Headcovering in Catholicism

[ThereseMaria]

I've heard about mantillas and chapel veils being worn by Catholic women during Masses, but I was curious...

What are your thoughts on Catholic women wearing hijab or tichel style headcoverings in their daily life? Is there any Church teaching on this? I was also curious as to whether anyone on here wears a headcovering either during Mass or in everyday life, and what your experiences are with it.

 

[puellapaschalis]

I veil when in church and have done for several years. I went through a period when I covered my head all the time (other than when asleep or in the shower, etc), but that wasn't exclusively for 'religious' reasons.

[NadaTeTurbe]

I don't like them. I live in France. I see a lot of women wearing all kind of muslim headcovering. I don't like it, because it draws attention to the person. I don't know if I'm clear, but for me, there's a "look at me" thing about wearing headcovering in your everyday life. Plus, there's a confusion with the muslims. Unless you're wearing a very big cross, people will think you're muslim. If you live in a country/part of a country, where all women covers their hairs, I think it's good. But if you don't ? Wrong message, for me. I sometimes wear some tichel style, but not for spirituality : because it's hot here and I don't want to have an insolation.

I wear a mantilla once for mass. I had read on the internet that you have to wear a mantilla for Traditional Latin Mass. It was my first. It tourned out that nobody in my local, ICKSP, parish, wear a mantilla. My friend who invited me could not stop laughing... but I have some, old, mantilla at home. 

"Can you point me to a good reference for why women are no longer required to wear a head covering during Mass?"

Throughout history it has been common for women to wear head coverings. This is something that has precedent in St. Paul’s epistles (see 1 Cor. 11:2-16).

It was mandated in the 1917 Code of Canon Law. Canon 1262 states:

1. It is desirable that, consistent with ancient discipline, women be separated from men in church.

2. Men, in a church or outside a church, while they are assisting at sacred rites, shall be bare-headed, unless the approved mores of the people or peculiar circumstances of things determine otherwise; women, however, shall have a covered head and be modestly dressed, especially when they approach the table of the Lord.

This is something that fell gradually into disuse.

In the 1970s there was a judgment issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in a document titled Inter Insigniores that basically stated that since chapel veils were not a matter of faith, it was no longer mandatory for women to wear them. In paragraph 4 it states:

It must be noted that these ordinances, probably inspired by the customs of the period, concern scarcely more than disciplinary practices of minor importance, such as the obligation imposed upon women to wear a veil on their head (1 Cor. 11:2-16); such requirements no longer have a normative value.

You can read the whole document here.

In the 1983 Code of Canon Law—the one in effect today—the canon about head veils was not re-issued. Now, you might be thinking, “Well, just because they didn’t reissue it doesn’t mean that it’s not still in effect, right?” Wrong.

Canon 6 of the current code states that all subsequent laws that are not reissued in the new code are abrogated:

Can. 61. When this Code goes into effect, the following are abrogated:

1. the Code of Canon Law promulgated in 1917;

2. other universal or particular laws contrary to the prescriptions of this Code, unless particular laws are otherwise expressly provided for;

3. any universal or particular penal laws whatsoever issued by the Apostolic See, unless they are contained in this Code;

4. other universal disciplinary laws dealing with a matter which is regulated ex integro by this Code.

http://www.catholic.com/blog/matt-fradd/what-happened-to-head-coverings-at-mass 

So, it's not mandatory, but there's biblical reference about it, and it's not forbidden  
 

[ThereseMaria]

Ok, thank you!

I'd been considering it for a while, but I would worry about standing out or coming across as "holier-than-thou", which seems to be a common assumption about women who veil.

[NadaTeTurbe]

Think about why you want to do this, pray about it, and ask the holy spirit for guidance. You can also ask a parish friend, or a parish priest (if he's not busy), what they think about it. You can also try it with a discreet headcovering (black scarf or mantilla), thus, you cover your hair, but usually, people don't pay attention  

[puellapaschalis]

I covered my head in a part of the country where hardly anyone did (there wasn't much of a Muslim population then). I got the odd question but just answered as and when. But it wasn't the classic 'hijab'-style covering either. 

As for covering in church: I've worn various things. Sometimes I've got questions (occasionally hostile ones), sometimes it sparks discussion. When I started I think I was somewhat concerned about appearing holier-than-thou, but go with the flow and it becomes a very good and (spiritually) profitable practice. The pros really outweigh the cons in my experience. 

Just to point out that @NadaTeTurbe's experiences aren't necessarily ubiquitous. 

[4LoveofJMJ]

I wear a mantilla when in the presence of the Holy Eucharist and have for almost a year now. I love everything about it. I first struggled with people thinking I had a  "holier than thou" attitude but it got easier once I reminded myself that I was doing it for God and no one else. Sure people might have some negative opinions but others may just be simply curious.

 

[beatitude]

I usually cover my head in church because I like the physical reminder that I'm entering a sacred space. It helps me to have something that I wear just to pray before Jesus. It's a witness to the Real Presence and I think that if done sensitively it can foster a greater understanding of this beautiful sacrament in other people. There is a risk of looking holier-than-thou, but there are ways to mitigate that: make sure that your motivations are pure (sometimes we do have a niggling urge to look a bit 'special' - be honest with yourself about that if you're feeling it), take care to be friendly and approachable with other people at church, and be ready to give a simple explanation of why you wear a headcovering without making a big deal out of it. If you can't give such an explanation, then wearing a mantilla is probably not the right thing to do.

I wouldn't cover my head outside church. I associate that with nuns and religious sisters. It has a particular meaning for them, and as a laywoman, I don't see that there would be any point in me doing so. Orthodox Jewish and Muslim women have a rationale for covering their hair that isn't shared by Catholics, and I wouldn't mimic their style of headcovering without sharing their reasons for wearing it - that doesn't seem logical.

[Gabriela]

I "veil" in church (whether for Mass or prayer), and try to "veil" any time I pray, even at home. I don't use a mantilla, though. I think they're hideous. I use one of these: http://www.buffusa.com/sports/collections/fiddler/original

...or a scarf pulled/wrapped over my head, or just a hood.

I've had people tell me I look like an Orthodox nun (usually when I have a hood pulled up over a buff), and one guy asked me if a buff was "a veil or a fashion statement". I told him I don't have anything to say about fashion.

My feeling is most American Catholics today are so sensitive to Church politics that everyone thinks something about anyone who comes to Mass with their head covered. But personally, I couldn't care less what people think. 

[beatitude]

I "veil" in church (whether for Mass or prayer), and try to "veil" any time I pray, even at home. I don't use a mantilla, though. I think they're hideous. I use one of these: http://www.buffusa.com/sports/collections/fiddler/original

...or a scarf pulled/wrapped over my head, or just a hood.

I've had people tell me I look like an Orthodox nun (usually when I have a hood pulled up over a buff), and one guy asked me if a buff was "a veil or a fashion statement". I told him I don't have anything to say about fashion.

My feeling is most American Catholics today are so sensitive to Church politics that everyone thinks something about anyone who comes to Mass with their head covered. But personally, I couldn't care less what people think. 

I also pray in a hood if I happen to be wearing a hooded sweater. That's easier in the winter months than carrying a mantilla everywhere - I still take it with me to Mass, but if I drop into a church for a quiet fifteen minutes of prayer, I flip up my hood.

I'm ambivalent on mantillas. As I said to a friend last night, "I don't know quite when we developed the tradition of praying with tablecloths on our heads, but I can be traditional with the best of them!"  Some look awful to me, some look lovely, there's no middle ground. I love this one and I bought it mainly because with my hair colour it's very unobtrusive, while still looking pretty.

Edited July 5, 2015 by beatitude

[ThereseMaria]

I'm ambivalent on mantillas. As I said to a friend last night, "I don't know quite when we developed the tradition of praying with tablecloths on our heads, but I can be traditional with the best of them!"  

As horrible as I feel about it, I share your friend's tablecloth sentiment!

I do have my own views on it, but I'm rather poorly catechized (I think that's the term for not knowing as much as you should about Church teaching?), so I wanted to see what other people had to say, just to make sure.

I would want to do it for a few reasons: They're modest, it's a way to set yourself apart for God and to keep Him on your mind, and I think that it's empowering to be able to decide how much of yourself others get to see, which is kind of a mixture of the first two reasons. And also, I know it's vain, but headcoverings can be rather pretty... (<- not the primary reason.) I just feel like there's a beauty in that kind of modesty and submission to God and His will. 

If you wear a headcovering to Mass, you don't have to use a mantilla, correct? You can use scarves or other coverings?

[beatitude]

You can use a scarf or a hat. Eastern Catholics tend to use scarves. The mantilla is a Latin custom.

If you are not very solid in your knowledge of the faith yet, I would not recommend wearing a headcovering to church immediately. This is partly because people who are just starting to lead a deeper Catholic life often get overly attached to externals such as mantillas (I've been there, it's not helpful) and partly because you need to be in a position to answer questions if people ask you about what you're doing.

It's also not really about covering yourself up. I have another mantilla that looks like this. It's transparent. The hair is completely visible. And yet a lot of traditional Catholic women wear mantillas like this, because the main idea behind our veils is to show reverence before Jesus in the Eucharist, not because there is something immodest about women's hair.

[ThereseMaria]

You can use a scarf or a hat. Eastern Catholics tend to use scarves. The mantilla is a Latin custom.

If you are not very solid in your knowledge of the faith yet, I would not recommend wearing a headcovering to church immediately. This is partly because people who are just starting to lead a deeper Catholic life often get overly attached to externals such as mantillas (I've been there, it's not helpful) and partly because you need to be in a position to answer questions if people ask you about what you're doing.

It's also not really about covering yourself up. I have another mantilla that looks like this. It's transparent. The hair is completely visible. And yet a lot of traditional Catholic women wear mantillas like this, because the main idea behind our veils is to show reverence before Jesus in the Eucharist, not because there is something immodest about women's hair.

Ok, thank you!

That was another worry... I want to become stronger in my faith and more educated before I would start covering. 

Thank you for clarifying about the purpose of the mantilla, I was rather curious about why it was transparent. That makes a lot more sense! 

[beatitude]

One beautiful interpretation of the custom is that women veil for the same reason the tabernacle is veiled: the tabernacle contains life, and women are also capable of bearing life. Wearing veils, no matter whether they're solid fabric or transparent lace, becomes our way of directing people's attention to the tabernacle - the mystery of the divine life among us.

[ThereseMaria]

One beautiful interpretation of the custom is that women veil for the same reason the tabernacle is veiled: the tabernacle contains life, and women are also capable of bearing life. Wearing veils, no matter whether they're solid fabric or transparent lace, becomes our way of directing people's attention to the tabernacle - the mystery of the divine life among us.

All I have to say about this: I'm gonna go bawl in a corner, this is one of the most beautiful things I've heard all day