I know I’m quite late to this conversation, but I would urge medical workers to change out of scrubs before going to church as a matter of hygiene. Scrubs can get contaminated with germs that can spread to the general public when the scrubs are worn outside of the hospital or doctor’s/dentist’s office. Please don’t wear them to church. (I know this is an unpopular view, but I know that seeing scrubs in public makes some people (e.g., those who are particularly vulnerable to infection) very anxious. )
I further told them, however, that we would have to dress up and wear proper attire
I have ‘church clothes’,I don’t wear dresses of any sort, perhaps because it was insisted by my Mom when I was a child to wear a dress. She always wore a dress, nylons, high heels and hats to church, restaurants and shopping trips down town. I wear my church clothes only to Mass when they have been worn several times they are my special occasion clothes. I have 3 or 4 nice tops and 2 pairs of black slacks, I have good shoes for Mass too, ((I don’t wear nylons nor heels they hurt my https://rksloans.com/title-loans-oh/ feet) It is rare I wear sandals, but if its a very hot summer day I have been known to…I figure if the Franciscans can wear sandals to church so can I. My husband would be more difficult he wears a leather jacket and all his shirts are button down but he can’t seem to wear slacks, its always jeans but at least its his good jeans and no tennis shoes! We never wear tshirts to church, not even my kids were allowed to do that, hats can really be a problem because you can’t see the altar with hats in the way… I remember this from church when I was a kid so though its a nice thought hats will never see a real comback. Veils .. well when I hit 70 I will wear veils.
I agree with Msgr. Pope and most comments. Both church attire and church decorum have eroded terribly in our contemporary culture.
The clothing issue began to change when the Mass changed from Latin to English
Might this issue be addressed by the local pastor to the parish council? Perhaps together they can work out some realistic dress guidelines and a method/campaign for persuading the flock through education and guidance from parish leaders and through parish organizations. The parish bulletin and homilies could also be places where the topic is approached.
A beginning might focus on eliminated the most egregious forms of of irreverent attire. After that skirmish/battle is won, then the focus might turn to the less atrocious forms of dress.
To my way of thinking the clothing of those in church needs to be 1) modest, which minimally means not too much skin exposure, 2) clean, and 3) in good repair, which means not torn or ragged. Beyond that there is latitude for personal taste.
when i was a kid and i asked, “what do I wear?” my mother would simply reply,(yell) “put on some church clothes!” I knew exactly what she meant. Now that i have two children of my own when i tell them (yell) “put on some church clothes!!” they know what I mean…
As a child, my parents made all of us put on our Sunday clothes. Coat and ties for the males; dresses and veils for the females. Then the Mass changed. Suddenly, it was not a reverant religious ceremony but a folk song concert! No one wears “Sunday clothes” to a concert! To this day, most Masses are still concerts. I just found a parish that has only Latin Masses said at it. For Father’s Day, I have asked my family to attend this parish to experience the “Old Latin Mass” of my childhood. They have agreed. They have agreed. Perhaps, then, the problem is the way the Mass is celebrated today or since Vatican II. Just a thought. God Bless you Father. Thank you for becoming a priest.
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