Question 5 - Dress Code
Although these things should be obvious to everyone, the virtue of Christian modesty has disappeared everywhere. Therefore, please allow me to remind you as clearly as possible the way you are expected to dress for Mass. These are the rules that must be followed by everyone in all of our Missions. They will be considered severe by some, but would have been considered as rather lax in the past. This is the minimum we are asking for given the fact that the days are evil.
Men and boys:
On Sunday : be dressed a bit formal : suit and tie is the best. Sunday is the day of the Lord and we want to honor God on that day by being dressed up.
During the week : we tolerate not being as formal during the week, especially if you come to Mass before or after other activities. But still, if you are to come to Mass right after work, throw a jacket or something in your car in order not to come to Mass wearing a t-shirt.
You must uncover your head in church.
You must not wear blue jeans or shorts; anything that is skin tight is inappropriate.
No athletic shirt; no t-shirt; you should be wearing a shirt with long sleeves or at least sleeves that come close to the elbow.
Please avoid some clothes and items that are completely inappropriate in church: sunglasses, piercings, no spiked hair, no excess of gel. If you have a tattoo on your arm, then you will have to cover it by wearing long sleeves.
No sneakers. Dress shoes must be worn.
Leather and jeans jacket are to be avoided as they represent a spirit that is contrary to the spirit we expect to see in church.
You should avoid dressing in a pompous fashion that would attract attention or in a neglectful manner.
Father, how should we dress for Mass ?
These items are not acceptable in church : high heels; piercings; excessive make up; if you have some tattoos, please make sure they are covered.
Leather and jeans jacket are not appropriate as they represent a spirit that is contrary to the spirit we expect to see in church.
You should avoid dressing up in a pompous fashion that would attract attention or in a neglectful manner.
Coloured nails are ugly and should be avoided. They are not for christian women.
Tradition wants women not to show their bare feet at church. Short socks are tolerated because the days are evil but bare feet in sandals is not appropriate in church.
Women and girls:
You must cover your head. Any head covering is fine: veil, hat, etc, provided that it is not eccentric or disrespectful as a very large hat would be, for example, or a baseball cap. Head covering that truly cover the hair are much better than mantillas. Little girls must wear a head covering as soon as they are able to keep it on. In any instance, before Holy Communion.
You must wear a dress that falls well below the knee when sitting. Your dress must not be too tight, see-through, with slits, etc. Remember that the purpose of a dress is to hide the precise shape of the body and not to reveal it… No pants are allowed in church for women even if you are wearing a long coat or shirt. If you have to wear pants for health reasons, you must still wear a dress on top of them.
The upper part of your clothes must be modest as well: no sleeveless shirts even during summer. Your sleeves should reach at least the elbow. No low cut: the lowest the neckline of a shirt must be to remain modest is approximately 5 cm below the pit of your throat.
Please remember that dressing properly for Mass is an act of Faith in the real presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ and an act of veneration towards Him. If we were to meet the king of a country, how careful would we be to avoid anything that would hurt his eyes! In church, we meet the King of Kings.
«And the king went in to see the guests: and he saw there a man who had not on a wedding garment. And he saith to him: Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? But he was silent. Then the king said to the waiters: Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the exterior darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.» Matthew 22, 11-13
Please remember also that many of the things we have just said (although not all of them obviously) would apply also in your daily life. The virtue of modesty is not to be kept only in church, but every day and everywhere, because God sees us everywhere.
Finally, we remind husbands and fathers that they have a duty to insure that their spouse and their children follow the rules of christian modesty. A husband and a father will not have to answer only for himself, but for all those entrusted to him.
