Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Last week in my letter, I reminded everyone of requirement for obligatory attendance at Mass and I outlined some of the reasons for it. In brief, the Sunday Mass is obligatory because the Church teaches that Sunday is the principal day of the Christian life and the center of worship for which she has a grave duty to protect and order our lives toward God.

Hot weather is again upon us and it wise to again reflect and consider our dress at Mass. Proper dress for Sunday Mass is meant to express reverence, modesty, and joyful respect for Christ, who is made present in the Eucharistic Sacrifice. The Church teaches that your bodily demeanor (including clothing) should “convey the respect, solemnity, and joy of this moment when Christ becomes our guest.” (CCC, 1387)

Some Core principles for Dress. Our clothing should be decent and modest. Clothing should avoid what is provocative or distracting. Saintly tradition strongly emphasizes modesty—especially for women—so that attire does not “shock” and does not offend God. (Sacra Propedium, 19)

Clothing should be reverent and solemn. Sunday Mass is not an event like a baseball game or concert; it is the “foremost holy day of obligation in the universal church,” so people should dress in a way that visibly matches the sacredness of the occasion. (CCC, 2192) Your clothing should be clean, dignified, and nondistracting.

Practical guidance for men: slacks, dress shirt (with or without tie), and a jacket or suit if you have it. Shorts are not appropriate and you should avoid sleeveless tops, very casual athletic wear, or anything with crude or irreverent printing/logo’s.

Practical guidance for women: Your clothing should be modest in cut and coverage, avoiding revealing cleavage, bare midriffs, and very short skirts/shorts. Avoid very tight or clinging garments.

Bottom Line: Wear some of the best items that you have in your closet. If the best that you have is a clean pair of blue jeans and a collared shirt...then wear that.

For the past few decades there has been a great decline in the percentage of Catholics who believe in the true presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist. There are lots of reasons for this, but certainly one is the way that we dress at Mass. Casual, and indifferent dress is a statement that the Mass and who we are receiving are not important. What we say is often dismissed, but our children see and follow our example.

A simple rule of thumb for dress: You might ask yourself, “Would I wear this to a formal event where I want to show respect to a great person?” If not, it’s usually not suitable for Sunday Mass.

May our dress at Mass reflect our love for our Lord in the Most Holy Eucharist.

All the best...in Christ,

Father Wilson

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