10 Reasons Some Women

Are Wearing Veils in Church

Again
By

Though this article is from a Roman Catholic author, it is

nice to see them taking this somewhat seriously again.
Being an Orthodox Christian, this has never gone out of
style/habit.

by Susanna Spencer

Not that long ago, Christian women always covered their

heads at church, and now many are choosing to once
again. While lots of women are going the route of the
chapel veil, others are choosing things like hats, scarves,
or stylish headbands.

What are their reasons for doing this?

1) Itʼs in the New Testament

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. I commend you

because you remember me in everything and maintain
the traditions even as I have delivered them to you.
But I want you to understand that the head of every
man is Christ, the head of a woman is her husband,
and the head of Christ is God.
 Any man who prays or prophesies with his head
covered dishonors his head, but any woman who
prays or prophesies with her head unveiled dishonors
her head–it is the same as if her head were shaven.
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. For a man
ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and
glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. (For man
was not made from woman, but woman from man.
Neither was man created for woman, but woman for
man.)

That is why a woman ought to have a veil on her head,

because of the angels. (Nevertheless, in the Lord
woman is not independent of man nor man of woman;
for as woman was made from man, so man is now
born of woman. And all things are from God.)

Judge for yourselves; is it proper for a woman to pray

to God with her head uncovered? Does not nature
itself teach you that for a man to wear long hair is
degrading to him, but if a woman has long hair, it is
her pride? For her hair is given to her for a covering. If
any one is disposed to be contentious, we recognize
no other practice, nor do the churches of God.

-1 Corinthians 11Q1-16

Now, I know that this is a hotly debated passage, but let

me try to explain.

2) The Church veils things that are sacred

The tabernacle is veiled. The chalice is veiled. Altars are

veiled. Moses veiled his face after he had seen God. A
veiled woman shows reverence for God, symbolizing the
veiled bride of the Church, but also honors herself as a
woman before God.

3) Men and women are different

Men represent Christ, the bridegroom, which is why we

have the male priesthood. Women represent the Church,
the bride. All laymen take part in the feminine nature of
the Church, but women symbolize the Church as the
bride.

Veiling goes against a society that tells us that men and

women are the same, that there are many genders, and
that gender is not important when people want to marry.
Veiling is an outward statement against modernity and its
lies. A woman choosing to be submissive as a wife, as
woman, to her husband is against all that our society tells
us about man and woman. St. Paul talks about women
submitting to their husbands, the Church submitting to
Christ, Christ loving the Church to the point of his
suffering and death, and husbands loving their wives in
this same way.

4) Women and men are equal

St. Paul said this, which went against his cultureʼs ideas
about men and women:

“Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent

of man nor man of woman; for as woman was made
from man, so man is now born of woman. And all
things are from God.”

Christianity has made men and women equal in God, and

St. Paul says this right in the middle of the passage where
he talks about women covering their heads. It is
important to remember that when Jesus and St. Paul talk
about women in the Scriptures it is in a new way that was
not normal to their cultures. Women veiling is not putting
them lower than men, but must be seen in conjunction
with men not covering their heads. It emphasizes the
difference of men and women, and the symbol they are
as the image of God.

5) A veil accentuates the natural beauty of a woman

St. Thomas Aquinas explains in his commentary on veiling

passage of 1 Corinthians that human beings in general
naturally augment their natural beauty with clothing.

Women naturally have beautiful hair, and a veil ornaments

and accentuates that beauty. In general, we want to bring
the best of ourselves to liturgy, and veiling is a way of
doing so.

6) It is part of the tradition from the Apostles

St. Paul writes that he wishes the Corinthians to
“maintain the traditions even as I have delivered them to
you.” He did not make this up just for their culture. Rather,
he is passing on a tradition of women covering their
heads and men not doing so. This tradition was from the
Apostles and it was maintained until the 1960s [in the
Roman Church] when so many liturgical traditions were
discarded.

The [Roman Catholic] 1917 Code of Canon law required

women to cover their heads and forbade men from
covering their heads. The [Roman Catholic] 1983 Code of
Canon law omitted the passage about women covering
their heads, but maintained that men should not.

It is unclear why the Code was changed, though it is clear

that head covering by women is no longer required by
Church law. It is also clear this has been a tradition
passed down, and as laity there is no reason why we
cannot continue that tradition even if it is not in the Code
of Canon law.

7) Some women pray better that way

Some are choosing to veil not just in church, but anytime

they pray in private or in public. It is a way to help them
focus. A prayer to pray when putting on a veil when
entering a Church is,

“Blessed am I whom am called to the marriage feast of

the Lamb.”
8) Having a veil or hat immediately dresses one up for
church

Whether at church on a weekday or on a Sunday, when a

woman puts something on her head, she is saying to
herself and to others that she is dressed for church. A
working woman can mentally distinguish between work
wear an church wear by using a veil. A woman who wears
“mommy clothes” all day, can instantly be dressed up for
church when she puts on a veil.

9) Robing oneself in a beautiful veil in the presence of

God feels right

It makes the woman feel beautiful, and some husbands

think that veils are “hot.” The beauty of the veil is
something that honors God in the same way beautiful
architecture or beautiful vestments do. They contribute
to giving God the worship that is due to Him.

UPDATE 4/21/15: Authorʼs note: Some people object to

my use of the word “hot”. I am using it in the context of
Christian marriage: think Song of Songs: ‘You have
ravished my heart, my sister, my bride, you have ravished
my heart with a glance of your eyes, with one jewel of
your necklace.ʼ (Song of Songs 4Q9) Physical attraction is
a very good and important part of Christian marriage.

10) Because of the Angels

Thomas Aquinas explains this statement from 1

Corinthians 11.10 simply by saying that it is because
Angels are present at the Holy Sacrifice. Men must show
reverence as well as women. Women show reverence by
covering their heads, and men show reverence by not
covering their heads.

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