MyCatholicSource.com - 'Quick Help' Page: Why Do Women Wear Veils At The 'Tridentine' Latin Mass?

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Women should wear veils in church (and during prayer) regardless of which Mass they attend. From the very earliest days of the Church, women have been instructed/required to wear veils, and this has nothing to do with local custom or particular styles of dress. Rather, it has to do with the fact that women have been placed in a state of subjection by Almighty God (see Gen. 3:16, Eph. 5:22-24, Col. 3:18, etc.). As St. Paul says in Holy Scripture, women should wear veils as a sign that they are under authority of men (as a mark of subjection), because of the angels, and because women who pray with unveiled heads "bring shame upon their heads"...

"Any man who prays or prophesies with his head covered brings shame upon his head. But any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled brings shame upon her head, for it is one and the same thing as if she had had her head shaved. For if a woman does not have her head veiled, she may as well have her hair cut off. But if it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should wear a veil. A man, on the other hand, should not cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; nor was man created for woman, but woman for man; for this reason a woman should have a sign of authority on her head, because of the angels." (St. Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in 1 Cor. 11:4-10) [NAB Translation, emphasis added]

Veils also protect modesty, reduce distractions, and help protect against becoming an object of another's concupiscence. One should further note that the so-called "exemption" in 1 Cor. 11:16 is for women who wish to be "argumentative". But what kind of Catholic woman would want to be "argumentative" to St. Paul who wrote under the influence of the Holy Spirit – that is, Almighty God's influence? Regardless of whether others do so or not, women should wear a veil at church and for prayer.

Note: Also Try Here For 'Are Women Still Required To Cover Their Heads When Attending Mass?' ('Quick Help' Page)

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