From a reader…
QUAERITUR:
I have noticed at the Traditional Latin Mass I attend that the women cover their heads with their veils once their sit down in their pews. [?!?] I was told by a friend that the norm years ago was that women veiled their heads before their entered the church and took off their veils once they stepped out of church, not once they sat down in their pews. [!] Which is the proper way for women who veil their heads? Are the women who veil once they enter their pews doing anything wrong? Should the priest(s) address this?
Ahhhh…. such an important question!
Boy are you onto something!
Yes, there is an exact way for the veil to be worn and when it should be put on.
As far as the act of veiling is concerned, it should be done no farther than 20 meters from the lowest step of the church’s door.
Moving on, the edge of the veil should be drawn precisely 4.25cm from the critical angle of the hairdo’s forward arc. Centimeters, mind you.
I suggest that you keep records on this. Using a clipboard, start tracking stats for the actual veiling, changing doors each week. Then, perhaps after Mass and after women have had a chance to say their thanksgiving prayers, using a discreet measuring device… perhaps some sort of caliper… measure the width of the “draw”.
You would do a real service for the pastor were you able to chart this out, perhaps with graphs (priests can be a bit flummoxed by tables of numbers and such). That way Father can intervene with stern admonitions when veils are being improperly deployed.
You have your mission!
And remember, there are no longer any canonical penalties for veiling in the wrong place or with the incorrect draw. Okay? That’s key! We aren’t judgmental about these things anymore. For a couple years now we are being more merciful.
