However once they earned a bit, they all seemed to get decent clothes to wear(they didn’t want to stick out)

I remember a Sunday when it was hot, muggy and there was no AC. And it was a morning Mass, no less. Father gave the shortest homily I have ever heard to this day: “It’s hot in here!” God rest his soul.

i work at a medieval re-enactment event for two weeks in August every year. it is outside, in tents, no AC. in Pennsylvania near a small lake. heat index hits 118 some years. i have heat exhaustion issues. i have been *hospitalized* several times a year for heat exhaustion.

its about choosing your fabrics. todays (shudder) clothing is mostly polyester, which doesn’t breath, is hot, and sticky. cotton is better, linen is best. even suit or summer weight wool is better than polyester!

As a Protestant I can attest that this isn’t just Catholic issue, its a cultural one

if i can manage to WORK in , if not ideal medieval wear, at least a linen full length long sleeved dress. or a sari in a pinch, then i am certain people can manage a short sleeved shirt and pants/skirt or linen dress for a couple of hours. you can always change back into beach wear after church, cant you?

What’s so hard about these norms in hot weather? You don’t HAVE to wear a tie. As for me I NEVER wear shorts in the church or outside. I just don’t wear them. I survive the torrid DC summers fine. Torusers and a button down shirt are just fine even in the heat. As kristen says, it can help to have certain fabrics, eg cotton or linen.

For daily Mass too, though? Unless one brings a change of clothes, or goes home to change afterward, this involves wearing ‘dress’ clothes daily, and in many cases, drenching them in sweat.

I think people ought to dress formally for Sunday Mass, but I don’t think the same expectations should be there for people who are going to Mass daily. That would seem to me to be a overly rigorous burden.

Dear Woodrow, I had the same experience when was attended the Latin Mass (I am too old now and home bound). I am ready to put my signature under your reply.

I stumbled upon this blog via a tweet from a friend of mine. When I grew up I had 2 pair of shoes, sneakers and church shoes. I had one good outfit that was for church. There was no question on what I was wearing. My father always wore a suit and tie(he was a deacon and usher). When I was old enough I helped him usher and was told by him I had to wear a suit and tie as well. The only people in our church that didn’t dress up were the men who lived at the rescue mission. I have since moved away from my home church. When I was looking for a church in my new town I was shocked at the way people were dressed. The older folks https://loan-on.com/payday-loans-ga/ still had on their suits and ties, but people my age(35) were mostly wearing jeans and a t-shirt! There was a teenager there with shorts(in the winter) a t-shirt and was wearing a baseball cap! I couldn’t believe it. In my old church an usher would have told him to remove his hat. And if an usher didn’t say anything(and no one around him either) the Pastor would have stopped the service to ask him! People need to dress better at church than they do at McDonalds!