St John Vianney

Today we celebrate the feast of St John Vianney, the Cure of Ars and the patron saint of all priests. Through his intercession, may all priests continue to administer the sacraments with love and fidelity.

We have been talking about reverence in our Catholic faith, most especially reverence in speech, actions and clothing while at Mass. There has been a survey that shows that 74 percent of the Catholic faithful believe the biggest problem in their parishes is the lack of reverence. This entails the lack of reverence in clothing as well as the lack of reverence before and after Mass. The noise within church makes it difficult for people to pray before Mass or to make an act of thanksgiving after Mass.

What is it you are looking for when you go to Mass? What are the things that help to make it a prayerful time for you and your family? And what do you feel to be appropriate clothing for a Sunday Mass? There are many considerations, and only you know if you are truly wearing your best clothes for Mass. There are no directives in Canon Law or the Catechism, but some parishes and some dioceses have mandated a dress code. For example, in Rome, you are not able to go into a church if you are wearing shorts or sleeveless shirts/dresses. And in Manila, the priests are encouraging you to dress in a respectful manner. Ask the Blessed Mother in prayer what you should wear for Mass. She'll let you know.