ORTHODOX MODESTY IN DRESS AND GROOMING
From “Orthodox Tradition, ” vol. XVII (January, 2000),
pp. 24-28. See also the sobering homily for women on Isaiah 3:24 by St. Nikolai
Velimirovich in “The Prologue from Ochrid,” Vol. Ill, pp. 183-185. This article
is also posted in the web pages of the excellent site “Orthodox Christian
Information Center,
”http://orthodoxinfo.com/.
Visiting a couple of your parishes, I noticed that the
women cover their heads in church. I asked Father [name deleted] when I visited
him. He explained that the women cover their heads in church, don’t cut their
hair short and don’t wear pants or tight clothes even outside church...The men
he said usually have moustaches and dress with long sleeves....I do not mean to
be disrespectful, but what does this have to do with Orthodoxy? There aren’t
any church teachings about these matters of personal choice, as far as I know.
I am a woman and have short hair and wear pants almost always (not in church).
But this sounds a little fanatic and strange to me. My priest says that it is
quaint and borrowed from Protestant fundamentalists, which sur¬prised me.
Perhaps you could say something about this in Orthodox Tradition. (M.I., CA)
