FAQ


How do I get a special order placed?
	If you have a special order of a product which we already carry but have in mind a different design, to help us to understand your needs it is best for you to call us directly at (559) 592-3460 and describe it to us. On occasion, we have received traced patterns of what our customers have wanted, and have been able to make the item from that. Otherwise, if you have a photograph or a good sketch and approximate measurements, we often can figure it out from those as well. Please be aware that although every pattern is changed slightly due to artistic preference, it does become the property of Halo-Works and may be incorporated into our line of handmade items.
Why are your veils so expensive?
	The cost of the veils is a direct result of the cost of the lace or tulle, or the Imported Veils (Spain or Mexico). While it is possible to get cheaper lace, this lace is the result of a nationwide search for lace that is durable, soft, has good body, and drapes well while still being reasonably priced. The old adage: "You get what you pay for" really holds true in the lace industry. We are aware of the fact that some offer veils at a very low price, but if you compare the quality of ours to theirs, you will see a definite difference. We are proud of the fact that the veils we make here could possibly be the last veils you will ever need to buy. Our first veil made, still in use, was made in 1991 and still looks new. I would like to add, though, that we've only raised our prices twice in 7 years....
Where did you get so many designs?
	A few of our styles in veils were designed here at Halo-Works (like the Large Rounded V and the Jr. V), though most are actually reproductions of veils popular during around the 1930's through the 1950's. Some of our customers have taken the time to send us their veils to copy, or have traced their old veils and then sent us the paper which their tracings are on in order for us to copy theirs and also develop the "new" designs. These are then incorporated into our line. Thanks to the efforts of everyone involved, plus our Spanish and Mexican veils, we can confidently claim to have the largest variety of veil designs in the world.
Does it make a difference which color I wear?
	We get asked this one a LOT: No, there is no protocol which demands that woman wear one color or another. Common sense and a decent fashion consciousness really prevail here. In other words, most women wear black to funerals, and don't try to outshine the bride at her wedding. Just wear a color that doesn't clash with your outfit. :-) Here is a very good example: St. Martin de Porres acquired for his niece 5 different mantillas....in 5 different colors.
When will my order arrive?
	While we do keep a supply of merchandise on hand, certain items become backordered due to their popularity. When this happens, the individual artists are always working as fast as possible to fill your order and to get it to you within a reasonable amount of time. You will never have to wait longer than 6 weeks for any order placed, and 2 weeks is our average shipping time for private customers.
Who is making all of these beautiful items?
	While the original business started simply with Maureen making veils, it has grown to the point that not only is the entire Harold family - plus employees - involved in production, but also many others across the United States and two foreign family businesses--one in Mexico and the other in Spain. Many of these American Catholic businesses are also family owned and operated.
What is the reason for your making everything by hand?
	The reason everything is made by hand here at Halo-Works is to offer orthodox Catholic Christian merchandise at a reasonable rate which is slave-free in its production. By slave-free, we are speaking of all the merchandise sold elsewhere that comes from China, India, and other southeast Asian countries where forced slave labor---often that of children chained to their stations for long hours without breaks for basic necessities---is employed to produce much of the Christian art and sacramentals marketed in this country today. This is not the way to promote Christianity in those countries, nor is it morally acceptable for this country to buy exclusively from the manufacturers who have taken these jobs, factories, and businesses overseas to profit by the lower wages at these poor ones' expense.
How do you wear these? Do you put your veil on and off at home, or at the church as you arrive for Mass? How do you keep them on?
	I put my veil on at home, then usually remove it outside the church door. Most women here take them off just outside church, because they are no longer before the Blessed Sacrament. Some put them on at church, some do it at home. Depends on whether you want a mirror, I guess... I pin mine on. I hairspray a hard spot on my head and criss-cross hairpins through the veil and the hard spot. Mine always stay put when I do this, no matter how determined the little one on my hip has been. Since my children have gotten older, of course, this hasn't been so crucial. The Soft Tulle and the Spanish Rose lace stays on my slippery head very well with no pins....but I've no determined hands grabbing right now, either! :-)
Why should we cover our heads, anyway?
	THE VEIL Derived from a book in progress called: "The Unveiled Woman" by Jackie Freppon. During the second Vatican Council, a mob of reporters waited for news after a council meeting. One of them asked Msgr. Annibale Bugnini, then secretary of the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship, if women still had to wear a headcover in the churches. His response was that the Bishops were considering other issues, and that womenâs veils were not on the agenda. The next day, the international press announced throughout the world that women did not have to wear the veil anymore. A few days later, Msgr. Bugnini told the press he was misquoted and women still had to wear the veil. But the Press did not retract the error, and many women stopped wearing the veil as out of confusion and because of pressure from feminist groups. Before the revision in 1983, Canon law had stated that women must cover their heads "...especially when they approach the holy table" (can.1262.2). But in order to reduce such a growing collection of books, the new version of Canon law was subjected to concise changes. In the process, mention of head coverings was omitted. In 1970, Pope Paul VI promulgated the Roman Missal, ignoring mention of women's veils. But at the time the missal was published, it didnât seem necessary to keep mandatory such an obvious and universal practice, even if it no longer had a "normative" value (Inter insigniores, # 4). And mention in Canon law or the Roman Missal is not necessary to the continuation of the tradition, for it is rooted in Scripture and has been practiced ever since the early Church. Indeed, Pope John Paul II affirmed that the real sources of Canon law are the Sacred Tradition, especially as reflected in the ecumenical councils, and Sacred Scripture (O.S.V. Catholic Encyclopedia, p 169). SCRIPTURE Sacred Scripture presents several reasons for wearing the veil. St. Paul tells us in his first letter to the Corinthians (11: 1-16) that we must cover our heads because it is a Sacred Tradition commanded by our Lord Himself and entrusted to Paul: "The things I am writing to you are the Lordâs commandments" (1Cor. 14:37). DIVINE HIERARCHY God has established a hierarchy, in both the natural and the religious spheres, in which the female is subject to the male. St. Paul writes in 1st. Corinthians: "But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God (1 Cor. 11-3). And, in the institution of marriage, God gave the husband authority over the wife, but responsibility to her as well. Not only is he the familyâs decision-maker, but he is also responsible for the material and spiritual welfare of his wife and children. Man is not in this position to enslave or belittle the wife. As the Bride (the Church) is subject to Jesus, women must wear the veil as a sign that they are subjected to men: "Let wives be subject to their husbands as to the Lord; because a husband is head of the wife, just as Christ is head of the Church." (Eph. 5, 22-23) The man represents Jesus, therefore he should not cover his head. However, this subjection is not derogatory to women, because in Godâs kingdom everyone is subjected to a higher authority: "For as the woman is from the man, so also is the man through the woman, but all things are from God." (1 Cor.11,12). Furthermore, the symbolism of the veil takes that which is invisible, the order established by God, and makes it visible. In the history of the Church, priestly vestments have played a similar symbolic role. WOMENâS HONOR It is an honor to wear the veil. But by publicly repudiating it, a woman dishonors her feminine dignity, her sign of female subjection, just as the military officer is dishonored when he is stripped of his decorations. The Roman Pontifical contains the imposing ceremonial of the consecration of the veils: "Receive the sacred veil, that thou mayst be known to have despised the world, and to be truly, humbly, and with all thy heart subject to Christ as his bride; and may he defend thee from all evil, and bring thee to life eternal" (Pontificale Romanum; de benedictione) St. Paul says an unveiled woman is a dishonor: "But every woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered disgraces her head, for it is the same as if she were shaven" (1Cor.11,5). BECAUSE OF THE ANGELS "That is why a woman ought to have a veil on her head, because of the angels" wrote St. Paul in 1 Cor 11,10. The invisible hierarchy should be respected because the Angels are present at Christian liturgical assemblies, offering with us the Holy Sacrifice with the honor due to God. St. John the Apostle wrote: "And another Angel came and stood before the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given to him much incense that he might offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which is before the throne." ( Rev. 8:3, see also Matt. 18:10.) They are offended by a lack of reverence at Mass, just as they abhorred King Herodâs acceptance of adoration from the people of Jerusalem: "But immediately an angel of the Lord struck (Herod) down, because he had not given honor to God, and he was eaten by worms, and died." (Acts, 12:23). ANCIENT TRADITION The custom of wearing the veil was maintained in the primitive Churches of God. (1Cor.11:16). We see this in the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians. The women of Corinth beset by modern sensibilities, started coming to church without their heads covered. When St. Paul heard of their neglect, he wrote and urged them to keep the veil. According to St. Jeromeâs commentary Bible, he finally settled the matter by saying head covering was a custom of the primitive communities of Judea, "the Churches of God" (1 Thess.2-14, 2Thess.1-4), which had received this Tradition from early times (2 Thess.2:15. 3:6). GODâS COMMAND Even today some people erroneously believe that St. Paul based the tradition on his personal opinion. They think he did not intend it to be continued in the Universal church, but only as a local custom. This argument, however, does not conform to the Pauline spirit. After all, it was Paul who stood before Peter to change Jewish traditions in Christian Churches (Gal.2:11-21). St. Paul reminds them: "for I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it; but I received it by a revelation of Jesus Christ" (Gal.1:12), referring to the authority of his ministry, and veracity of his words. Pope Linus who succeeded St. Peter, enforced also the same tradition of women covering their heads in the church (The primitive church, TAN.) Our Lord warns us to obey his commandments: "He therefore that shall break one of these least commandments, and shall so teach men, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven" (Matt.5:19). CONCLUSION In summary, the reasons that St. Paul advises women to cover their heads in the church are: Our Lord commanded it; It is a visible sign of an invisible order established by God; The Angels at Mass are offended if women donât use it; It is a ceremonial vestment; It is our heritage. Christian women around the world have other reasons to wear a hat, mantilla, rebozo, gele, scarf, shawl, or veil. Some wear it out of respect to God; others, to obey the Popeâs request, or continue family traditions.But the most important reason of all is because Our Lord said: "If you love me keep my commandments" (John 14:15). We should always be ready with our bridal veils, waiting for him and the promised wedding (Apoc.22:17), following the example of our Blessed Mother Mary, who never appeared before the eyes of men but properly veiled. To those who still think that the veil is an obsolete custom, remember that: "Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday and today, yes, and forever" (Heb.13:8).
More Traditional reasons why we should cover our heads. (You may want to print this one out for reading over a cup of coffee...)
	FEMINISM AND THE VEILING OF WOMEN Rama P. Coomaraswamy, M.D. âEvery woman who prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoreth her head: â(Cor. 11:5). âThere is neither male or female, for ye are one in Christâ (Gal. 3:28) There is considerable resistance, even among so-called traditional Catholics, to women covering their heads in Church, or to use the more common phrase, to women wearing veils. Now, the veiling of woman is an Apostolic command (I Cor, XI:4-16), and hence the attitude of a faithful Catholic is one which accepts Apostolic injunctions without question. Let it be clear from the start that the idea that Paul was only accommodating himself to Jewish or middle eastern practice and that therefore such restrictions no longer apply, is a totally modernist concept. Tertullian specifically states that this command applies âeverywhere and always.â St. Paul provides us with two reasons for this practice. The first is that âthe head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the manâ¦ the man indeed ought not to cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of the man, for the man is not of the woman but the woman of the man.â The second reason, perhaps less explicit, is that a woman should have a cover over her head (âpowerâ being an alternate word for âcoverâ) âbecause of the angels.â The first reason seemingly speaks to the subordinate role of women. Paul however is not concerned with the sexes as such, but rather with higher realities of which men and women are reflections. As Claude Chavasse explains: âthe sexes signify eternal varities, and for that reason they must illustrate the qualities of direction and submission. It is not because Paul is a âtypical orientalâ that he says âthe head of the woman is the man,â but because she is the type of the Church and he of Christ. â¦just as the Church should have no Head but Christ, so the woman should have no head but her husband.â[1] The church fathers in discussing this issue make it clear that this âsubordinationâ in no way implies that women are inferior to men or in any way limited in their relationship to God. Paul himself says that âin Christ Jesus there is neither male nor female.â However, within the social relationship, reflecting the relationship of the Church to Christ, she does have a subordinate position. As Ambrosiaster says âAlthough man and woman are of the same substance, the man has relational priority because he is the head of the woman. He is greater than she is by cause and order, but not by substance. Woman is the glory of man, but there is an enormous distance between that and being the glory of God.â Severian of Gabala, another early father is even more explicit: âwhat we are talking about here is not nature but a relationship.â Under normal conditions the majority of women live within the married state.[2] The family is in fact the building block of any healthy society. Those imbued with socialist ideation â conscious or unconscious â no longer consider the family as a norm and whatever loyalties they have are more oriented towards the government, which encourages single parent âfamilies,â same sex âmarriages,â homosexuality and a host of parallel agendas. But for the Catholic, the family unit remains the norm, and to understand the proper status of women in the married state we should turn once again to St. Paul, who speaks to this in Chapter 5 of his letter to the Ephesians: âFor the Church is subject to Christ, so also let the wives be to their husbands in all thing. Husbands love your wives, as Christ also loved the church, and delivered himself up for it: that he might sanctify it, cleansing it by the laver of water in the word of life. â¦so ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife, loveth himselfâ¦ This is a great sacrament.â I am fully aware that feminists dislike this passage because it speaks of obedience. Yet, under normal circumstances the father is head of the family. In this he reflects the priest who is âfatherâ to the community, and both in turn reflect God who is âour Father in Heaven.â The father of the family is spiritually responsible for those under his care, and following the teaching of Our Lord, he can say: âif you love me you will obey my commandments.â He is of course himself under the obligation of obedience to Christ. He rules the family by âdivine right,â â ârightâ being an older word for âlaw.â If he rules by other than divine right, that is, if he institutes his own private rules for those of God, he becomes a tyrant. If indeed the head of the family is to pattern his behavior after Christ, the woman should have little trouble in giving him obedience.[3] The end result of such a relationship is that the family itself becomes a mini-Church, or a Nazareth in which the children can grow up âsubjectâ to their parents as Jesus was to Mary and Joseph. St. Paul tells us in the next sentence that children are obliged to obey their parents. It will be argued that this is a rather âidealizedâ picture, but if the normal has become only an idealized picture in our age, this is indeed a tragedy, the fruits of which we see all around us.[4] The feminist agenda holds that women and men are equal.[5] It is the subordinate role that rankers the modernist woman. Now clearly justice requires that working women should have equality in the workplace. There is no justification for paying women less or making them work longer hours for the same pay as men. But this in no way militates against the Pauline precept. The feminist attitude is not entirely modern. St. Chrysostom commented in the fourth century that âa woman does not acquire a manâs dignity by having her head uncovered but rather loses her own. Her shame and reproach thus derive from her desire to be like a man as well as from her actionsâ (Homilies on the Epistles of Paul to the Corinthians, 25.4). He likens the situation to a governor approaching a king without the symbols of his office, and holds that a woman in covering her head in church is approaching God with the symbol of her office. For those in religion, the same subordinate role requires their obedience both to the rule and to the superior who is spiritually speaking, Christ. If there is ârebellionâ in the family, there is even greater rebellion in the orders, and this very often starting with the superiors who are themselves refusing obedience to Christ.[6] All this does not deny that women are of the same substance as man, but rather gives expression to a relationship between them. As Ambrosiaster says, âman is the head of the woman. He is greater than she is by cause and order, but not by substance. Woman is the glory of man, but there is an enormous distance between that and being the glory of God.â (Commentary on Paulâs Epistles). Augustine further comments that âit is not as though one part of humanity belongs to God as its author and another to darkness, as some claim. Rather the part that has the power of ruling and the part that is ruled are both from Godâ (Against the Manicheans 3.26.40). The idea of obedience is of course not without its difficulties. Paul stresses this with regard to marriage. It is oft forgot that if obedience is incumbent upon the wife, it is also incumbent upon the husband to be Christ-like. Like a king who rules by divine right - that is by Godâs laws, so also the husband must rule as an alter Christus. If he were to rule by his own law, he would in fact be a despot. If then the husband is truly Christ-like, than obedience becomes a blessing.[7] What is frequently not realized is that it is far better, as St. Bernard says, to live under obedience than to be placed in command. Of course we are all under obedience to Christ, but as is true in any organization, Obedience flows from the âtop,â through a hierarchy of authorities to those below. Obedience is not blind and can never be used to command what is sinful. One must always understand what one is obeying. Feminists like to proclaim that God is a woman. In this claim they point to an important fact, namely that the maleâfemale polarity has its origin in God and not in man. Why it is that God, who in his Absoluteness is without gender, is nevertheless rendered in creation as masculine, while Nature - that is Natura Naturans Creatrix is referred to as feminine. Let us consider the act of creation. In God Essence and Nature are united. In creation there is a division between Essence and Nature, Heaven from Earth, and subject from object. Nature then ârecedes from likeness to God, yet even insofar as it has being in this wise, it retains a certain likeness to the divine beingâ (Summa Theol 1.14.11 ad 3). Henceforth Essence is the Creator and active power, Nature, the means of creation and passive recipient of form. âNature as being that by which the generator generatesâ (Damascene, De fide orthodoxa 1.18). The relationship between man to woman is a likeness to the relationship between Essence and Nature, and marriage is a symbol and reflection of the identification of Essence and Nature in divinis. This same relationship is repeated in the course of our everyday functioning. God then, who in His essence is neither male nor female, contains within His essence the archetypes of Absoluteness and Infinititude. In manifestation these archetypes separate. (In Taoist terms into Yin and Yang )[8] His absoluteness becomes the masculine or âactiveâ pole and His infinitude the feminine or âpassiveâ pole. Thus in Genesis we read that âthe Spirit moved upon the face of the watersâ â the waters symbolizing the âall possibilityâ of creation, and metaphysically understood as representing the Blessed Mother of whom it is said âI was set up from eternity and of old before the earth was made.â[9] Hence, as an Eastern text puts it, âall creation is feminine relative to God.â The masculine reflects the absolute nature of God and hence justice, rigor and majesty. The feminine reflects the infinite nature of God which is seen as reflected in the qualities of mercy, generosity and beauty, in indeed in the infinitude of all creation. It is precisely this quality of infinitude that manifests itself in mercy and generosity that makes the womenâs function of giving birth and nurturing so central to her fulfillment. Those who deny this would do well to consider the struggles many single women face as they approach the menopause â a sort of recognition that they have let one of the most important aspects of their womanly nature slip by unfulfilled. So many have succumbed to the idea of a âcareerâ without in fact recognizing that the majority of careers open to them are little more than becoming factory workers or secretaries â hardly vocations such as truly utilize all their creative faculties. (Of course, men are also limited in attaining truly vocational forms of employment.) There is yet another level that reflects this relationship â in every human being, be he biologically male or female. Every individual is constructed, as it were, of three components â Spirit, psyche (which includes our thinking processes and opinions) and body. Now the Spirit is considered masculine and the psyche and body (often considered as the âpsycho-physicalâ) is considered female. The later of course is meant to be subordinate to the higher, which is to say the Spirit of God that dwells within every individual. Such is incorporated in the myths of every nation. St. George was only able to free the princess or psyche after he had slain the dragon. And it was the kiss of the golden prince that released Snow white from her somnolent state â the result of her partaking of the poisoned apple.[10] Hero and Heroine are two selves - duo sunt in homine - immanent Spirit (ASoul of the soul,@ Athis self= immortal Self@) and individual soul or self: Eros and Psyche, or metaphysically speaking, Male and Female. These two, cohabitant Inner and Outer Man are at war with one another, and there can be no peace between them until the victory has been won and the soul, or self, this AI,@ submits. It is not without reason that the Heroine is so often described as haughty, disdainful, and âorgelleuse.â Philo and Rumi repeatedly equate this soul, our lesser self, with the Dragon, and it is this soul that we are told to Ahate@ if we would be disciples of the Sun of Men. The myth of the Loathly Bride survives in St. Bonaventura=s prediction of Christ=s Marriage to the Church: AChrist will present his Bride, whom he loved in her baseness and all her foulness, glorious with his own glory, without spot or wrinkle.@ Eckhart places the following admonition in the mouth of his spiritual daughter âI know very well that women can never come into heaven; they have to become men first. It is to be understood like this. They must perform manly deeds and must have manly hearts with full strength so that they may resist themselves in all sinful things[11] According to Matthias Scheeben, Marriage ranks as a Sacrament because it is a figure of the union between God and the Church, and as a consequence, of the union also between God and the soul.[12] The importance of this relationship is explained by Scotus Erigina: "The woman is the rational soul [anima], whose husband [literally vir or 'man' (with the connotation of 'active power') not maritus or conjunx] is understood to be the animus, which is variously named now intellect [intellectus], now mind [mens], now animus and often even spirit [spiritus]. This is the husband of whom the Apostle speaks "the head of the woman is the man, the head of the man is Christ, the head of Christ is God." I other words, the head of the anima is the intellectus, and the head of the intellectus is Christ. Such is the natural order of the human creature. The soul must be submitted to the rule of the mind, the mind to Christ, and thereby the whole being is submitted through Christ to God the Father... Spirit revolves perpetually about God and is therefore well named the husband and guide of the other parts of the soul, since between it and its creator no creature is interposed. Reason in turn revolves around the knowledge and causes of created things, and whatever spirit receives through eternal contemplation it transmits to reason and reason commends to memory. The third part of the soul is interior sense, which is subordinate to reason as the faculty which is superior to it, and by means of reason is also subordinate to spirit. Finally, below the interior sense in the natural order is the exterior sense, through which the whole soul nourishes and rules the fivefold bodily senses and animates the whole body. Since, therefore, reason can receive nothing of the gifts from on high unless through her husband, the spirit, which holds the chief place of all nature, the woman or anima is rightly ordered to call her husband or intellectus with whom and by whom she may drink spiritual gifts and without whom she may in no wise participate in gifts from on high. For this reason Jesus says to her, 'Call your husband, come hither.' Do not have the presumption to come to me without your husband. For, if the intellect is absent, one may not ascend to the heights of theology, nor participate in spiritual gifts."[13]â Similarly, Meister Eckhart teaches in his commentary on the Scriptural passage âHappy is the man that dwells in wisdomâ: âI have often said there are two powers in the soul: One is the man and one is the woman. The power in the soul that one calls the man is the highest power of the soul in which God shines bare; for into this power nothing enters but God, and this power is continually in God. And so if a person were to take all things in this power he would take them not as they are things, but as they are in God. Therefore a person should dwell continually in this power because all things are alike in this power. This is why that person is happy who dwells continually in this power; he dwells continuously in God. That we may dwell continually in God, may we receive the help of our dear Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.â[14] There is yet another reason why women are veiled, and that is that every soul is, at least potentially, the bride of Christ. "To love God, " says St. Bernard, "is to be married to Him. Happy the soul who rejoices in this chaste and blessed embrace which is naught else than pure and holy love.â[15] While this is as true for man as for woman, in the relationship that exists between them, it is the woman who most clearly gives witness to this potentiality. And as such, like a bride, she should be veiled Again, beauty, a quality that women manifest, is of a mysterious nature, for it is itself a reflection of that super-essential quality most clearly seen in the Blessed Virgin and ultimately having its origin in God. But Beauty is appropriately veiled, for its real nature is hidden and we see but its remote reflection in the female form. The veiling of women then is not a denigrating imposition placed on them by men, but rather reflects their own intrinsic glory as mothers, daughters and brides of Christ. The model then is nothing less than the Blessed Virgin for she manifests all these varied levels and qualities to the fullest possible degree. While she was highly educated (having studied in the Temple from the ages of 3 to 12), and while she often functioned outside the confines of her home, she in many ways remained âhidden.â She only spoke seven times in Scripture and always in an attitude that bespoke humility and submission to her role. In this there is a mysterious quality that in fact, every woman has â a quality that requires veiling that both protects and hides. This is why in traditional iconography she is always portrayed with her head covered. Just as the Blessed Mother is the mother, daughter and bride of Christ, so also every woman is potentially the same. And brides are to be veiled in public.[16] In traditional representation of Our Lady she is almost always depicted as veiled. Women who accept the practice of veiling then are assuming to themselves the virtues of the Blessed Virgin, who of course is both the daughter, wife and mother of Our Lord. To reject the veil is to state, consciously or unconsciously that one has no desire to follow the pattern established by Our Lady.[17] The second reason Paul gives is âbecause of the angels.â Cornelius Lapide comments: âthe literal sense is that women ought to have a covering on the head out of reverence to the angels; not because angels have a body, and can be provoked to lust, as Justin, Clement, and Tertullian thought â this is an error â but because angels are witnesses of the honest modesty or the immodesty of women, as also of their obedience or disobediences. Dennis the Carthusian further points out that in church, especially during Mass, angels are present, and just as veiling reflects the proper attitude of women before God, for they are potentially brides of Christ, so also they should be veiled before His angels, (Chrysostom, Theophylact, Theodoret), Sts. Thomas, Anselm, and Clement understand by âangelsâ good and holy men. Ambrose, Anselm and St. Thomas take it to mean priests and Bishops who in Rev. ii are called angels, and who might be provoked to lust by the beauty of women with uncovered heads.â At this point, let us consider the exact words of Paul: âAny man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, but any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled dishonors her head - it is the same as if her head were shaven. For if a woman will not veil herself, then, she should cut of her hair; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her wear a veil. For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man (For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.) That is why a woman ought to have a veil on her head, because of the angels. (Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor man of woman; for a woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God. Judge for yourselves; is it proper for woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does nature itself teach you that for a man to wear long hair is degrading to him. But if a woman has long hair, it is her pride. For her hair is given to her for covering. If any one is disposed to be contentious, we recognize no other practice, nor do the churches of God.â (I Cor. XI: 4-16}[18] The commentary on this passage provided by the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture is of great help: âThe difference between men and women lies not in their nature, but in their relationship (Chrysostom, Severian of Gabala). Woman is the glory of man, but there is an enormous distance between that and the glory of God (Ambrosiaster). A man who approaches the throne of God should wear the symbols of his office, which in this case is represented by having his head uncovered (Chrysostom). Just as God has nobody over him in all creation, so man has no one over him in the natural world. But woman lives under the protection of man (Saverian). The relation of man and woman to God makes all the difference in understanding their relation to each other (Ambrosiaster, Chrysostom). Being covered is a mark of voluntary subjection (Ambrosiaster), calling the woman to be humble and preserve her virtue (Tertullian, Chrysostom). Since woman is the glory of man, it is shameful for a woman to desire to be like a man (Chrysostom). In the Genesis narrative man precedes woman in the order of their creation (Epiphanius, Theodoret of Cyr). The woman was created with gifts of serving, the man with gifts of ordering (Theodoret of Cyr). Paul appears to be not confining his instruction about hair to a particular plae and time (Tertullian). He appealed to church tradition (Chrysostom), to nature (Ambrosiaster, Ambrose) and to the argument from general consent of reasonable people in these matters (Chrysostom). Since hair is potentially erotic, it can play into temptation (Pelagius). Natural hair is preferred to deceptive wigs (Clement of Alexandria)â[19]. To avoid the confusion raised by the term âprophesizingâ it should be noted that this term is used in several places in Scripture (Chron 30:1; Sam. 10:10) to denote âgiving praise to God.â St. Paul forbids women to speak or take a public role in the assembly, so in what way can she âprophesyâ? The fathers interpret this as directing women to sing those parts of the service in which everyone sings. Similarly, where woman are said to require veils because of the Angels, most of the Fathers interpret Angels as priests and bishops. Some of the Fathers point to the fact that man has priority in creation: Indeed, âwoman was created after man and for man, to be his helpmate, to serve him and not vice versaâ (Theodoret of Cyr). Cornrelius Lapide further comments on the statement that âwoman is the glory of the man â âWomen was made of man to his glory, as his workmanship and image; therefore she is subject to him, and should be veiled as a token of subordination. The woman, like the man, is endowed with a rational soul, with intellect, will, memory, liberty, and is equally with the man, capable of every degree of wisdom, grace, and glory. The woman, therefore, is the image of the man, but only improperly; for the woman as regards the rational soul, is manâs equal, and both man and woman have been made in the image of God, but the woman was made from the man, after him, and is inferior to him. Hence the Apostle does not say that âthe woman is the image of the man,â but only âthe woman is the glory of the man.â(Commentary on Corinthians). It was and still is the Jewish custom for men to cover their heads when praying and clearly Paul is in no way accommodating himself to such practice. The Church father explain the reason that manâs head is uncovered by teaching that during the Old Dispensation, Christ was hidden, but now He is clearly visible. Others point to the crown of thorns that Christ bore to the Cross without any other head covering. âFor a man indeed ought not to cover his head, inasmuch as he is the image and glory of God.â Man, being the image of the glory of God, or the glorious image of God, in whom the majesty and power of God shines forth most clearly. He is placed on the topmost step in nature, and is as it were Godâs vice-regent, ruling everything. which of course includes members of his family. Thus it is that Tertullian calls the veil âthe burden of their humility,â and St. Chrysostom âthe sign of submission.â Clearly then, the veil may be a sign of humility and subjection, but it is also a badge of honor. In conclusion, it is worth noting that in the majority of traditional societies, while women are instructed to take efforts to please their husbands, efforts to be attractive to others is frowned upon. Head covering is therefore seen as an important aspect of modesty and Christ Himself said âlet your modesty appear before menâ (Phil. 4:5). It is only in the privacy of the home, in the presence of the family and close friends, that the head is uncovered. Long before the coming of Christ head coverings were used by women in Judea, Troy, Rome, Arabia and Sparta. Valarius Maximus relates the sever punishment inflected by C. Sulpicius on his wife: he divorced her because he had found her out of doors with uncovered head. Tertullian tells us that âthe gentile women of Arabia will rise up and judge us, for they cover not only the head, but also the whole face.â Similarly, âamong Jewish women, so customary is it to wear a head-covering that they may be known by it.â (de Vel Virg.) The practice of covering the head in Islamic society is also based on the injunction to be modest. Not all Islamic lands demand the burka, and many use the hijab or simple head covering so often seen in the West. Finally, within Christiandom we see this same principle in the marriage ceremony where the bride to be is veiled until the priest declares her status as a married women. Only then is the veil lifted before the husband. The mystery of the womanâs beauty is reserved for the husband and the home. A remnant of this attitude prevailed in the west for many years, and up until about 40 years ago women rarely were seen outside the home without a hat â and indeed with hats to which were attached short veils. Currently, modesty in dress, especially among the younger generation, seems to be a relic of the past and many it would seem have the same attitude about covering of their heads in church. Ã Rama P. Coomaraswamy, 2002 [1] Claude Chavasse, The Bride of Christ, Faber and Faber, London, 1939 [2] The use of the term ânormalâ relates to the practice of most of mankind from earliest times. What is considered as normal today however is quite another matter. [3] Chrysostom: âhaving talked about the glory of man, Paul now reestablishes the balance so as not to exalt the man beyond what is his due nor to oppress the women. In the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of womenâ¦ Each one of the two is the cause of the other, God being the cause of all.â (Homilies on Corinthians) [4] This is sometimes misinterpreted in such a way that women are literally prisoners in their own home. In a nuclear family where the husband is working long hours, it can happen that women have no contact with anyone but their children seven days a week. Or again, women are criticized when circumstances make it necessary for them to work. What is important is that their lives be centered in the home. At the same time it is important that they have interests or obligations that allow for outside interests. [5] Unfortunately college courses have made Simone de Beauvoirâs book The Second Sex required reading. It is her position that women will never be happy until they are liberated from the shackles of the social structures in which they have been imprisoned: marriage, maternity and the family. She insists women enter the work force to be free. [6] Tertullian says of the religious âYou do well in falsely assuming the married character if you veil you head; nay, you do not assume it falsely, for you are wedded to Christ: to him you have surrendered your flesh; act as becomes a Husbandâs discipline. If he bids the brides of others be veiled, his own, of course much more.â De Orat. Cha xxii). [7] âThe soulâs salvation depends upon her submission, her willing surrender; it is prevented for so long as she resists. It is her pride, self-opinion, overweening, the Satanic conviction of her independence, her evil rather than herself ,that must be killed; this pride she calls her âself-respect,â and would ârather dieâ than be divested of it. But the death that she at last, despite herself, desires is no destruction but a transformation. Marriage is an initiatory death and integration.â Ananda Coomaraswamy, Who is Satan and Where is Hell, Selected Papers, Ed. Roger Lipsey, Vol II, Princeton, N.Y., 1977 [8] or as the Qoran puts it, the pen and the tablet. [9] The Lesson read on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. [10] As St. Thomas Aquinas explains in discussing the statement âWe shall all meet unto a perfect man,â this refers not to the male sex but to the strength of soul which will be in all, both men and women.(Q81, Art 3, reply 1). Thus Hermes in his fist vision is instructed to âbehave like a man.â .St. Theresa of Avila told her nuns âI would not want you daughters to be womanish in anything, nor would I want you to be like woman, but like strong men.(Chapter 7, The way of perfection). Again, Mother Sarah used to say to he brethren, >It is I who am a man, and ye who are women.= (Wit and Wisdom of the Holy Fathers). [11] Meister Eckhart This is about the Confessorâs daughter, Teacher and Preacher. Paulest Press, N.Y., 1986 p. 351. [12] Mathias Scheeben, The mysteries of Christianity, B. Herder, N.Y.1054. [13] Translation of Christopher Bamford in The Voice of the Eagle, Lindisfarne Press, 1992. This is no novel teaching. Consider Origin: Let us see also allegorically how man, made in the image of god, is male and female. Our inner man consists of spirit and soul. The spirit is said to be male; the soul can be called female. If these have concord and agreement among themselves, they increase and multiply by the very accord among themselves and they produce sons, good inclinations and understandings... The soul united with the spirit and, so to speak, joined in wedlock...."'; [14] Meister Eckhart, Teacher and Preacher, Classics of Western Spirituality, Paulist Press, 1986, p. 302. [15] Sermon 84 on the Canticle of Canticles, par. 5-6) [16] George Gil puts it well: âLiberals in the Church have done more harm to our women than all the rapists, woman haters and male-chuauvinists put together. They have stripped them of their femininity. Femininity is the gift God gave women that most enables them to be happy. It is something that must be guarded at all costs, for if the women loses her femininity, she loses her very self.â [17] One is forced to protest against some of the recent pictures of Our Lady which present her as the girl next door, with her cute curls peeking out beneath a rather brief head covering. Traditional iconography East and West, never allowed for this. [18] Translation from Revised Standard Translation of the Bible. [19].Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Ed. Gerald Bray, Intervarsity Press, 1999
Are You Reverent in Church? (And if not, will you take the consequences?) by Cardinal Corsi.
	Are You Reverent In Church? And if not, will you take the consequences? by Cardinal Corsi Our Savior, at all times forbearing and humble, severely rebuked the money changers in the Temple. What changed the merciful benefactor of men into a severe judge? It was the desecration of the House of God! What a terrible threat to those who are in the habit of offending God in His own sanctuary. The Lord will drive them out with the scourge! Indeed it is a great offense to affront him in his own dwelling - great ingratitude to dishonor Him in the very place where He distributes His graces in abundance. What a disgrace to appear there in immodest, vain attire (including your head uncovered, if a woman, since not only Paul VI said you must have it covered, but read St. Paul's 1st Corinthians: 11),wishing only to attract attention. What indecorum to walk into Church gazing and waving at everyone, talking and joking, even distracting those who are praying, not sparing even the priests of the altar, conversing there about worldly affairs. Where is there an earthly ruler who would tolerate such irreverence? Should the King of Kings, upon whose power the whole universe depends, have to endure contempt in His own abode? Is this not the grossest offense, the greatest indignity? Let them remember that God will avenge the insult, that He will pour out the phials of His wrath upon such abominable ingratitude. "I will lay thy ways upon thee, 0 ungrateful nation," He says through the prophet Ezechiel, "and I will pour out my wrath upon thee and I will accomplish my anger in thee." Woe to those who profane the House of the Lord! The sudden death of Oza, the fire which consumed the sons of Aaron, the destruction of the Bethsamites, the defeat of the Philistines, the chastisement of Antiochus, the fall of Jerusalem - these are all examples of the divine wrath at the profanation of His sanctuary. Even in our own days, the calamities that befall cities and nations - must we not interpret them as the warning of Jeremias? "It is the vengeance of the Lord, vengeance because of the profanation of His Temple." (Is it any wonder that many of the Saints have stated that we shall have to atone for every instant we were irreverent before the Blessed Sacrament after our death?) Dear Brethren, take these warnings to heart. Come to Church with due reverence and be not forgetful of the honor due to the Lord of the Universe. Remember the words of the apostle: "For if anyone violate the Temple of God, him shall God destroy." PSALM 95 . . . But the Lord made the heaven's splendor and majesty go before Him. Strength and beauty adorn his sanctuary. Give to the Lord ye families of the nations - give to the Lord glory and praise - give to the Lord worship due to His name - offer sacrifice and enter His courts. Do homage to the Lord in our sacred adornments. Tremble before His presence all ye dwellers on earth. (OUR LORD TO) ST. GERTRUDE the Great "Each time me look at the Blessed Sacrament our place in heaven is raised forever!" ST. TERESA of Avila If you grieve at not seeing Him with your bodily eyes, remember that if we viewed His glorified body we would die of love. So weak is our nature that nobody could endure the sight - there would be no one left on earth, because no one would wish to remain on earth any longer. But beneath those accidents of bread we can approach Him because we cannot see Him with our eyes. He reveals Himself to those who believe and show their love! Getting up after Mass just after receiving Him and talking to people as you go down the aisle is a great sacrilege! WHERE IS YOUR REVERENCE? Where is your faith? Instead delight to remain with Him. Do not lose such an excellent time for talking with Him. This time is a very profitable time for the soul - therefore do not lose it. If you take your thoughts elsewhere and pay no more attention to Him than if He were not there how can He make Himself known to you? How can He pour into your soul his sanctifying grace (which gives you part of His Divinity) ? How can He teach you? How can you hear Him and what He has to say if you don't care to listen? How can you shut your bodily eyes and open the eyes of your soul when you are walking out of the Church talking to people as though He had gone back to heaven and were no longer there? Poor, poor Jesus!! What can He do? Would you like Him to drag you by force to look at Him, love Him and be with Him just because HE DESIRES IT? He will not reveal Himself openly and communicate His glories and bestow His treasures EXCEPT ON THOSE WHO GREATLY DESIRE IT! From the look of it, many Catholics go to Church to offend Him rather than worship Him! (BLESSED MOTHER TO) SR. MARIA of Agreda More to be blamed are the unworthy and wicked priests; for by the irreverence with which they treat the Blessed Sacrament, the other Catholics have been drawn to undervalue it. If the people see that their priests approach the divine mysteries with holy fear and trembling, they too treat and receive their God in like manner. Those that so honor Him shall shine in heaven like the sun among the shine, for the glory of my Divine Son's humanity will redound in a special measure in those who have behaved well toward Him in the Blessed Sacrament. The devout will bear on their breast, where they have so often harbored the Holy Eucharist, most beautiful and resplendent inscriptions, showing that they were most worthy tabernacles of the Holy Sacrament. They will also enjoy the special favor of being able to penetrate deeper into the mystery of the presence of the Lord in the sacrament, and to understand all the rest of the wonders hidden therein. This will be such a privilege that IT ALONE would suffice for their eternal happiness, even if there were no other enjoyment in heaven. Moreover, the essential glory of those who have worthily and devoutly received the Holy Eucharist (not standing - the priest will not refuse you if you kneel) will in several respects exceed the glory of the many martyrs who have not received the Body and Blood of the Lord. PURGATORY Talking in Church before His Majesty is not only a venial sin but can become a much more serious sin if you disturb others who desire to love Him. The saints who have seen purgatory have said that the average time a Catholic spends there is 40 years. This is shortened by daily Mass and devout communions, many ejaculations and indulgenced prayers and works, while living; and Masses and prayers for the dead said by others after death. For a devout Catholic it is much less! And for a devout Catholic carrying a cross of pain offered up to Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, it is possible to go directly to heaven. If you can show reverence to a flag, a priest, a nun, the Pope or a human being - how much more should you keep your eyes on that tabernacle and altar from the moment you enter the Church until you leave, and show him the REVERENCE HE DESERVES AND DEMANDS! (Read 1st Corinthians: 11 and Deuteronomy 22:5)
The Garabandal Message of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
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Is there any particular reason you only offer shipping through Fed-Ex,instead of USPS, or even UPS, which seem much cheaper?
	Yes, we have 3 reasons: UPS is more expensive currently, and had a high rate of loss when we used them for the trial period of 3 mos. We almost went out of business during December of 2005, when we used USPS exclusively (Priority Mail w/Delivery Confirmation), during which time they lost 15% of our outbound, requiring us to send, at our cost, the orders a second time. FedEx has allowed us to maintain the same prices for more than one season at a time, and we're still in business. :-) We do have a policy of shipping via USPS if the customer insists (Priority Mail w/ Delivery Confirmation only) but cannot guarantee delivery, so if it doesn't arrive we are not at fault. The average cost on that is $5.00 for the Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope, plus the Delivery Confirmation ($.25) for a total of $5.25 for what will fit in an envelope. I understand the dilemma you face. I wish that the Post Office would do their job properly, but almost every week, as it is, we receive a phone call asking us if we received a return, a check, an order with a credit card number, etc.

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