Wednesday, June 4, 2008

"Women covering their heads at Mass"

A Catholic woman explains why she covers, using references from scripture, from Canon laws, and plain and good reasoning. Please read the article here:

Ave Maria Gratia Plena...: Women covering their heads at Mass...

She begins:

When I was becoming a Catholic back in 1998 I was taught that the Second Vatican Council did not remove the head covering of women from Cannon Law and so ever since then I've covered my head in some way when I go to Mass. I don't think that this makes me super holy ~ I do it because the Church says to do it, end of story.

(If I forget a head covering I still go to Mass ~ I have no doubt that God understands and isn't about to smite me on the spot with a bolt of lightning.)

I've stated vocally that the head covering of women was still "on the books" but since my brain is like a hunk of swiss cheese I have never been able to recall the actual law so here it is:

Canon 1262, #2:
"Men, in a church or outside a church, while they are assisting at sacred rites, shall be bare-headed, unless the approved mores of the people or peculiar circumstances of things determine otherwise; women, however, shall have a covered head and be modestly dressed, especially when they approach the table of the Lord." (emphasis mine)
1917 Pio-Benedictine Code of Canon Law, Ignatius Press in 2001

At this point in time I have been unable to locate in the 1983 updated Cannon Law anything that says explicitly that "women do not have to cover their heads."

Please read her entire article at the link above. Also read her follow-up article:

Feminism Literally Burned the Catholic Veil

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