Veils/Headcovering (Catholic Question, other POV's welcome)

[DeeAnn_Angela]

I'm Catholic, and lately I've been working on trying to heal my relationship with God and the Church. In doing so, I've stumbled across some stuff online about veils and scarves.

I knew that when my grandma was growing up, all women covered their heads whenever they were in a church (she tells stories about bobby pinning tissues to her head when she forgot to bring her mantilla to confession, lol ) and several of the older women at my church cover their heads, but I never though much of it, and certainly never though about wearing one. However, after reading about the scripture/tradition behind it, as well as the fact that the Church never officially said it was alright stop wearing it necessarily (i read somewhere that officials stopped commenting on it after the feminist movement? does anyone know if this is true?) I've begun to consider if I might want to start wearing one, and was just curious if anyone else here does? Or their reasons for not wearing one?

A few of the sites I was reading:
http://www.catholicplanet.com/women/headcovering.htm
http://www.fisheaters.com/theveil.html
http://www.fisheaters.com/theveilthoughts.html

[ReluctantPegasister]

I'm tempted to just say that even if I were religious I wouldn't cover my hair. After all, even when Eve covered herself she didn't make a little hat to go with her bikini (at least, not in the version I'm familiar with).

[Angel]

Some of the women wear it at my church, usually the more religious or older women, or those reading scripture during Mass. I own one that I've received when I was baptised two years ago. While I haven't worn it since then, it's always nice to have. My mother has the one she received from her godmother when she was baptised and she wears it to church nearly every week, I believe.

From what I take of it, it's a lot to do with tradition nowadays, I believe.

[Incompris]

I'm male so this really doesn't apply to me, however I would like to offer my take on the passages in the New Testament where it says women should cover their heads while praying in church.

Paul, who wrote that letter to the Corinthians, was explaining that women (and men) should follow the culture they are in. Back then it was normal for women to wear head coverings, just as today it's normal to wear clothes. (And illegal if you don't.)

Applying those passages to today and today's culture. In American culture it is not custom for women to cover their heads during church. Therefore I do not see those passages as God saying women have to wear head coverings. God wants us to be apart of our culture without sacrificing our values. If we all dressed like we came out of biblical times it would be pretty hard for us to show God's love to others, as they would think we were all freaks and would avoid us.

[Kate*]

I was baptized Catholic, but I wasn't raised religious, I've only been to church a handful of times and I never wore one, the others I went with didn't either. I haven't read the scripture on it because I'm not sure yet where I fall on the Bible, but I asked my mom who was raised in the Catholic church and she had to wear one. She told me that we have to wear them to be equal to men because our periods make us "impure". It never made sense to me that I would have to wear a hat because God says I'm "impure" because of something HE GAVE ME that I don't even want!

[Incompris]

Originally Posted by Kate*

She told me that we have to wear them to be equal to men because our periods make us "impure". It never made sense to me that I would have to wear a hat because God says I'm "impure" because of something HE GAVE ME that I don't even want!

Yeah that doesn't make sense at all. As sinners we are all impure, male and female.

[Revolution]

I was raised without any religion, but I think it's a cool idea. It's a real good way to show your dedication to the church, plus to be honest, they're very pretty. It's not something completely out of the ordinary, if the older people in the church do it, and nothing rules against it. I think it'd be a nice add-on to your regular church-wear.

[Megan1]

I'm not Catholic; I'm non-denominational Christian...but here is how I see it:

I THINK that Paul wrote those scriptures about head coverings telling them to obey what women were required to do in that culture rather than causing problems/fights- because women in that culture wore head coverings. I do still think that head coverings for women are good today as a way of showing submission, but I don't THINK that it's something God actually says we need to do. I don't know for sure, so read the bible and pray about it, but that's what I think.