Veiling for Mass sees local resurgence

Therese Castillo,16, says prayers following weekly Mass at St. John Paul II High School. She said wearing a veil allows her to focus more intently on the Mass and allows her to block out any distractions.

Rebecca Esparza | for STC
 

Nieves Frazier recalls with great fondness seeing her grandmother and mother using a veil during Mass. Today, Frazier is proud to use her mother’s veil, which is now 60 years old. Churches across the country are seeing a resurgence of ladies wearing a veil during Mass, as a show of ultimate reverence for God, symbolizing the veiled bride of the church.

“I started veiling when I took part in the women’s schola at St. John the Baptist for the Mass in Extraordinary Form. I was going to sing in the midnight Mass in this form, so I wanted to respect the tradition of veiling,” Frazier explained. “I asked my mother for one of hers. It is a black Spanish floral mantilla with gold trimming, which is traditional to use on feast days.”

Frazier, social studies department head at St. John Paul II High School, said her students ask about her veil from time to time during weekly Mass at the school, mostly out of curiosity. “I remind them about how a chalice and tabernacle are veiled, as well as during Eucharistic procession all point toward veiling in His presence,” she said.

For Frazier, being veiled reminds her of the sacred ground she steps into at each Mass, Eucharistic procession or adoration.  “We encounter the living God, who is the creator of beauty, so wearing a special veil for the occasion is appropriate,” she said. “At the Immaculate Conception Chapel at our campus, viewing the image of Our Blessed Mother, God’s masterpiece, reminds us of her fiat, and veiling is a way to be open to the will of God, the true order of things.”

Even some teenage students have started the tradition of veiling for Mass. 

As a young child, 16-year-old Therese Castillo recalls seeing older Hispanic ladies wearing veils at Holy Family parish and asked her mom about it.

“Two years ago, I began asking these questions again, but this time I did my own research online and what I learned intrigued me. One of the things I learned is that the shape of the traditional veil, a triangle, symbolizes that the woman is protected under the Trinity,” she said. “God has a special role for me as a woman: to be a vessel.”

Castillo, a sophomore at St. John Paul II High School, said that most tabernacles have a veil that covers the ciborium that holds the Eucharist. The veil, she explained, is there for multiple reasons. The most obvious reason is because the contents are sacred. 

“Mary veiled herself because who she was carrying in her womb was/is/always will be

Therese Castillo,16, says prayers following weekly Mass at St. John Paul II High School. She said wearing a veil allows her to focus more intently on the Mass and allows her to block out any distractions. Rebecca Esparza | for STC

sacred. And as women, we have this same duty to veil ourselves in the presence of the Lord because of the role that He has given to us is to help bring life into the world, which is precious and sacred. I’m aware that I’m way too young to have kids, but it always helps to pray as I wait,” Castillo said.

She encourages other women to at least consider veiling for Mass, as a way to increase their own spirituality. “In a world that tells young girls they are objects and not sacred, I think it's vital to reiterate they are not objects and they are sacred,” Castillo said. “The world tells us we are made for pleasure and instant gratification, but God tells us we’re made for more. We’re destined to bring good into the world, whatever way that may be, just like Mary.”