Veils for Catholic Women

During an outing with my mother in which mom had to go into a Catholic Gift Shop I saw these veils. Upon asking my mom what and why about them I learned that it was a pre-Vatican 2 thing. I figure with time on my hands that looking into this topic further a worthy pursuit.

For the first 2000 years of the Church, veiling was a commonplace tradition. In the time of the early Church, it was for purposes of modesty in everyday life, but eventually the practice evolved to women covering their heads only inside of churches—in the presence of the Eucharist. Veiling, either with a chapel veil or mantilla, or even a hat, became less commonplace following the Second Vatican Council, until the 1983 Code of Canon Law did away with statements on women’s head coverings completely. Now, the tradition remains as a optional devotion that many traditional or charismatic Catholics treasure because of the mystery and meaning embedded in it. [3]
The veil is meant to be an external sign of a woman's interior desire to humble herself before God, truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:7 "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."When we say "veil," we simply mean "covering" of any kind. Although many women choose lace mantillas because of their femininity, more important than the type of veil we use is the need for a proper interior disposition. Similar to a religious habit, your veil is a public proclamation of your desire to submit to the will of God for your life, and of your commitment to answering the universal call to holiness and continual conversion. Keep these things in mind when you wear a veil in the presence God.[1]

The 1983 Code of Canon Law, currently in force, does not contain a requirement that women cover their head in church. As Cardinal Burke, Prefect of the Supreme Apostolic Signatura, stated in a private letter: "The wearing of a chapel veil for women is not required when women assist at the Holy Mass according to the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite. It is, however, the expectation that women who assist at the Mass according to the Extraordinary Form cover their heads, as was the practice at the time that the 1962 Missale Romanum was in force. It is not, however, a sin to participate in the Holy Mass according to the Extraordinary Form without a veil." [1]

Throughout early Christian culture, the veil was again seen as a symbol of modesty. To be without a veil was a sign of indecency and impropriety. Furthermore, it was customary to shave a woman’s head as punishment for infidelity – the equivalent of the Puritans making an adulteress wear the scarlet letter ‘A’ sown onto her garment during the 1600s. This is why Saint Paul compares a woman unveiled to a woman shaved, as this was a sign of disgrace, impropriety, and disrespect. As Saint Paul points out later in the same letter to the Corinthians, hair for a woman was a physical sign of feminine beauty and for it to be taken away was going against nature – thus a disgrace to femininity. [2]

Throughout his letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul points out the importance of gender differences and the role each plays in God’s plan – to deviate would be unnatural, disgraceful, and sinful. Of course, it’s important to not focus too much on Saint Paul’s opinion on women’s hair – as if a woman is committing an egregious sin in cutting her hair. At the same time it would be a disservice to the Apostle to skip over his main point on the importance of gender differences and keeping with the natural law – the hair and veil being one example emphasizing those gender differences. [2]

References

1.  https://www.veilsbylily.com/frequently-asked-questions/
2. https://www.catholicstand.com/why-women-wear-chapel-veils-and-should-you-too/
3. https://bctorch.com/2019/03/27/the-mystery-of-the-catholic-chapel-veil/