog that Modesty can be worked with Vogue Fashion. And this is for all women of faith and those of no faith, who dress modestly for different reasons.
As a Christian Blogger, I understand my convictions for dressing modest regardless of where I go, ultimately, because God is watching me.
We hope that designers and mass market producers acknowledge this growing demand of fashionistas who want to look stylish to mass, church, etc without looking frum.
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These worthless mothers have an ongoing scandal and crisis in the Catholic Church that has cost millions that has closed countless schools, hospitals and parishes and they are upset because I wore shorts, tank top and flipflops to Mass? Yeah right! Get a F’ing life! How dare they!
It’s sad some people can’t see the importance of modesty at Mass. We are in the presence of our Lord and all of Heaven. What is wrong with dressing in modest, clean clothes? I grew up poor and we didn’t have expensive clothes but we always wore our best clothing to Mass. By the grace of God, I have a good job and have many clothes now but I always chose to wear modest clothing to Mass. So many people have no common sense and have lost respect for the reverant. They all get this attitude if someone mentions appropriate wear for Mass and say that God doesn’t care what you wear. (How do they know what God thinks? If you read the Old Testament, he had all these rules about what to wear around the tabernacle.) This is what causes priests to be afraid to bring up the subject. I wrote my bishop about immodest dress by a EE minister and he wrote me back that he is addressing the issue. (The priest ignored my letter.)
“Posted by renita burwell on Sunday, Sep 18, 2011 1:24 PM (EDT):These worthless mothers have an ongoing scandal and crisis in the Catholic Church that has cost millions that has closed countless schools, hospitals and parishes and they are upset because I wore shorts, tank top and flipflops to Mass? Yeah right! Get a F’ing life! How dare they!”
my reply: ...and how dare you thinking it is OK to dress as a provacative slob when you attend church. You’re not going to the beach, you are attending church-there’s a time and a place for certain articles of clothing—and the ones you have mentioned you have worn to church are not appropriate.
And the “Scandal and crisis” is overly blown out of proportion in the media—it’s the media, the numerous “fake” accussers and heresay of ignorant people that has tried to hurt the church..But it shall prevail!
It has been said that Our Lady of Fatima mentioned that more people will go to hell because of sins of the flesh. This includes immodest dress, not only at Mass, but in everyday life. How about a little self respect and dignity? I don’t think people take Our Lord seriously!
Great article
How one conducts oneself on the interior will be demostrated on one’s exterior.
I commend the Archbishop for his stance on modest dress in church. Of course the majority of folks won’t listen to what he says but the same thing is true in our country as well! Far to many folks come to Mass dressed as if they are on their way to a drive-in, football game, or to the beach! Shorts couldn’t be any shorter. Blouses ouldn’t be ny tighter or more revealing, etc. Some parents seem to think nothing of it. Such attire is thoroughly distracting in church as well as insulting to all concerned! I’m not suggesting guys need to wear a tux or girls need to wear a formal, but out of common decency, etc., please try and dress modestly.
Respect and reverence for the Lord’s presence would naturally invite proper etiquette and clothing. When a priest tells the congregation to say hello to Jesus next to them, behind and in front of them at Mass and not acknowledge His real presence in the Blessed Sacrament, what can you expect from the congregation? It’s about us, not about worshipping Our Lord. Hence, a slipshod attitude in dress, worship and respect in the House of the Lord. The mantra today is “we are the Church”. Sorry, Jesus is the Church, founded upon the Rock of St. Peter and we are the guests invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb. We need to get our priorities straight. It’s not about us.
My parish is in a tourist area of my city with large hotels nearby. I frequently see people dressed as tourists or athletes because they are in town for the weekend visiting as they attend an athletic tournament or just sightseeing. The dress includes shorts and tight fitting athletic garb. These people frequently sit in the back of the church like me. I am happy they are at Mass when so many people don’t go to Mass at all.
Point taken, nicely done…But how about first things first: brat control. As a very healthy male with lechery tendencies of my own that I am steadily conquering, I find it no problem whatsover to ignore some skin and focus on the mass…I haven’t been so accomplished maintaining focus in the midst of sqirmy squally pre-schoolerswho are being ignored by their parents in hopes that it will stop of its own accord, and the assumption that the rest of us will indulge their inattention. Yes, I’ve had my own and been through that phase of life, and yes I am well aware that we bloody papists tend to a high rate of reproduction and enjoy the bounty and understand the need to indulge some noise and restlessness, but I do not appreciate the assumption by many mothers that the rest of us will indulge their child neglect. I also remember taking my own outside sometimes when they just couldn’t settle down to the point where they weren’t distracting others. I remember taking care to feed them and run them outside a little before mass so the little darlings had half a chance of making it through that eternal (to a child) hour.
I’m always glad to see a woman in a slutty dress or some dude in a death metal t-shirt—at least they’re in the right place….better than skipping school. How about we deal with responsible parenting and proper behavior before we fret too much over appearances?
I was at the beach on vacation when I received a call that my mother had died. I was in short, flip flops, and a t-shirt and went to the nearest church to pray for my mom. I cannot imagine how much it would have hurt to have had a priest come up to me and say, you need to leave, you are not welcome here dressed like that.
Read the article and great for the believers to promote this, however for those searching for Our Lord…I don’t believe that turning those away from entry into the Vatican is the way to go…Our Lord came for people such as these…the lost. Who are we to turn them away because of how they dress? I don’t believe that our Lord would have done this to them. Rather reaching out to them and sharing the good news…let all come. Our Lord said that prostitutes and tax collectors will enter the Kingdom before the self righteous. I can’t tell Rome what to do…but they are off in my opinion.
Respect for God comes to those who believe…what a gift for those who believe and for those who don’t know or believe who are we to judge? How do we not know that one entering the Mass might not hear a word of hope from the priest and what a pity of they were turned away…because of their dress.
Posted by Renita Burwell. “These worthless mothers have an ongoing scandal and crisis in the Catholic Church that has cost millions that has closed countless schools, hospitals and parishes and they are upset because I wore shorts, tank top and flipflops to Mass? Yeah right! Get a ***** life! How dare they”.
I’ve seen this exact post somewhere else and wonder now as I did then what the two have to do with each other. If you knew you were going to meet our Lord, would you want to meet Him wearing shorts, flipflops, and tanktops? At every Mass we are doing exactly that, meeting Him.
I know that there are times when you have to go Mass “as you are” and it is more important to go “as you are” than to miss a Sunday or Holy day. But most of us don’t fall in category.
And Renita put a plug in your potty mouth.
AllenH - Why is it the mother’s responsible to control her brats? Why can’t dad pitch in too? Yeesh! Also, sometimes ignoring a child is the best way to get them to stop. If I ignore my cousin, he stops in 20 seconds. If I pay attention to him, his misbehaviour lasts for ages.
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