A few thoughts on head coverings
A friend of mine recently asked me about the veils worn by female parishioners at a church she had visited. I didn’t have much to say since, being a boy, I hadn’t given too much thought to the subject of frilly lace…
My first real exposure to the chapel veil and mantilla was in Washington DC, when I went to my first Extraordinary Form Mass at the Basilica. If you have attended a Latin Mass you may well have noticed them too.
However, it’s not like the use of veils is restricted only to “traditional” Catholics. I’ve occasionally seen veils at English Novus Ordo liturgies. Additionally, the reason that there aren’t many good photos of me at my First Holy Communion is because, in most pictures, my face is partially or wholly obscured by a veil belonging to one of the girls in my class! But the most common prevailing use of the veil is, of course, by a bride at her wedding.
I tried to do a little bit of research on the history and theology of veils but I unfortunately didn’t find a lot of good source material, so if you know a lot about veils or have any good resources you’d like to share, please respond in the Comment Box below.
A little history
Up to comparatively recently in the West, it was standard for all females to cover their heads when attending Mass. This was typically done with either a hat or a veil.
I have heard it said that some people attach particular meaning to the colours of the veils, often indicating the lady’s marital status. However, most ladies I know just match the veil to the colour of the outfit 😉
Although the practice of wearing veils has a long tradition within the Roman Church, as far as I can tell, the mandated use of head coverings only technically entered Canon Law in 1917. In 1983, Canon Law was updated, but with no mention of head coverings. The practice largely fell into disuse.
In the Eastern Church, however, the use of head coverings seems to have been less consistent, although still well-attested. At my own Byzantine Parish I would say that the majority don’t cover their heads. However, those who do, are typically from the younger end of the parish.
A little Biblical theology
Head coverings find their roots in Judaism. At the time of Christ, women would generally wear veils, especially when in public situations such as at the synagogue. In the New Testament, St. Paul specifically mentions head coverings in his letter to the Church at Corinth:
…any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled dishonors her head…
– 1 Corinthians 11:4
You can read the full text here. It is admittedly one of the trickiest passages in the Bible to understand. Paul mentions several things in passing without elaboration which he assumes his readers will understand without further explanation. Since this is really the only New Testament passage which addresses this subject, I’d like to very briefly mention some of the reasons Paul gives for this teaching:
1. Marital Headship
The Apostle appears to link head covering to the “headship” of a husband in marriage:
…the head of Christ is God…the head of every man is Christ…the head of a woman is her husband…
If words like “headship” and “submission” are the kind of words which make you start to twitch, please remember the demands Paul placed upon husbands.
2. Angelic Imitation
St. Paul says, rather cryptically, that women should cover their heads “because of the Angels”. I’ve heard several different explanations as to what Paul means here. However, particularly since he is discussing head coverings in the context of the liturgy, I would suggest that he’s referring to a passage from the Prophet Isaiah:
Above him stood the seraphim; each had six wings: with two he covered [veiled] his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
– Isaiah 6:2-3
It therefore appears that Paul is asking the women somehow to imitate the angels. This is another verse which we would love St. Paul to explain further since it begs many, many questions!
3. Modesty
An argument is also put forth, linking head coverings to modesty:
… For if a woman will not veil herself, then she should cut off her hair; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her wear a veil…
At this point in history and culture it was common for prostitutes to wear their hair short and for women caught in adultery to be punished by having their heads shaved.
4. Nature/Culture
Towards the end of the passage St. Paul makes the following argument:
…but if a woman has long hair, it is her pride? For her hair is given to her for a covering…
St. Paul is pointing to the fact that women naturally grow their hair long and that it is a source of glory.
5. Tradition
Finally, St. Paul argues based on tradition:
… If any one is disposed to be contentious, we recognize no other practice [custom], nor do the churches of God…
From this, it is at least clear that veiling was the norm in the First Century.
As I said above, in the tradition of the Catholic Church it has been extremely common for women to veil their heads at the Eucharistic liturgy. However, this is regarded as Catholic “discipline” rather than “dogma”. It therefore is subject to change, and has indeed changed over time in different cultures. As of today there is no requirement to do so, although in some parishes it is strongly encouraged.
Closing Thoughts
As I said at the beginning of this post, I hadn’t really given the subject of head coverings much thought until recently. In this post I just wanted to get down a few thoughts and look at one of the trickiest and most cryptic passages of Scripture which relates to this subject.
I’d like to end by sharing some words from one of my favourite preachers, Msgr Pope. It’s a little long, but well worth the read…
“For both men and women, humility before God is the real point of these customs. In the ancient world as now, women gloried in their hair and often gave great attention to it. St. Paul above, speaks of a woman’s hair as her glory. As a man I am not unappreciative of this glory. Women do wonderful things with their hair. As such, their hair is part of their glory and, as St. Paul says it seems to suggest above it is appropriate to cover our glory before the presence of God.
“As for men, in the ancient world and to some lesser extent now, hats often signified rank and membership. As such, men displayed their rank and membership in organizations with pride in the hats they wore. Hence Paul tells them to uncover their heads and leave their worldly glories aside when coming before God. Today men still do some of this (esp. in the military) but men wear less hats in general. But when they do they are often boasting of allegiances to sports teams and the like. Likewise, some men who belong to fraternal organizations such as the various Catholic Knights groups often display ranks on their hats. We clergy do this as well to some extent with different color poms on birettas etc. Paul encourages all this to be left aside in Church. As for the clergy, though we may enter the Church with these ranked hats and insignia, we are to cast them aside when we go to the altar. Knights organizations are also directed to set down their hats when the Eucharistic prayer begins.
“I do not advance this argument from humility to say women ought to cover their heads, for I would not require what the Church does not. But I offer the line of reasoning as a way to understand veiling in a way that is respectful of the modern setting, IF a woman chooses to use the veil. Since this is just a matter of custom then we are not necessarily required to understand its meaning in exactly the way St. Paul describes. Submission is biblical but it need not be the reason for the veil. Humility before God seems a more workable understanding especially since it can be seen to apply to both men and women in the way I have tried to set it forth”
And, for what it’s worth, I think veils look pretty 🙂
The article A few thoughts on head coverings first appeared on RestlessPilgrim.net
Thank you for summarizing this topic so well. Henceforth I shall be sending a link to this post when people ask me why I cover my head in church.
For the record, I have a couple of scarves that I love and try to coordinate them with my outfit. When that fails, I just wear the one that I think is prettiest at that moment. 🙂
Hey Becky, welcome to Restless Pilgrim 🙂
I’m glad it was helpful. I’m hoping to do another post on the subject in a few months once I’ve had time to read around the topic a little more 🙂
Interesting thoughts as always, my dear. It sounds similar to the reason why our crucifer wears a plain alb – they’re not there to be looked at, and their function is for God’s glory rather than their own.
That said, I feel able to submit without wearing a veil.
Excellent article, my friend. My wife, as you know, covers her head while in Church and she absolutely loves this particular tradition of the Church.
What I don’t like is when women wear hats to Church. A hat is not the same thing as a scarf or a veil, IMHO.
Good post! I have some friends in other states who veil, but at my parish, the few women who do veil — and it’s a mere handful — are largely in the 40-60 range. It’s an interesting topic to think about, though. I’d always thought the point of veiling was a sign of humility, which seems correct, according to Msgr. Pope’s treatment of it (which is very good).
I don’t know if I would wear one, mainly because I think I would feel more self-conscious about what other people were thinking (though that would certainly be humbling, I imagine, so maybe that’s the point? Hmm…) and would therefore lose focus on Mass.
Speaking of veils at First Communion, I was actually the only girl without one in my class (I had a frilly, flowered headband, but still). My mother swore up and down there would be others, but no, even all the public school girls had veils. I haven’t really let her forget it, lol… 🙂
Nice article and you cover it well. A fine point, though, is that until quite recently (as far as modern history is concerned) most women wore a hat when they went out in public or otherwise covered their head. My grandmother certainly did and so did most of her generation. They would have worn these hats and scarfs in church as a matter of course. I think most people think of head coverings as something way far back in history, but it is a fairly recent development that women do not wear hats or scarves out in public – even in the United States and even if they weren’t Catholic.
I am going to start wearing a veil in church because it gives more glory to God. I have some on order that don’t stand out too much and look more like a lace handkerchief / bandana. They are pretty, but I think if it draws too much attention then it is missing the general intent.
All good points, thanks Rene 🙂
A recent post by my friend Rachel…
Matt Fradd posted a great article on this subject today
I’d have to look it up again, but I’ve heard that another possible reason — somewhat linked to #3 given the nature of pagan temple worship — is that priestesses in the ancient Greek world would always prophecy with their heads uncovered, so if a Christian woman were to do the same, from the outside it would look no different from the pagan oracles of the day. So it’s possible that St. Paul was, in addition to the other points you brought up, also trying to make sure that there was a visible difference between the Christian community and the pagans.
My thoughts and personal experience are this:
I for one, after veiling for the Stations of the Cross, felt a very real and different connection to God, Mary Jesus and the Church. I felt more respect for myself as I felt more respectful of Jesus and in particular, Mary. Being it a symbol of humility to God’s glory, it was an interesting side effect and makes sense. I began wearing them, though have since misplaced or lost the ones I had and am out of practice. 🙁 I think it is a fine thing for young woman especially, both in chastity and in reverence for oneself in that our glory is purely His.
While it is an act of humility and symbol of submission, I think it is even more relevant today that it is in fact a method to teach us respect for the glory He instilled in us, by honoring His own glory by veiling. I hope it revives, as today woman could use that commemorative aspect of how they respect themselves as He would.
I’m really glad you re posted this as I was just thinking about this recently. After reading your post I did some research of my own.
I have since read that Canon law stated the use of veils was not abrogated. It was simply omitted.
Canon law states inherently that in order for anything previously stated to be abrogated it must be done in an explicit fashion versus omission. Any new law cannot derogate a previous existing or universal law if not expressly stated, brought up for revision or expressly revoked.
Canon 20 A later law abrogates or derogates from an earlier law, if it expressly so states, or if it is directly contrary to that law, or if it integrally reorders the whole subject matter of the earlier law. A universal law, however, does not derogate from a particular or from a special law, unless the law expressly provides otherwise.
Canon 21 In doubt, the revocation of a previous law is not presumed; rather, later laws are to be related to earlier ones and, as far as possible, harmonized with them.
Canons 27 and 28 add to the argument:
Canon 27 Custom is the best interpreter of laws.
Canon 28 Without prejudice to the provisions of can. 5, a custom, whether contrary to or apart from the law, is revoked by a contrary custom or law. But unless the law makes express mention of them, it does not revoke centennial or immemorial customs, nor does a universal law revoke particular customs. 2
http://www.fisheaters.com/theveil.html
The referenced blog also has a beautiful inference of the use of a veil as a symbol of woman being a vessel for life.
The writer references how both the body and blood of Christ are “veiled” prior to the offering and of course, notes Mary’s great veil.
Interesting tid bit and as a mother, references to life are always appreciated.
Any thoughts on any of this?
Another lovely article on the same subject from Inspired Angela.
Now that’s what I’m talking about David! Go Angela for touching on the many points I think all of us women should see in veiling and more! Beautifully written! Amazing.