Wearing Veils

[Maria_Faustina]

I figured I'd post this here, since not only do topics go away too quickly in Open Mic, but there are probably some females here who could give me an answer. My question is for any of you who do veil at Mass, or Adoration, or... well, whenever else you would. All the time, I guess, for any habited nuns! But besides that. (Actually, I do want to know how a nun's veil stays on too...) I just seem to have problems when I wear my mantilla. I really don't want to be pulling it forward every 5 minutes. Is that always going to happen? Or do some people actually pin in it place..? I tried that, but it's hard to get it to look decent and not have a weird bump of the lace in front above my forehead.
The same thing kind of applies with scarves. I have a lot of pretty scarves, so I don't always wear my mantilla. Whether they're big square ones that fold into a triangle to wear, or the long 4 foot-ish by 1 foot ones, they dont lay flat across the top of my head above my forehead when I wear them. I suppose I really don't know anything about the proper way to wear a scarf, because they're not things I/the rest of my generation usually wear! Some times I can throw one end of the long ones across the opposite shoulder, and that works. But I was just wondering what the rest of you do--I have no one to base my example off of, because no one at my parish veils, and the times I've been to a Latin Mass, it was mostly mantillas.
Also.. do you put your mantilla/scarf on just before you enter the church, or leave your house/walk in and out of the church with it on?

Thank you!

Pax Christi,
Maria Faustina

[VeniteAdoremus]

My old mantilla (I lost it during the Sacrament procession last week) had a ribbon with which you could tie it at the back, which was very comfortable and easy

In any case, there are several ways to wear a mantilla. Some have a small comb sewn in. Others are made of lace that's tough enough to be able to stick bobby pins through it at the sides so you don't see them. You can also use "normal" pins, if you first put a clip in your hair. Clip the hair back about three fingers from your forehead and put the pin just in front of the clip - that way it will stay in, and the fabric won't bulge. If it still slips, you can repeat the process a bit to the side, but the single pin usually does the trick.

I just flip mine on in the front portal of the church. I like it that way because it forces me to take a little moment before entering, instead of letting me just barge in

As for nun veils, there are various different options, most involving either pins (for the more traditional veils) or ties. The SSVM have a small white cap that's tied at the back to cover the hair and ears, and the veil is tied over that and has a band of plastic under the fabric around the front to keep it straight. It usually doesn't slip because of the cap, but if two five-year-olds start hanging from it it might move back an inch or so.

[cathoholic_anonymous]

I have a big mantilla that stays on of its own accord. When I wear scarves, I pin them in any one of a number of different ways. Here is a [url="http://www.modernmuslima.com/hijabhow.htm"][b]how-to guide[/b][/url]. It's written for Muslim women, but I find it very useful.

[TotusTuusMaria]

Mine kept getting away from me and so I started to pin it with bobby pins. That took too much time for me and required for me to pay a lot of attention to what I was doing. I started wearing a brown colored veil and I sewed a brown hair comb into it, and it stays put for good. You can't see the brown comb either because it is the same color as the veil. Worked out pretty nifty. And it is easy to take off and take on. I just slip it on when walking in the Church and then it slips right off when I walk out. The comb option worked best for me.

For a white veil a clear hair comb works well.

Edited June 4, 2008 by TotusTuusMaria

[Thomist-in-Training]

For mantillas, I don't mind pulling mine up. Some girls use a bobby pin at the TOP of the head (ends pointing towards your ears) and that seems to work for them. I always put mine on just before entering the church. Long rectangle scarves I throw an end over the shoulder usually as you mentioned, sometimes walk out of the house with it around my neck. Then if you already have it with one end in front of you and one end behind you, loosely, you can just pull the part by the back of your neck up, like a hood. When I'm in "grungy" clothes I tie a bandana around my head

[DiscerningSoul]

I have a large triangle one that I wear during adoration. [url="http://photo.xanga.com/ADiscerningSoul/f8cf7115698875/photo.html"]http://photo.xanga.com/ADiscerningSoul/f8c...8875/photo.html[/url] LOL I use two bobby pins(not in the pic) one on each side of my forehead. I was wearing a headband then tucking the veil under in, but bobby pins work better.

Last year for lent I wore my small veil for Mass [url="http://photo.xanga.com/adiscerningsoul/20cd9115698855/photo.html?rewrite=true#filmstriptitle"]http://photo.xanga.com/adiscerningsoul/20c...#filmstriptitle[/url] I only need one bobby pin for this one.

If I forget my veils, I wear a bandanna, I have two that are church related, one says I am taken by the Lord and the other says church chick both are pink, LOL I'll have to take pictures there cute, found them at the dollar store.
I do wear my bandanna at the Little Sisters when I help feed because your hair has to be in control.

As far as when to put it on, I put mine on when I am in the pew just before Mass.
For adoration I put it on as soon as I can, the other day I was so excited to visit with our Lord I forgot to veil! I am sure he'll forgive me. LOL

Hope that helps.

[Alycin]

I think wearing a veil is a neat symbol of faith.

[VeniteAdoremus]

It helps me to remember it's "God time".

[DiscerningSoul]

In honor of not only our faith but Mother Mary as well.

[CatherineM]

When I wore them as a kid, we always used bobby pins. When traveling in Central America, my Godmother sewed a piece of velcro under the front lip of my mantilla. Just the hook side of the velcro, and it just hangs up in your hair.

[praying4carmel]

One of our Older Congregants wears hers under a Hat, But it works to hold it in place!

[Sister Rose Therese]

There is nothing saying it has to be a veil. I think that most people, at least in my grandmother's time, wore hats, not veils. In the 50s, I think, women started wearing mantillas and little chapel veils because they didn't always have hats with them. In my grandmother's time, women wouldn't leave the house without their hat and gloves.
As for sisters' veils, they vary. We have a modified veil that is fairly common. There is a metal band inside the veil which helps and there is also something like a plastic mesh hat frame that forms the crown. I have a combed hair band that I put in my hair, then I put the crown over that and I use a couple bobby pins to pin that to my hair. Then the veil goes on over that. It is fairly secure, but I do have to be careful in strong winds.

[Laudem Gloriae]

I wear a large black lace veil (chapel veil or mantilla) and it stays on well I use a black bobby pin for at the top but it doesn't really need it. I guess mine doesn't move forward or back or side to side because it was an expensive one, beautiful and well made and heavy (for a mantilla) and I suppose the heaviness keeps it in place? I wear it any time I am in a church or chapel (mass, adoration, etc.).

I am about 1 out 3 that wear the veil in my parish. I wore it as a child for a long time (as I'm 48 it was still big when I was growing up!) and I mourned not wearing it (as well as losing the altar rail, etc.). But many years ago I found out that Vatican II NEVER said to stop wearing the veil and in fact we are doing more wrong my NOT wearing the veil - I have info on this and can't find it right now. So I happy ran out and bought one!

I can't explain it but there is a "feeling" or a more closeness when I wear one and the one time I forgot it, I felt "naked" and uncomfortable or something. I suppose if I had a flourish for prose I'd get my point across much better!

[Nunsense]

Laudem Gloriae said it well for me. I have been to Mass without a head scarf, but I feel sort of naked without it. I wear a bandana or a scarf and sometimes I wear a bobby pin when required, but usually I don't need it just for the length of the Mass. I put it on just before and take it off afterwards.

In Carmel we wore a toque that covered the head and neck, and the two veils were pinned to this. The under veil or working veil, had three pins, one on the crown and one on each side. The over veil had only one pin at the crown. We took this one off when we were working. At night we wore a night toque - no veil or pins.

Someone told me that the Passionists have 17 pins in their habit - we only had five, two on the scapular and the five in the veils!

Edited June 4, 2008 by nunsense

[Laudem Gloriae]

Hi Nunsense! I was wondering if you meant that mutual acquaintance we have who entered the Tyringham Visitation who visited you in WV? She told me the Visitation nuns in Tyringham have 17 or 18 in their head wear! Maybe the Passionist's do to, I don't know.

[johnnydigit]

if i was a girl, i'd wear it all the time! ok, at least as much as i could. i think it's such a positive statement and makes you look soooo cute. it reminds me of Our Lady and i'd want to meet a strong Catholic who appreciates it.

go ahead and wear it, and if anyone gives you any lip or makes you uncomfortable, send them to me! or Jesus..

[DiscerningSoul]

Read 1 Corintihians 11; 5 thru 6

[Nunsense]

[quote name='Laudem Gloriae' post='1558022' date='Jun 4 2008, 05:12 PM']Hi Nunsense! I was wondering if you meant that mutual acquaintance we have who entered the Tyringham Visitation who visited you in WV? She told me the Visitation nuns in Tyringham have 17 or 18 in their head wear! Maybe the Passionist's do to, I don't know.[/quote]

You know, even as I wrote it, I was thinking, Passionist doesn't sound right, but what was it? Yes, it was our mutual friend from the Visitation who said that. And I loved her comment about the habit. She told me that only a man could have designed it because it has all those pleats! And of course, a man did design it (St Francis de Sales)

[Maria_Faustina]

Thank you all for your wonderful responses/pictures/links! I appreciate it, and am glad that I will now probably be able to get things to stay on my head. The only hard part left will be convincing myself that wearing a veil is 'worth it'....I always give in to thinking that it will distract people even more from the Eucharist than reverencing Him by wearing it does.. sigh. (Hopefully that will change next year at Benedictine! Yay!)

Oh, and I actually have one more quick question--is mantilla pronounced the proper Spanish way, or with the English double l's? My friend and I were wondering this, because we never hear anyone else say the word out loud...!

[DiscerningSoul]

Those spanish one's look so neat like a shaw.

How about all of us who are 'shy' about veiling, veil THIS Sunday to start off with, and offer up any and all uncomfortable feelings we have about it for suffering souls in purgatory?
So we are supporting each other and helping save souls, and honoring our faith and Mother Mary.

Who's in?



I will!