Author Topic: Dressing Up when Entering a Church (Read 1434 times)

Peter15and1 · « **on:** April 25, 2016, 11:32:11 AM »

I wear a coat and tie every Sunday for Mass. However, I will often go to Confession either Saturday evening or some other day of the week in the evening, when it is convenient. I typically do no dress up when I go to Confession, and wear my street clothes, which are not immodest, but are not my "Sunday best." This past Saturday, someone came up to me and stated that I should wear a coat and tie anytime I enter a Catholic Church, even if just for a few minutes for Confession or private prayer.

Is this correct?

TKGS · « **Reply #1 on:** April 25, 2016, 12:04:31 PM »

Is this "someone" a priest?

This sounds over scrupulous to me. I would agree that one should not generally walk into a church wearing workout clothes, having just finished gardening and doing yard work, pop in to confession with grass clippings, dirt, and crud all over, but to suggest that if one is not wearing a suit and tie one should not step into a Catholic Church is, I think, not correct.

If the "someone" was not a priest, you should discuss this with the priest. If he is a priest, then you probably don't have much choice in the matter--and I think that priest is probably part of a very small minority of priests with that opinion.

Matthew · « **Reply #2 on:** April 25, 2016, 12:21:44 PM »

Quote from: Peter15and1

I wear a coat and tie every Sunday for Mass. However, I will often go to Confession either Saturday evening or some other day of the week in the evening, when it is convenient. I typically do no dress up when I go to Confession, and wear my street clothes, which are not immodest, but are not my "Sunday best." This past Saturday, someone came up to me and stated that I should wear a coat and tie anytime I enter a Catholic Church, even if just for a few minutes for Confession or private prayer.

Is this correct?

No, it is not.

In fact, weekday Masses are for workmen. You can appear in your various uniforms without scruple, because it's a workday and not Sunday ("Domingo", which means "[the day] belonging to the Lord")

Better to appear at Mass in your air conditioning repair shirt/slacks or mechanic's overalls than to not attend Mass on a given Monday or Wednesday. God knows that we have to work during the week, that's why he gave us those 6 weekdays between Sundays.

As for the suit coat, that is not required either. Out of respect for God we should A) dress modestly and B) get out our best clothes for Mass.

If the Restoration of the Church occurred, and you were about to meet the new Pope who consecrated Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, abolished Vatican II, brought back the Tridentine Mass, etc. (in other words, a saint) what would you get out of your wardrobe? That is what you should be putting on every Sunday to meet God -- if that is indeed what you believe you're doing on Sunday.

But what that "best" consists of is obviously a cultural thing. Do you think the early Christians went to Mass in suit jacket and tie? Give me a break.

In the south (Texas for example) people "dress up" differently than they do in New York. That's fine.

Nadir · « **Reply #3 on:** April 25, 2016, 05:12:43 PM »

The person has no right to lay down the law as to what you should wear to enter a church, whether priest or layman. Clean tidy and modest would keep God happy, I'm sure. and going to confession even happier.

We were always encourages as children to pop in for a visit on our way to and from school, or if we passed the church on a shopping trip. These in the days when people actually walked.

Does this fellow think that New Guineans wear coat and tie to visit a church, or the early Church Fathers for that matter. People love to create their own church with their own rules!

OHCA · « **Reply #4 on:** April 25, 2016, 08:08:07 PM »

Quote from: Peter15and1

I wear a coat and tie every Sunday for Mass. However, I will often go to Confession either Saturday evening or some other day of the week in the evening, when it is convenient. I typically do no dress up when I go to Confession, and wear my street clothes, which are not immodest, but are not my "Sunday best." This past Saturday, someone came up to me and stated that I should wear a coat and tie anytime I enter a Catholic Church, even if just for a few minutes for Confession or private prayer.

Is this correct?

I would have shown such a busy-body a very impolite side of myself.

Peter15and1 · « **Reply #5 on:** April 26, 2016, 08:59:02 AM »

Thank you for the responses. To answer a question, no, it was not a priest who talked to me; it was a layman. As best as I can recall, I do not believe any priest I know has preached about how to dress, unless it had to do with modesty.

Miseremini · « **Reply #6 on:** April 26, 2016, 12:17:09 PM »

From another thread, the 1899 book Catholic Practice addresses the matter of dress at church on page 166 under the chapter title Observance of Sunday and Holidays.

https://archive.org/details/catholicpractice01klau

Prepare yourself for Mass as you would prepare yourself before your judgement, both spiritually and temporally and you can't go wrong.

If you don't wear your best to church why do you have them?

Truth is Eternal · « **Reply #7 on:** April 26, 2016, 12:26:10 PM »

Isn't a suit and tie Protestant attire which isn't even Catholic?

TKGS · « **Reply #8 on:** April 26, 2016, 01:47:51 PM »

Quote from: Truth is Eternal

Isn't a suit and tie Protestant attire which isn't even Catholic?

No. It isn't.

Matthew · « **Reply #9 on:** April 26, 2016, 05:58:54 PM »

Quote from: Miseremini

From another thread, the 1899 book Catholic Practice addresses the matter of dress at church on page 166 under the chapter title Observance of Sunday and Holidays.

https://archive.org/details/catholicpractice01klau

Prepare yourself for Mass as you would prepare yourself before your judgement, both spiritually and temporally and you can't go wrong.

If you don't wear your best to church why do you have them?

What do you mean "why do you have them"?

Are you saying:

"If you don't wear your best (that is, a suit and tie) to church then why do you have them (a suit and tie)?"

That is what's called "begging the question" -- a logical fallacy.

http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/begging-the-question.html

You assume A) a suit jacket and tie is everyone's best and B) that everyone owns one. Neither assumption is valid or necessary.

As I said above, if you consider a suit jacket and tie to be your best (that's what you'd wear to meet the Great Monarch, the Pope that restores the Catholic Church, etc.) then you certainly need to wear that to meet God on Sunday. Wearing the finest thing in your wardrobe is the very definition of "your best".

If your finest clothes take another form, then wear those. But no one should EVER see you better dressed than God gets to see you dressed, on Sundays. That is the point.

Matthew · « **Reply #10 on:** April 26, 2016, 06:02:38 PM »

Quote from: Truth is Eternal

Isn't a suit and tie Protestant attire which isn't even Catholic?

No, I don't believe so.

Miseremini · « **Reply #11 on:** April 26, 2016, 07:08:43 PM »

Quote from: Matthew

Quote from: Miseremini
From another thread, the 1899 book Catholic Practice addresses the matter of dress at church on page 166 under the chapter title Observance of Sunday and Holidays.

https://archive.org/details/catholicpractice01klau

Prepare yourself for Mass as you would prepare yourself before your judgement, both spiritually and temporally and you can't go wrong.

If you don't wear your best to church why do you have them?

What do you mean "why do you have them"?

Are you saying:

"If you don't wear your best (that is, a suit and tie) to church then why do you have them (a suit and tie)?"

That is what's called "begging the question" -- a logical fallacy.

http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/begging-the-question.html

You assume A) a suit jacket and tie is everyone's best and B) that everyone owns one. Neither assumption is valid or necessary.

As I said above, if you consider a suit jacket and tie to be your best (that's what you'd wear to meet the Great Monarch, the Pope that restores the Catholic Church, etc.) then you certainly need to wear that to meet God on Sunday. Wearing the finest thing in your wardrobe is the very definition of "your best".

If your finest clothes take another form, then wear those. But no one should EVER see you better dressed than God gets to see you dressed, on Sundays. That is the point.

Don't know how you got this from what I said. My "your" was not gender specific.
If you're female your best could be a dress with matching shoes. If you don't wear them to church why do you have them....to impress people? I said nothing about a suit and tie.

Matthew · « **Reply #12 on:** April 26, 2016, 08:46:52 PM »

Quote from: Miseremini

Don't know how you got this from what I said. My "your" was not gender specific.
If you're female your best could be a dress with matching shoes. If you don't wear them to church why do you have them....to impress people? I said nothing about a suit and tie.

What you said was a bit unclear and/or confusing, which is why I asked for clarification.

It sounds like we agree -- whatever your best is, it needs to be used for worshiping God. How could we save our best for someone else other than God, as if God were 2nd or 3rd place? I agree that would be most inappropriate.

TheRealMcCoy · « **Reply #13 on:** April 27, 2016, 02:38:35 PM »

Quote from: Matthew

"Domingo", which means "[the day] belonging to the Lord"

It doesn't mean "go [see] Domino"?

I agree that good taste is regional. For some it's a wool suit and for others it's sandals and suspenders.

But bolo ties are dressy anywhere!

TheRealMcCoy · « **Reply #14 on:** April 27, 2016, 02:40:24 PM »

Quote from: Truth is Eternal

Isn't a suit and tie Protestant attire which isn't even Catholic?

What would be Catholic Sunday attire?