Veils......

[maximillion]

Without wanting to trivialise or be reductionist, I really love the elegant way the veils of the SOL, DSSME's and the Nashies all fall.

 

 

I was used to a veil more like the Carmelites use. It was a rectangle which was pinned on and fell just the way it fell.

 

Does anyone know if the veils used by the communities named above are cut a certain way or what they do to have them look so neat and elegant?

 

 

I'm just curious. Oh and that this is MOP about the way they look. It's not to say the other ways of wearing a veil are nasty!

[DiscerningCatholic]

I don't know about any of this, but I do love the way the DSMME, Nashies', and SOL veils fall. :nun:

[ChristinaTherese]

Sr. Mary Catharine wears that sort of veil, doesn't she?

[Sr Mary Catharine OP]

Actually, ours is quite simple. It is the standard rectangle and when folded it in half and 4" from the 2 edges and 10" from the front, it is sewn to create the look you see on ours with the 2 points in the back. We didn't used to sew it, it used to be more like the OSB's of MO wear it but our origins are French Canadian and as I know from my mother's family, they like things looking "neat".

 

The DSMME and I think the Nashvilles(but not sure) have it cut more narrow and sewn in an interesting way. I can't really explain it although I know how it is done. The SV's veil is how Nashville's used to be but I noticed that now theirs is more narrow and shorter. The veil can get heavy and PULL. Not fun!

 

I was told once that with Dominicans "cloistered nuns wear 2 points and sisters wear 1". As I looked at all books I realized that is true! It's not for any particular reason; it just happened.

 

 

 

[Lilllabettt]

i am familiar with this "style" of veil ... they  hang off a wire (sort of like a wire hanger) that is threaded through the veil like a drawstring is threaded through the waist of sweatpants ... its shaped around the head and pushed under the "lip" of the cap.

[OnlySunshine]

i am familiar with this "style" of veil ... they  hang off a wire (sort of like a wire hanger) that is threaded through the veil like a drawstring is threaded through the waist of sweatpants ... its shaped around the head and pushed under the "lip" of the cap.

 

Sounds painful...

[Lilllabettt]

they can be, if they aren't shaped right. But its not "supposed" to hurt. In the beginning mine was too tight and gave me a headache, but once I stopped being silly and said something about it, it got fixed. Just needed to be bent a little more. After that I didn't even feel it.

[Sr. Dominica]

48" x 36"

Wire from the bottom of coat hanger 14"-16" with tape round ends to make hairband.

Use bias binding along the top edge for the hairband, or hem and also to round off the corner as you will shorten the long edge to make it fit you round the head and hem/bias/cut away a quarter circle under the neck to fit.

With the right sides facing out stitch a seam at an angle about 14"-16" from the bottom points up towards the nape. This gives the double tail.

[maximillion]

Wow! Sr Dominica, thank you for that.

 

 

The secrets Religious keep under their veils! I would never have imagined that.

[Sr Mary Catharine OP]

We don't use any wire! Thankfully! I really don't quite know why they do..the communities with the turnback on their cap. We use a snap at the top, 2 straight pins and if one wants to, 2 little safety pins near the ears and that's that. Sr. Dominica, I'm glad you can explain who the DSMME's veil is cut.

 

Ours' are cut according to the height of the sisters. Basically, it's small, medium and long and a few extra long. I make our veils and caps but I don't remember the lengths. I just look at the chart. I think mine is 48 or 50. I love the fold marks in the veil when we put a newly washed veil on but they don't stay in. We fold our veil up into a square after it is return from the wash.

[DiscerningCatholic]

Sounds painful...

 

I actually asked one of the sisters about how they keep their veils on and she looked at me quite smugly (like so :evil: ) and said, "Oh...you'll find out when you enter!" 

 

I did manage to get the answer out of one of the other sisters at the next retreat (without really intending to) and she said, "Oh, well...I can't tell you EVERYTHING, but I can tell you that there is a wire that shapes it to our face. It's comfortable; you don't even know it's there!"

 

My grandma is so freaked out by the way the veil covers the ears. "HOW can that be good for your ears????!" "Doesn't that make their heads hurt?!" "Can they hear?!"

[OnlySunshine]

I actually asked one of the sisters about how they keep their veils on and she looked at me quite smugly (like so :evil: ) and said, "Oh...you'll find out when you enter!" 

 

I did manage to get the answer out of one of the other sisters at the next retreat (without really intending to) and she said, "Oh, well...I can't tell you EVERYTHING, but I can tell you that there is a wire that shapes it to our face. It's comfortable; you don't even know it's there!"

 

My grandma is so freaked out by the way the veil covers the ears. "HOW can that be good for your ears????!" "Doesn't that make their heads hurt?!" "Can they hear?!"

 

I would hope that the wire part is covered.  I know on most veils, they have a headband.  My friend, who entered an active Carmelite order, was relieved to find out that the veils don't have the headband.  They have a white cap and then the veil wraps around it and ties underneath.  She said is was very comfortable.

 

Also, my friend told me that it took her a while to get used to the veil being over the ears but she hardly noticed after she wore it a while.  I've heard other Sisters say the same thing.  Some elderly Sisters, however, find it problematic because their hearing is already poor so they wear the veil behind the ears - especially if they have hearing aids as the veil interferes with the aid.

[DiscerningCatholic]

I would hope that the wire part is covered.  I know on most veils, they have a headband.  My friend, who entered an active Carmelite order, was relieved to find out that the veils don't have the headband.  They have a white cap and then the veil wraps around it and ties underneath.  She said is was very comfortable.

 

Also, my friend told me that it took her a while to get used to the veil being over the ears but she hardly noticed after she wore it a while.  I've heard other Sisters say the same thing.  Some elderly Sisters, however, find it problematic because their hearing is already poor so they wear the veil behind the ears - especially if they have hearing aids as the veil interferes with the aid.

 

Oh, it is. The sisters said that the wire is the thing that shapes the headband-like thing. And I think that the white bone collar(?) covers the wire. 

 

I don't know anything for sure though. The sisters found it quite amusing to tease me whenever I asked questions. 

 

:evil: "Oh, you'll find out when you enter." :hehe2:

[brandelynmarie]

I've read somewhere that some sisters used to cut up plastic jugs or bleach bottles to help form their veils...any truth to this?

[Cherie]

I've read somewhere that some sisters used to cut up plastic jugs or bleach bottles to help form their veils...any truth to this?

Yup! Truth! Now there is a habit making company that makes this plastic piece specifically for religious Sisters who wear this type of cap as a base for their veil. But in the past, yes, they'd cut plastic jugs to make this piece. (And who knows? Maybe some still do.)

[OnlySunshine]

I've read somewhere that some sisters used to cut up plastic jugs or bleach bottles to help form their veils...any truth to this?

 

 

Yup! Truth! Now there is a habit making company that makes this plastic piece specifically for religious Sisters who wear this type of cap as a base for their veil. But in the past, yes, they'd cut plastic jugs to make this piece. (And who knows? Maybe some still do.)

 

That's an interesting way to be resourceful but I hope that the edges don't end up jagged or sharp.  Some plastic is harmful when it is cut.  I've actually accidentally cut myself trying to cut up a milk jug because one of the pieces was sharp.  I think using a piece specifically made for veils is a safer option.

[maximillion]

Wires, coat hangars, bits of plastic container.....so glad I asked!!!!!

 

All that elegance covering so much. LOL

 

Yes, and how infuriating it is when they keep on saying 

 

- you'll find out when you enter......so, you enter.

 

Then it's 

- you'll find out when you're clothed......so you are clothed.

 

 

Then it's 

- you'll find out when you have made vows.....

 

 

Then it was 

- you'll find out when you're fully professed.

 

 

Then it was

- you'll only find that out when you're in heaven!

[SilentJoy]

 

 

My grandma is so freaked out by the way the veil covers the ears. "HOW can that be good for your ears????!" "Doesn't that make their heads hurt?!" "Can they hear?!"

I might regret it later, but this is one of my secret hopes. My ears are very sensitive (as long as no one is giving me directions) and I carry earplugs in my purse "just in case..." I rarely feel like I MUST wear earplugs, but its nice to know they're there. It will be mildly terrifying to not be able to wear earplugs whenever I might want them in a Monastery, so hopefully the veils will act as a shield.

 

Then again, the veil didn't help St. Therese much with the nun that made the painfully aggravating sound... :cry:

 

Sometimes people sit behind me in church and chew gum... :stars: Some people complain about babies -- let the baby scream, my problem is the gum. I get so resentful about going to church on a weekend, but I always try to grab an end seat so at least I'll feel like I can leave if I absolutely must, though I've only felt like I needed to do this once.

 

Edited February 22, 2014 by SilentJoy

[Cherie]

That's an interesting way to be resourceful but I hope that the edges don't end up jagged or sharp. Some plastic is harmful when it is cut. I've actually accidentally cut myself trying to cut up a milk jug because one of the pieces was sharp. I think using a piece specifically made for veils is a safer option.

Well, it fits inside a flap in the cap, so all the edges are covered by cloth, so that would help with any "jaggedness." Plus that part sits on top of the head, so it's not in a place where the edges would really be able to hurt the Sister much. I can see using a piece of cut jug would be tricky, though, so it's nice to have a company make a part specifically for that purpose, for lots of reasons!

[Sr Mary Catharine OP]

I never heard of a problem with jagged edges! Clorox bottle are even better!