DRESS CODE FOR RELIGIOUS FUNCTIONS The Church is the House of God (Domus Dei). Although God is present everywhere, He dwells in a very special way in the Church, for it is there that Jesus descends from heaven at Holy Mass to re-enact His sacrifice of Calvary, and then remains a Prisoner of Love in the Most Blessed Sacrament. In these sacred precincts most of the Sacraments are administered, and the faithful enter into an intimate communion with God and God with them. It is therefore fitting that everyone – priests, religious and lay-faithful – who come to Church should present themselves in a manner befitting God's sacred presence there.
In the first place, they must come interiorly adorned with the gems of Christian virtues – viz. purity of mind and heart, meekness and humility, justice and love for all – and with the sincere desire to worship the Lord with piety and devotion, even if they are heavily burdened with their daily crosses and many challenges. They must further remember that, while God looks at the heart, human beings look at outward appearances. The Church is a community and, as such, has a social dimension which cannot be ignored. In society at large, there are dress codes and behaviour patterns for different occasions. There are, for instance, those for recreational activities, for moments of leisure at home, for gala dinners; and others for condolence visits, for concerts, for official or informal receptions, etc. Each attire must naturally be worn as the circumstance demands. The dress code and behaviour patterns in the Church require our special attention. One cannot ignore the critical remarks being made by many, even by those of other faiths, with regard to the attire used by some persons, men and women, when they worship in Church. Whereas in days gone by the "Sunday best" used to become at times a sort of fashion-parade, the modern tendency would seem to go to the other extreme, with people wearing an attire which is considered casual and unbecoming of the sacred dignity of the Church and the members of its Congregation as, respectively, the House and the People of God. The Archdiocese of Bombay is carefully attending to matters relating to the dress and behaviour of those involved in Church liturgical ceremonies (altar servers, lectors, choir, sacristans, etc.). Priests are required to use the cassock when on official Church duty, and to wear the appropriate liturgical vestments whenever they perform the sacred rites. I earnestly exhort the lay faithful to come to Church functions attired in a way that shows their respect for the sacred place they are worshipping in. Parents would do well to attend to this aspect of propriety when they send their children to Church services. Parish Priests are kindly requested to communicate and to explain these observations to their parishioners. + Ivan Cardinal Dias Archbishop of Bombay July 4, 2005 Source: http://www.archbom.org/official.htm Forwarded By: Ancy S. D'Souza Paladka