CV NEWS FEED // Young Catholic women are increasingly embracing the traditional practice of veiling during Mass, a trend highlighted in a The Free Press article this week.
The practice of veiling had declined after the reforms of Vatican II, but it is now experiencing a revival, especially among those who attend the Traditional Latin Mass.
Madeleine Kearns, a Catholic and associate editor at The Free Press, argued in an Aug. 25 article that the rising trend in young faithful Catholics is driven by a variety of reasons.
According to Kearns, New York resident Nicole Moore found that the practice enhances her spiritual experience by serving as a reminder of the sacredness of the Mass. Moore described it as “like feeling I’m under a blanket—I can kind of shut other things out,” emphasizing the comfort and focus it brings to her prayers.
For some women, the initial aesthetic appeal of veiling drew them in, but it soon transformed into something much deeper.
According to Kearns, Bernadette Patel was first introduced to the practice after moving to New York in 2019, where she noticed other young, traditionally minded women wearing veils. Drawn by the “really pretty” aesthetic, she purchased one for herself.
However, what started as an appreciation for the beauty of the veil soon became much more meaningful. After she began veiling, Patel “fell in love” with it as a way to show her reverence for the Eucharist.
“Jesus is really present in the Blessed Sacrament,” she said.
Now, the mantilla is an indispensable part of her life.
“I always carry my veil, my phone, my keys, my wallet,” she explained to Kearns.
Both Patel and Moore had to overcome their hesitation to veil, which stemmed from a fear of seeming “holier than thou.” According to Patel, while this perception largely arises from a misunderstanding of the scriptural meaning of veiling, their concerns were based on having encountered this sentiment within some Traditional Latin Mass communities.
According to Kearns, the rise in inclination to veil is a symptom of a “wave of nostalgia for an ancient, more solemn and reverent form of the religion” that Catholics are experiencing in the aftermath of Vatican II.
Virginian Ann Clare Levy told Kearns that veiling “just kind of fits this entire aesthetic” in parishes with Gothic and Baroque architecture, “which you don’t see in as many modern parishes.”
“When you have a parish that’s filled with women wearing these finely made pieces of lace, it’s beautiful to look at,” Levy said. This beauty, according to Levy, is that of a “lost type of Catholicism.”
