Directives on Christian modesty

Directives on Christian modesty...

"The world must follow the example of the Queen of Heaven. Modesty, purity of heart and purpose."
- St. Michael, December 7, 1973

Our Lady of Fatima told Jacinta, “Certain fashions will be introduced which will offend my Son very much. More people go to hell because of sins of the flesh than for any other reason.”

Jacinta also said, “Fashions will much offend Our Lord. People who serve God should not follow fashions. The Church has no fashions. Our Lord is always the same.”

This warning of Our Lady of Fatima has come to pass, so much so that even many Catholic parishes have lost the sense of Christian modesty and decency.

Under mandate of Pope Pius XI, who began his pontificate five years after the Fatima apparitions, the Vatican’s Sacred Congregation of the Council issued guidelines to all bishops on this subject:

“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.”

Regarding swimwear, in 1959 Cardinal Pia y Daniel (Archbishop of Toledo, Spain) issued the following directive:

“A special danger to morals is represented by public bathing at beaches, in pool and river banks… Mixed bathing between men and women, which nearly always is a proximate occasion of sin and a scandal, must be avoided.”

On June 12, 1960, Cardinal Siri of Genoa issued a notification warning all the clergy, the teaching sisters, those involved in Catholic Action, and educators in his diocese, of the grave dangers in the wearing of trousers by women. He stated:

“The wearing of men’s dress by women affects firstly the woman herself, by changing the feminine psychology proper to women; secondly it affects the woman as wife of her husband, by tending to vitiate relationships between the sexes; thirdly it affects the woman as mother of her children by harming her dignity in her children’s eyes.”

St. Padre Pio dismissed from his confessional, before they could step inside, all women he judged to be incorrectly dressed. By 1967, on some mornings, he turned them away one after another, until he ended up confessing very few. His brethren noticed this with a certain unease, then decided to post on the door of the church a warning: “By Padre Pio’s explicit wish, women must enter the confessional wearing skirts AT LEAST 8 INCHES BELOW THE KNEE. It is forbidden to borrow longer dresses in church and to wear them to confession.” The beginning of the struggle with no concessions whatsoever coincided more or less with the advent of the mini-skirt, launched by the English girl Mary Quant. It had not yet reached Italy as Padre Pio was thundering against short skirts.

The feminine loss of the sense of modesty was indicated by Pope Pius XII, who said:

“Now many girls do not see anything wrong with following certain shameless styles (fashions) like so many sheep. They would surely blush if they could only guess the impressions they make and the feelings they evoke (arouse) in those who see them.” (July 17, 1954)

“O Christian mothers, if only you knew the future distress, peril and ill-restrained shame that you prepare for your sons and daughters by imprudently accustoming them to live barely clothed, and permitting them to lose the sense of modesty, you would be ashamed of yourselves, and of the harm done to the little ones entrusted to you by Heaven to be reared in a Christian dignity and culture.”

The false notion that mere custom should dictate the question of modesty was refuted by Pope Pius XII in one short sentence: “There always exists an absolute norm to be preserved.”

For those who teach or say, “what is customary does not affect us,” Pope Pius XII calls this application of an ancient principle to the virtue of modesty “the most insidious of sophisms.” He calls attention to the fact that some people use this sophism “... in order to brand as ‘old fashioned’ the rebellion of honest people against fashions they consider too bold.”

Pope Pius XII also stated, “Vice necessarily follows upon public nudity.” Who can deny that the rise in fornication, adultery, rape, incest, contraception, abortion, pornography, and many other sins have not been fueled in large part by the rejection of Christian modesty? Not only is Christian modesty not old-fashioned, it is a necessary protection for the dignity of both men and women, as well as a protection of the sanctity of marriage and the sanctity of life.

The Plenary Assembly of the Bishops of Brazil stated, in accordance with the 1917 Code of Canon Law:

“Let the priests forcefully insist that women wear clothing which expresses modesty ...
     “Let women, at all times, but especially, as the Apostle Saint Paul teaches, when they are in church, dress with modesty. If they should dare to enter the church immodestly dressed, let them, as Canon Law commands (Canon 1262, par. 2), be judiciously put out and prevented from assisting at any function whatsoever.
     “Let those who are going to receive Holy Communion be decently dressed. Women whose heads are not covered and who are improperly dressed are to be excluded from the Sacrament, as Canon Law directs (Canons 855 & 1262, par. 2).”

A General Pastoral Directive in 1915 states:

“Women must be decently dressed, especially when they go to church. The parish priest may, with due prudence, refuse them entrance to the church and access to the reception of the Sacraments, any and every time that they come to church immodestly dressed.”

"Women shall not approach the sacred Body dressed as pagans, exposing the temples of their spirit to shame! Cover yourselves, My children, or you will burn!
   "I repeat: women will dress as befits a wife and mother, clothing themselves with modesty and holiness. Children will follow the example of their parents. Therefore, if your example is poor, your children will be your thorns. The sins of the parents are surely visited upon the children." - Our Lady, March 18, 1975

The amazing Bayside Prophecies... http://www.tldm.org/directives/directives.htm

These prophecies came from Jesus, Mary, and the saints to Veronica Lueken at Bayside, NY, from 1968 to 1995:

A WAY OF LIFE
"I ask that a task force be set upon the world to eliminate the products of the forces of evil that seek to debase, destroy the souls of your children. Remove from your homes the corrupters of souls: the pornography, the infernal box—your television—and the destructor of souls, modesty and purity—the nakedness of the body.
"Parents, you shall be judged for the destruction by permissiveness, of your children's souls. Clothe them in goodness, holiness, and piety, and make modesty a way of life for the young." - Our Lady, August 21, 1975

EXAMPLE OF QUEEN OF HEAVEN
"The world must follow the example of the Queen of Heaven. Modesty, purity of heart and purpose." - St. Michael, December 7, 1973

SACRED TEMPLE OF GOD
"Impress, My child, upon your world the existence of hell that man seeks to deny. There are fires of hell. These fires will be felt on those who have lost their modesty to modernization, who expose the sacred temple of God, placed when their spirit entered their body—expose them to ridicule! The flames will burn every inch of that which is exposed." - Our Lady, November 20, 1971

AS BEFITS A WIFE AND MOTHER
"Women shall not approach the sacred Body dressed as pagans, exposing the temples of their spirit to shame! Cover yourselves, My children, or you will burn!
"I repeat: women will dress as befits a wife and mother, clothing themselves with modesty and holiness. Children will follow the example of their parents. Therefore, if your example is poor, your children will be your thorns. The sins of the parents are surely visited upon the children." - Our Lady, March 18, 1975

ARE YOU PAGANS?
"Parents, how dare you allow your daughters to be looked upon with lustful eyes! Have you no shame? What is your example? Are you pagans?" - Our Lady, May 30, 1972

PERMISSIVE ATTITUDES
"Nakedness! Abomination! Aberrations have become the way of life in your country. Nakedness! Have you no shame to expose your body and cause another to fall? Mothers, you allow your daughters to sin and cause others to sin in your permissive attitudes. Have you no protective instincts for your children? Do you subject them willfully to the ravages of satanic agents?" - Our Lady, March 25, 1972

DO NOT LEAD YOUR CHILD INTO DANGER!
"Mothers, why are you permissive with your children? Do you not recognize the plan of satan? Do you wish lustful eyes cast upon the innocence of your young child? Do not lead your child into danger!" - Our Lady, June 8, 1972

CHAIN OF EVIL
"Foolish virgins! Why do you choose to live in this world of earth? Have you become blind to modesty? Has vanity invaded your hearts? Woe to those who cause the downfall of Our dedicated by their examples. You are all following the evil circle, My dedicated; for it is like a chain of evil, link by link. By your example you build a solid chain to hell. For woe to those entrusted with the souls of the little ones, and who lead the little ones to hell!" - Our Lady, November 21, 1970

SAFEGUARD THEIR PURITY
"As parents your duty is manifold. You must teach your children within your homes. You must safeguard their purity. Modesty! Mothers, your daughters—do you permit them to expose their flesh to lustful eyes? Are you stripping from their young souls modesty and purity of purpose and spirit? What kind of example are you giving as parents in your homes?" - Our Lady, October 2, 1975

EYES: MIRROR OF YOUR SOUL
"Modesty must be retained. Modesty must be taught to the young. Keep pure and holy thoughts in your minds and the minds of your children, for your eyes are also the mirror of your soul." - Jesus, May 18, 1977

"CHASTITY", "MODESTY"
"You see, My child, you use the word 'Marylike,' but the word is truly 'chastity,' 'modesty.' It is a word, chastity, the word modesty, soon forgotten on your earth." - Our Lady, June 15, 1974

Directives from Heaven...

D128 - Modesty PDF
D200 - Lust PDF
D201 - Vanity PDF

Articles...

Modesty of dress: "Beauty is never in exposure"
http://www.tldm.org/news6/modesty2.htm

Let's bring back modesty of dress
http://www.tldm.org/News6/modesty3.htm

Women will not dress as men: 1960 letter by Cardinal Siri
http://www.tldm.org/News6/modesty4.htm

Pastor speaks out against immodesty, will refuse Communion to those so dressed
http://www.tldm.org/News7/modesty1.htm

St. Padre Pio and modesty
http://www.tldm.org/News7/modesty2.htm

The Marylike Standards for modesty in dress
http://www.tldm.org/News7/modestyMarylikeStandards.htm

Letter by St. Ignatius of Loyola on immodestly dressed women
http://www.tldm.org/news6/ignatius.htm

Links…

Some directives of the Magisterium on Christian modesty, Fatima Centre
http://www.fatima.org/library/cr57pg53.html

Rome decrees on modesty of dress
http://www.national-coalition.org/modesty/moddecre.html

We encourage everyone to print or email copies of this web page to all the Bishops and all the clergy. Also, send this page to as many people as possible.

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Revised: April 02, 2012