I have seen old photos of my baptism, my sister’s baptism, and other special occasions that took place in church. In them I always noticed that my mom always wore a “mantilla,” lace headcovering. I remember asking her once or twice, “Why did you wear a veil?” she always said, “That’s what you did back then, out of respect.”
At that time, I asked her out of curiosity and because I thought my mom looked pretty. I was curious because in the mid-seventies into the eighties I didn’t see women, in church, wearing mantillas anymore. This question about covering one's head in church didn’t come back into my mind until my son was about 2 years old; he is now eight.
I ran across a blog that posted a young woman's perspective on why she wore a mantilla and why it was important to her. I was intrigued so I began doing some searches on google to see what I would find. To my amazement there were many women of all ages who still covered their heads when they went to church.
The more I read the more curious I became. I decided to order a mantilla and wore it a few times, but felt like I was drawing attention to myself. At the Mass I attended, there was not a soul who wore one. So I stopped.
Last year after my son made his First Communion in May, the idea came back to me; was it because of my son or was it because I had grown in my faith and in my relationship with our Lord? As a mom, I am always trying to model how much I believe in our Lord and his Church to bring my son closer to our Lord every day.
So I bought a smaller one that fit right on top of my head and began my head-covering journey again. After two times of wearing it to Mass, my son asked, “Why do you wear that on your head?” Yeah, the question I have been waiting for and I answered.
It has been almost a year now that I wear a lace mantilla that is stretchy and ties, and love it. Now, I always carry it in my purse so that if I can stop and visit our Lord I have it with me.
On Sundays you will find me in church wearing it with a smile. In the end, it's not about me; it's about the love I feel for our Lord.
“ Have you thought about wearing a mantilla?" Do you know someone who has or does?
Copyright 2015 Elizabeth Desiderato.
Photo used with permission from Veils By Lily. All rights reserved.
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