On Headcoverings and Modesty of Women in Church

[尼古拉前执事]

"Every violation or neglect begins with something small"

An Important Letter from Russia

Dear Father Victor: Greetings.

I ask for your blessing and that you forgive me, the unworthy servant of God, Nicodim, who in the spiritual life am limping about on both knees. For the sake of Christ, forgive me for this letter, which I, being impelled by my Christian conscience, decided to write to you.

In the month of July I was given to read the March issue (No. 412) of the magazine "Amerika," in the Russian language. On the front cover was a color photograph of you before the microphone of "Voice of America." This made me very glad. It is good to proclaim the word of God over the radio to thousands of listeners.

But then on pages 31, 32 and 33 of this magazine there were color photographs taken during divine services in the Church of Saint John the Baptist in Washington. Upon examining these photographs we were astounded that women and girls were standing in church with uncovered heads, without a kerchief or headcovering.

This amazes us. Could it be that it is the same in all the other churches throughout America? I got the impression that they were standing in a theater and not in God's temple.

How this could possible be is confusing to me. I have read about the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad in the magazine "Orthodox Messenger," which is sent to me frequently from Canada. While the Church Abroad serves as the guardian and preserver of holiness and also of the Church's purity, it takes no notice of such a deviation from the teaching of the Apostles (I Corinthians 11:4

[Justin Kissel]

Thanks for posting this. I do have one question though about something said in one of the articles (and alluded to in another article) ...

One wonders, therefore, why this is not the common practice in all Orthodox churches. It used to be.

I've heard some say that the custom of the female "covering the head" was always part of the "local tradition," and not universally accepted by every local Orthodox Church. Is there any other sources that confirm things either way?( preferrably patristic)

[尼古拉前执事]

I don't have patristics, but before the 1900's, even in Protestant churches, all women wore head coverings (Usually hats) as they took this seriously. It wasn't until the 1960's that some Roman Catholic women stopped wearing veils and in Orthodoxy women going sans head coverings is a rather new phenomenon as well.

Outside of the bible there will probably be little writing about this simply because everyone did it. One of the modern arguments is that Paul's requirememnt was a cultural thing, but when we read all of I Corinthians we see better.

[尼古拉前执事]

Justin, I just checked in my Praxapostolos of the Orthodox New Testament from Holy apostles Convent and found no patristic commentary upon it about this subject in these verses of I Corintians.

I think the absence of any is because it was just accepted without question until the last century.

[Justin Kissel]

Thank you for setting that straight, nicholas

[Logos]

Thank you Nicholas for posting these wonderful articles. On the head coverings, sadly we do not see many do this anymore. Modesty is out in our age and people are dressing down when it comes to church. Many women today refuse to wear head coverings, and if one tries to suggest it, they are deplored and ridiculed for daring to make such a suggestion.

On every violation begins as something small, this is so true especially with sin. I have found myself committing little sins only later to commit worse sins.

[Mary Kissel]

I wanted to say that I agree that we women and young girls even should have their heads covered in Church. This is also wise to do because it keeps others from being tempted from looking at a lady's hair... sadly it isn't done much in the Churches I've attended even as an Orthodox Christian. One thing I think I'd have to say that I actually liked about the SSPX Church that I at one time belonged to was the fact that women weren't even permited INSIDE the Church under any circumstances unless your head was covered with a headcovering as it should be. This doesn't mean wearing some big fancy hat to draw attention to you either, it should be something simple and modest. Thankyou Nick for posting everything regarding women wearing head coverings!

In Christ,
MaryCecilia