Deacon Greg Kandra is asking folks, "What do you wear to Mass?" ("No Flip-Flops in the King's House") And that's a great question!
I'd suggest you follow the link and read his observations (keen and humorous) which include a repost of a piece he published a while back in his parish bulletin (more sharp-edged humor!).
And I'm interested in hearing about "what YOU wear to Mass..."
What's YOUR "Sunday best?"
And to make this perfectly clear: I'm NOT interested in reports of what you saw others wearing to church! Rather: what do YOU wear to Mass on the Lord's Day.
(It might be interesting to hear if your Sunday-go-to-meeting clothing choices change on days when you serve in a liturgical ministry.)
I'll start.
I wear black shoes and socks, pants and a clerical shirt with a collar. Prior to my church being blessed with air conditioning, I used to wear sandals and shorts under my vestments but with the AC, shoes, socks and long pants are fine.
And over all that black, I wear an alb and a stole and chasuable - currently in a cool shade of green!
How about you?
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I put Greg's post on my FB page and are people ever reacting. Not in a good way... Yes we do know that Jesus wore sandals!!
ReplyDeleteI usually wear a skirt in the summer and black dress pants in the winter. Even if I am not scheduled to be a lector or EMHC, I am a liturgical coordinator, so I am doing a lot of public things, organizing, setting up, making sure that liturgical ministers and often the priest himself, are all in place. So I am always on duty at my home parish.
When I visit my work parish, I dress similarly - it is my work parish and I like to make a more professional appearance.
I like your outfit, it sounds like it could catch on with other priests!!
Fran (at work)
And from Phil at Blue Eyed Ennis:
ReplyDelete...I usually make an effort to wear something special but casual as I feel I am lucky to be able to go to mass when so many in the world can't... In heatwaves sleeveless dresses and I don't bother covering shoulders as is the case in Mediterranean countries...
Thanks Austin :-))
ReplyDeleteWhat I wear: a shirt (not a jersey, but a shirt with collar and buttons -- short-sleeved from May to October); jeans and sneakers, usually; and on occasion, more "formal" slacks and better shoes. Am certain that I've never worn shorts to Mass, at least not since attaining the age of reason, but I don't wear shorts anyway outside of Church, even in hundred-degree weather.
ReplyDeleteSemi-casual most Sundays, without being irreverent (I hope)! Although I am old enough (forty-two) to remember a priest inveighing from the pulpit against "dungarees!" This was maybe 1976 or so.
I find, if one may generalize, that in Orthodox churches and in African-American churches, the phenomenon of wearing one's "Sunday best" is very much alive and well!
Since I minister as cantor and ensemble leader every Sunday, I wear my Sunday best - a long skirt (or dress pants) a blouse and vest in the summer and a blouse and jacket in the winter! I wouldn't feel comfortable in anything else.
ReplyDeleteI will admit to wearing flip flops to Mass...
ReplyDeleteand, even a couple of times when I was a lector-
I did wear them with a long skirt...
(I'm not sure if that makes it "better")
But, when I am reading, I usually wear long black dress pants with some kind of a dressy shirt- and if it is sleeveless, I wear a sweater over it- it just feels "better", or more appropriate, to me, to cover up sleeveless shirts.
On holidays I usually wear a dress, with tights and boots.
I like this post- thank you-
I don't think I was fully aware of how much thought (and worry) I put into what I wear to church.
but I know I am at least partly aware-
this just helped me think about it a little bit differently-
maybe a little bit more helpfully (is that a word?)
Being the possessor of a Y chromosome, I don't wear a skirt, but I do "business casual" when I don't have a formal liturgical role, and jacket and tie (or like last weekend in very hot weather, just shirt and tie) for being a lector or, more rarely, cantor.
ReplyDelete