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. Continue reading Do you apply these guidelines for attendance at daily Mass? →