Summer is coming! Let's choose to still dress modestly.

Standards of Modesty in Dress

Imprimatur dated Sept. 24, 1956

"A dress cannot be called decent which is cut deeper than two fingers breadth under the pit of the throat; which does not cover the arms at least to the elbows; and scarcely reaches a bit beyond the knees.  Furthermore, dresses of transparent materials are improper."

The Cardinal Vicar of  Pius XII

I always know summer is around the corner because the church bulletin has an announcement that requests (basically pleads) for girls and women to dress modestly for Mass during the summer months. I always found it weird that one must be reminded to not wear revealing clothing to a sacred place for worship. Not trying to be judgmental or anything. Our culture has alot to do with it.

But how much? Shouldn't we instinctively know that showing our cleavage, midriff, and most of our legs is not appropriate? And I am going to go out on a limb and say not just to Mass, but anytime.

The quote by Pius XII may seem outrageous to some but these are almost the exact same rules we had at my private, all dress wearing high school. The only difference is that we were allowed to wear short sleeves above the elbow but no tank tops under any circumstance. They would send you home.

And you know what? We managed to dress attractively in spite of these restrictions. We respected ourselves and the guys learned how to respect us also. Women were not created to be objects.

What are some excuses we hear for dressing immodestly:

The way I dress is my business. If anyone has a problem with it, too bad.
Actually, as long as you are in public, the way you dress is everyone's business.

I can't help it if men look at me.
Isn't that what you are going for? Don't deceive yourself.

It's what is in my heart that counts, not what I am wearing.
Very true. What is in your heart when you choose to dress like a hoochy instead of a lady?

It's too hot to dress modestly.
In the desert countries that is exactly what people do to keep cool.

I'm too young to dress like that. It's time to flaunt it!
Youth is a time to start learning to make good decisions and develop a healthy self-respect. It will stay with you the rest of your life!

Modest means frumpy and I won't dress that way.
It does not have to mean frumpy! You can dress very attractively and still be modest.

I don't own any modest clothes.
Start with a couple of skirts. Make sure they are at least slightly below knee length. They come in every color and fabric under the sun and you can usually pair them with a simple top. If you have trouble finding a modest top try a nice tee shirt that is not skin tight or see through.

Let us respect our churches and our Mass. Dress appropriately.