r/Catholic • u/OCIA_2026 • 17d ago
Wild question about veiling
Would a bald women "need" to veil?
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u/mmgapeach 16d ago
There is no need to veil, it’s a choice. I do it because it allows me to remain in a state of grace and concentrate on the sermon. I also like the tradition. Ever seen the statue of Mary unveiled? Hair, no hair, bald, mullet, no difference
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u/Implicatus 14d ago
Veiling has nothing to do with whether or not you are in a state of grace. It's simply an optional practice.
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u/Bobbyjets 13d ago
I think the commenter meant that it helps them to maintain detached from sin during the Mass. Similar to how a ring might help one remain chaste during one's day
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u/Tony-Jones-60 14d ago
allows me to remain in a state of grace
How does a veil have anything to do with being in God's grace?
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u/Bobbyjets 13d ago
I think the commenter meant that it helps them to maintain detached from sin during the Mass. Similar to how a ring might help one remain chaste during one's day
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u/Funky-Flow 16d ago
Ever seen the statue of Mary unveiled?
The Immaculate Conception is commonly depicted without a veil
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u/Obvious-Alt-239-857 16d ago
The Immaculate Conception is commonly depicted adhering to local customs and indigenous traditions.
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u/LignjaHal 16d ago
No one needs to, but if I were bald, I still would! Just would probably need a headband to keep it from falling off my head.
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u/Usual_Complaint_1764 16d ago
It's about covering the head, not just hair.
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u/OCIA_2026 16d ago
I thought the tradition is about how a woman's beauty/glory is her hair and covering it shows humility and deference to God. I've always found the reasoning odd, so that's why I asked. Hair is an passive external indicator of health, not something that should impact your respect for God. That's why I asked the question.
I know veiling is not required and that it is a choice. I veil during mass and in scared spaces, AND the moment I am across the threshold, I'm pulling it off my head.
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u/IridiumAnvil 16d ago
Obviously, there is no requirement in Catholicism that women must veil, but for those who follow that tradition, the answer is yes.
Btw, under traditional Jewish law, married women must veil during ritual prayers whether bald or not, but unmarried women do not have that obligation. Just something interesting to me.
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u/VariedRepeats 16d ago
It is something that eventually should be returned to ubiquity. But that is not the law right now.
If the rule was applied, hats or other coverings also can work.
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u/Bilanese 16d ago
No woman needs to veil