Posted on 05/22/2007 6:24:41 PM PDT by NYer
ROME, MAY 22, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Answered by Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university.
Q: A friend of mine told me that according to the Scriptures a woman should cover her head in the presence of Our Lord (holy Eucharist/during Mass). In our churches this is not practiced. Can you please write and tell me as to how and when the practice of women covering their heads came to an end, or is it that we are doing something which is not proper? -- J.M., Doha, Qatar
A: The Scripture text referred to is probably 1 Corinthians 11:4-16:
"Any man who prays or prophesies with his head covered brings shame upon his head. But any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled brings shame upon her head, for it is one and the same thing as if she had had her head shaved. For if a woman does not have her head veiled, she may as well have her hair cut off. But if it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should wear a veil. A man, on the other hand, should not cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; nor was man created for woman, but woman for man; for this reason a woman should have a sign of authority on her head, because of the angels. Woman is not independent of man or man of woman in the Lord. For just as woman came from man, so man is born of woman; but all things are from God.
"Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head unveiled? Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears his hair long it is a disgrace to him, whereas if a woman has long hair it is her glory, because long hair has been given (her) for a covering? But if anyone is inclined to be argumentative, we do not have such a custom, nor do the churches of God."
A full treatment of this text is beyond the scope of this column. But we may say that this passage contains some elements that have perennial theological value and others which reflect transitory social mores which apply only to the specific time and place of the Corinthians.
For example, during the course of history there were times when it was common for men, and even clerics, to wear their hair long; and none felt that St. Paul's words considering the practice a disgrace applied to them.
Likewise, liturgical norms tell bishops to keep their skullcaps on during some of the prayers during Mass, and they may use the mitre while preaching, without falling under St. Paul's injunction that this practice brings shame upon his head. The norms, however, do ask him to remove his head covering for the Eucharistic Prayer and when the Blessed Sacrament is exposed.
Apart from bishops, and some canons, custom still dictates that all other men should uncover their heads in church except for outdoor Masses.
During St. Paul's time it was considered modest for a woman to cover her head, and he was underscoring this point for their presence in the liturgical assembly.
This custom was considered normative and was enshrined in Canon 1262.2 of the 1917 Code of Canon Law alongside the recommendation that men and women be separated in Church and that men go bareheaded. This canon was dropped from the new Code of Canon Law promulgated in 1983, but the practice had already begun to fall into disuse from about the beginning of the 1970s. Even though no longer legally binding, the custom is still widely practiced in some countries, especially in Asia. It has been generally abandoned in most Western countries even though women, unlike men, may still wear hats and veils to Mass if they choose.
Sociological factors might also have been involved. The greater emphasis on the equality of man and woman tended to downplay elements that stressed their differences.
Likewise, for the first time in centuries, not donning a hat outdoors, especially for men, ceased being considered as bad manners, whereas up to a few years beforehand it was deemed unseemly to go around hatless.
This general dropping of head covering by both sexes may also have influenced the disappearance of the religious custom.
A timely topic, as usual.
Yeah, and when women show up without head coverings someone plops a kleenex on their heads. That’s better than not having any covering? I think not. Just another in a long list of why I’ve quit the Catholic Church.
I had this very same ???? reading the Bible/Adult Catechism class and I remember as a child the head coverings.
The answer given to me was Vatican 1972 (right year?) when the Mass went to English, the nuns lost thier habits and the gloves and head coverings were no longer required. (short answer)
Personally? I find a lacy mantilla to be absolutely lovely. And I wish women would wear hats to church as well.
We always "dressed up" for Church as a sign of being somewhere special when I was a kid; and even more so during the Holidays.
And we were boring, white-bread Lutherans!
All the women had their heads covered.
I assume this is still the practice.
I suppose everyone can find reasons if they look hard enough for them. On a scale of 1 to 100, this is -5.78, however.
Apparently you didn't read the article all the way through. The majority of Catholics no longer wear head coverings, even though we once did pre VCII. To leave the Catholic Church over wearing a head covering in reverence and respect for God, is a very flimsy excuse. I'm guessing your quibble is far deeper than that. You are always welcome home.
“Yeah, and when women show up without head coverings someone plops a kleenex on their heads. That’s better than not having any covering? I think not. Just another in a long list of why I’ve quit the Catholic Church.”
oh c’mon.
Sure it’s silly and can make a person roll their eyes, but everywhere you go there’s going to be some sort of silliness.
I see the same types from all different types of denominations - “Look at me! I’m holier than you!” - and they have different ways of expressing that sentiment, but we shouldn’t allow it discourage us from practicing our faith.
I think a show of reverence for God is simply innate in humans if they are allowed to express it. It is akin to Catholics who still genuflect or kneel to receive the Eucharist rather than strictly stand in line as one would at the Dairy Queen. I applaud those women and their overt show of Faith!
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“Impetuous!”
-Michaleen O’Flynn, the “Quiet Man”
And I agree whole-heartedly. I was just amazed to see it, though I've never seen it since in any other Protestant denominational church.
A GREAT movie. I just bought it on DVD.
I fervently agree! I don’t have the DVD but I have a great deal of the dialog memorized.
It is tough to beat a comedy starring John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, Ward Bond, Victor McLauglin and Barry Fitzgerald (plus the Irish Players) in a movie directed by John Ford.
And it has all of Ireland as the backdrop...sigh!
LOL - Classic!
Now that's just silly.
Gain some perspective for Pete's sake and come on home.
And donate a box of doilies and bobby pins for the ladies (they had two of them in the narthex when I was a kid -- and that was for Episcopalians!)
There is nothing in the Pauline Epistles that says headcoverings were cultural. He doesn't say it applies to the Greeks (Cortinthians) and not to the Romans or the Jews when it comes to headcovering, but to all; he doesn't say in his days but maybe not tomorrow. He is very careful to specy if something is not the Lord's commandment but his own judgment (1 Cor 7:6, 25).
Bottom line is: headcovering was removed for social, faddish, politically correct reasons, making the scriptures fit our man-made norms rather than the other way around.
In Orthodox churches outside of North America, the separation of men and women and headcoverings for women are still largely observed. In America, it is largely ignored. That says a lot.
in the orthodox parish we attend covering is strongly encouraged (and there’s a box of shawls for anyone unware) we still get a few who don’t.
i see absolutely no reason for this. my wife (who’s from Russia) thought it was insignifigant when she first came here but after reading the scripture concured there’s not really any way to read it differently. she’s a pretty staunch advocate now.
Whenever Christmas and Easter Mass was approaching the hats would become conspicuous in the Bamberger, Kresge and Penny window displays.
Dad would sit quietly with us boys and whenever Mom didn't seem able to make a decision we would do the "old change hat routine" immortalized by the Stooges!
Of course we couldn.t wear a hat in the church cause Mother Superior said that God could look through the top of our head and read our soul!!!
Some people obviosuly think imitating heretics is "progress."
well. those folks ar inspired by someone for whom hersy IS progress.
They still put the mantilla on in the old countries. Some still do here particularly if they’re immigrants or daughters of immigrants. I think it’s a lovely custom for the women, I wish I can see it more- it shows a little bit of tradition.
I’m one of those crazy ladies that tend to wear hats to church....The more liberal the service, the more I am likely to wear it...
I suspect that the fact that women (and to some degree men) have gone basically hatless for close to 40 years has had a great impact on the cultural significance of head covering, for the most part anyway.
I was raised Missionary Baptist, and it was an issue. If you were a child it wasn't necessary, but as an adult you better have something on your head. Didn't matter if it was a hat or a lacy handkerchief, but it better be something or the Womens Group really got ugly with each other.
Unless you filled out a lot of paperwork, I bet you are still a Catholic. We welcome you back with open arms. All it takes in sitting down and talking with a priest and then making an appointment for the Sacrament of Reconciliation — what used to be known as Confession.
My daughter likes to wear a mantilla when in church. When we’re visiting another parish in the area (St. Mary Mother of God, the National Shrine, the Franciscan Monastary, etc.), she always does so.
She says that she doesn’t do so at our home parish, though, she tells me, because she doesn’t want to be the object of teasing by her peers.
I bring this up not because of some innate desire to share details of my personal life, but because I wonder if that isn’t sort-of representative. In other words, I wonder how much peer pressure is an influence on this modern style of women going bare-headed into church.
Christianity is, by its very nature, supposed to be counter-cultural. Unfortunately, as others have noted, all too often it is a reflection of our society...the good and the bad.
Perhaps those of us who can have some influence on the messages preached should encourage those who do the preaching to do so on the subject of courage...because in today’s society, we could see the mantilla not only a a symbol of modesty and humility, we could see it as a symbol of courage...
You sound a lot like the immature adolescent who left in a huff uttering numerous profanities when I told him he couldn't wear his doo rag into the sanctuary a few weeks ago.
Oh, you should get the DVD. It has lots of background as well as the movie.
The covering was just following "the ways of the Church". After going to a private Catholic High School and listening to the anti-Jewish and anti-Protestant propaganda, I pretty much left the church.
Oh, by the way, we were told that all Catholics were obligated to vote for Kennedy because he "was better" just because he was Catholic. (I got sent to detention for disagreeing).
My dad straightened me out on the Kennedy family with the story of Old Joe, the bootlegger.
I have my faith...It's in my heart and soul.
That’s pretty much the reason why I refuse to set foot in to most protestant churches particularly fundamentalist ones.
“Man” refers to humanity, hence both male and female. (Remember, “male and female He made them”?) So in this context, “man” refers to you, too, and all women.
Well, just to give my humble opinion :) I can’t think of anything more shallow than this issue in our times. WOW, aren’t there more important things than this?
I do agree, one must dress appropriately for Mass. I never wear pants, although there are several women in choir who rarely if ever wear a dress. And you have to admit, our Protestant bretheren have it all over us Catholics in that regard, wouldn’t you agree? Also, as a side note, the muslims have now contaminated the whole idea of a reverant head covering for women. Just reminds me of humiliating subjugation of women, violence and hatred toward women, with no kind of spiritual meaning whatsoever, anymore, for that custom
After reading the many responses I have to think that the dropping of head coverings is a American phenomenon. When I was in Europe two years ago it seemed common, in pictures I’ve seen of places like China and Poland it seems common.
I think it’s an American thing, you’ll often see immigrant women with head coverings, (Orthodox Churches as well), while Americanized women won’t personal.
I know my girlfriend likes wearing the veil when we go the the TLM, but it just doesn’t seem to “fit” in the modern Liturgy.
I also have to wonder if the intent of the secondary issue in this article - seperating men and women was designed to be focused on unmarried men and women for the purpose of modesty given that Theologically (Catholic Theology at least) you become one at the point of marriage and therefore it would only seem proper that they be together in Church.
Perhaps you could find an article on that issue.
Thank you for that trip down memory lane!!
Do you remember the Christmas corsages?
Of course we couldn.t wear a hat in the church cause Mother Superior said that God could look through the top of our head and read our soul!!!
Lol! Much like the nuns who told us not to wear patent leather shoes.
Back in pre VCII days, pew backs were equipped with a handy hat holder. Haven't seen those in a long time.
I believe you are right. I tried to get my daughters to cover their heads when we were attending a Tridentine Mass. They said no way would they wear a burqua.
You must have quit a LOOOOOOOONG time ago! Haven't seen that practice for 40 years.
This is true of the entire Bible.
I disagree. In the mid 1960s we all wore hats, or mantillas, or doilies to church. A woman joined our parish and dared to come to church hatless and sat right up front where all could see her to the shock of most of the other parishioners.
For a couple of weeks people whispered about it, butthen we were told that she was from Holland (wife of a grad student at Berkeley), and the Dutch had long since given up wearing hats to church. Something about it being an outgrowth of the war and the cost of hats.
We continued wearing them and she continued going hatless, but by 1970 most everyone stopped wearing hats (except me). Only once did I hear anything from the pulpit. The priest asked, "Did I miss the announcement banning hats in church?" But no one paid any attention.
Then we moved to Texas and my husband gave all my hats away (I had gone ahead to enroll the children in school). That pretty much limited my hat wearing for a few years, and when I resumed it was just for Palm Sunday and the Easter Season.
For the last few years I have been alone at Mass wearing a hat, except for a few children in their Easter dresses. I didn't bother this year at all, and no one else did either. LOL. But I WON'T wear flip flops and jeans to church! I don't care how many do.
And gloves. Fashionistas told us that we had to wear gloves when wearing a hat. However, if your head was uncovered, gloves were OK, but not required. That is why you only see gloves now in cold weather. No hats, no gloves.
If you want to see some dramatic hats, drive past any Black Church on Sunday morning. The women go all out for hats, almost like going to Ascot with the Queen!
I agree that the lace mantilla is lovely. It’s easy to carry in the purse or pocket. Most women to do not wear hats to Mass, not even on Easter Sunday. When I was at Mass on Easter, was the only one there with a hat on. I felt so out of place and was terribly embarrassed. Remember very vividly when I was a kid at Mass seeing the priests prowling the aisles looking for the slightest infrations in the female “dress code”. If they had no hats, gloves or wore patent leather shoes, out they went!
I remember as late as the 1950s, my mother wouldn’t go downtown or even to the grocery store without her hat and gloves!
I also remember seeing someone with a dollar bill pinned to her hair in a church in New York once. (No, the usher didn’t grab it for the collection!)
I think it’s just a cultural thing and doesn’t really express much about people’s attitude towards going to church. Once upon a time, everyone wore hats; now no one does.
Guess there was more money in jeans.
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