Friday Night
Think of Friday night like dressing for a nice date – suitable for Mass but casual enough to wear to a bonfire afterward. Ladies, remember that if your skirt is sheer you need a slip that still covers your knees.
Always a good idea to make a great first impression, so guys may want to consider breaking out a suit, at least the nice shirt and tie parts.
Saturday
Saturday is the casual day. Blue jeans are permissible at Mass in the morning, but slacks are preferred. You’ll want light, cool clothes for playing volleyball and other games outside. No undershirts worn as T-shirts, please!
Many people bring a change of nicer clothes for the Square Dance on Saturday night and change after dinner (or before, as you prefer).
Big swishy skirts for the ladies are a definite plus, but keep them ankle-length or shorter or you may trip. High heels and square dancing don’t mix too well.
Cowboy hats and boots are always fun!
Sunday
Suit and tie for gents, nice dress or outfit for ladies. Hat or veil for headcovering.
Many people bring a change of more casual clothes for bowling, and ladies, don’t forget to bring socks!
I get wearing sleeves but I ask you where that particular length is taken from because I have been doing my research and don’t know why 1/4 sleeves is the length decided on? I just don’t understand if you are wearing sleeves why it is important to have them all the way down to your elbows? Confused?!? Please explain.
Thank you.
Hi Rose if you were answered in person great! But I saw no comment here, sooooo, hope this helps…. 😊
The original length per Rome was half sleeves, “in order that uniformity of understanding prevail in all institutions of religious women … we recall that a dress cannot be called decent which is cut deeper than two fingers breadth under the pit of the throat, which does not cover the arms at least to the elbows, and scarcely reaches a bit beyond the knees. Furthermore, dresses of transparent material are improper …” Many bishops from various countries adopted this making minor adaptations to the specific country. In the Phillipines and in America after WWII, this is what happened, “Because of market conditions, quarter-length sleeves are temporarily tolerated with Ecclesiastical Approval, until Christian womanhood again turns to Mary as the model of modesty in dress.” So many Catholic women had turned away from the Churches’ teaching on modesty by the 50’s, it was sooooo sad. 🙁 From my understanding when the Church uses the word tolerate, they are not just allowing it(as many translations attempt to say), they are very very seriously watching what may happen because of something worse that may happen. The Church tolerates evil so that something worse may not happen, and almost ALWAYS with very strict regime about how to handle the toleration, for ex: mixed marriage and public school.
Quarter-length sleeves are the middle of the arm between the elbow and shoulder; I would be careful not to go shorter, because then it enters the realm of the capped sleeve. Capped is the sleeve portion that goes around the thickest part of the upper arm. And most unfortunately, it is the biggest thing on the market at the moment. Why is it a problem? As in some quarter sleeves (this is why they are tolerated), capped sleeves are often pitched on a 45-degree angle from the main part of the shirt. The shorter a sleeve the higher the armscye, or the higher the material goes into your armpit. This is because of the geometry of the material around a human, you need to be able to move in your clothes. So the armscye goes higher up against the armpit so your arm can move, but in doing this you pull the already shorten material up and it allows vision into your chest area. And if the torso part of the shirt is cropped, one will also see aspects of your tummy/hips. And if a sleeve, is extra shorten, but loose, it may not pull the bottom up, but one will more easily again see into the chest area. All of which are difficult for the upright man trying to keep control of his eyes and thoughts. Arms (thin or thick) can be attractive to a man, and towards a good end – marriage, as going to the YAG creates opportunities to meet Catholic men. However, we shouldn’t reveal them loosely until the appropriate time.
So down to the elbow is better, much better as the visual peek-a-boo problem is not as eminent. If anyone has any items in the capped sleeve range, I would suggest wearing a light weight longer sleeve (half or more) under it, or adding material or thicker lace, or wearing a shrug/bolero, if the sleeve is almost nothing and more in the range of a shoulder strap.
Thank you. This is the information I sought.