A PAPAL DECREE CONCERNING MODESTY – Pope Pius XI, 1930
“Women also in decent apparel: adorning themselves with modesty and sobriety, … but as it becometh women professing godliness, with good works…” (I Tim II: 9-10)
Most people, including the clergy, from the bishops on down, seem to not have a clue that there are specific guidelines for modesty in the churches. The proof of this is that you can go into any church, traditional or Novus Ordo, and there are always some women in violation of the Decree above. And some men also, but usually it’s not grave in men as it is in women. As the Decree points out, it is directed mainly to women. That is because, as Kimberly Hahn once stated, “It is a woman’s nature to seduce.” The fact that a pope has to put out a Decree to tell women to dress modestly in God’s very own house, tells you there is a problem.
God’s house is God’s temple on earth, where He dwells with men in the tabernacle, his Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, contained in the little white Host, reserved in the tabernacle. This is how Jesus has chosen to remain with us until the end of time. “I will be with you all days, until the consummation of the world.” St. Matthew 28:20. So when we walk into a Catholic church, we are walking into the Real Presence of God, dwelling in the tabernacle, and that is why Catholics genuflect on one knee when they enter and leave the church, and each time they pass the tabernacle. Out of respect for Our Lord, who is the King of kings, and Lord of Lords. At least in the traditional churches they do this, but for many in the Novus Ordo, they have lost the faith and pass back and forth without giving the King, our God, the respect and reverence due to him. So, my question is, if you died and saved your soul, and at the time for your entrance into heaven had come, would you walk into God’s presence with shorts on, jeans and a tee shirt, short skirts, low necklines, tight clothing, halter tops, and all the other outrageous attire we see nowadays? No, I don’t think so. If a person who does these things is not condemned to hell, and hopefully has a conversion experience, after spending many years in the terrible fires of purgatory atoning for all the sins of lust incited in men, they won’t think immodesty is no big deal then. Remember the man who came to the wedding feast improperly dressed was cast out, Jesus said, ‘’11 And the king went in to see the guests: and he saw there a man who had not on a wedding garment. [12] And he saith to him: Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? But he was silent. [13] Then the king said to the waiters: Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the exterior darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. [14] For many are called, but few are chosen.’’ St. Matthew, chapter 22. The man went to hell. The wedding garment not only represents proper dress, but also grace in the soul.
Four hundred years ago, Our Blessed Mother , under the title of Our Lady Of Good Success, warned Mother Marianna of Jesus, that in the 20th century there would be “very little innocence in children, nor modesty in women.’’ A hundred years ago, she revealed to little St. Jacinta of Fatima that ‘’Certain fashions would be introduced that would offend Our Lord very much,’’ and that “More souls go to hell for sins of the flesh than for any other reason.’’ Recall that little Jacinta, along with Lucia and Francisco, were shown a horrible vision of hell on July 13th, 1917, of souls and demons burning and screaming in the horrible fires of hell. The sad story of the woman damned for immodesty can be found at this link, taken from the book, HELL AND HOW TO AVOID HELL: https://motherofgodlibrary.org/2019/12/20/woman-damned-to-hell-for-the-sin-of-immodesty/. St. Paul said, “The immodest …shall not obtain the kingdom of God.” Gal. 5:19-21, drbo.org
I know, when it is very hot, it is not easy to cover up fully, long sleeves and all, “It’s too hot!,” they say, but it much hotter in hell. But have you ever noticed the priest saying Mass, in hot weather, he always has on long sleeves? This is our penance for our many sins. Get yourself a little hand fan like they did in the old days if you need to, but don’t offend God. “In decent apparel,’’ God said, ‘’with modesty and sobriety.’’ Now, let us look at the Papal Decree for guidance, and no longer follow the fashions of the world, even if the clergy give complicit silence:
A PAPAL DECREE CONCERNING MODESTY
HIS HOLINESS POPE PIUS XI, 12 January 1930
By virtue of his supreme apostolate, whereby the universal Church is
founded, by divine institution, Our Most Holy Lordship, Pope Pius XI never tires of reiterating the words of St. Paul, to wit: “…women also in decent apparel: adorning themselves with modesty and sobriety, … but as it becometh women professing godliness, with good works…” (I Tim II: 9-10) Frequently, when the occasion has presented itself, the selfsame Holy Pontiff has reproved and bitterly condemned immodesty of dress pervasively introduced into use these days amongst Catholic women and girls, a thing which not only gravely offends feminine beauty and ornament, but leads most lamentably to the temporal and worse still the eternal ruin of these same women and unto the ruin of others still.
It is no wonder then, that the bishops and other ordinaries, as befits the ministers of Christ, and each in his respective diocese, have opposed, by all means and with unanimous voice, such misguided license and brazen impudence, and tolerating the while with calm fortitude, on account of this, frequent derision and abuse, brought against them by souls of ill will. So let this sacred consilium of the clergy and of the people, pursue the same sort of vigilance and action regarding the propagation of discipline as the holy bishops, with deserved approbation and praise and let it earnestly exhort these same men that they implement the counsels and the undertakings begun in due season, and urge them on generously and to the best of their ability, until this pestiferous sickness be completely rooted out from amongst the honest affairs of men.
That this aim might be brought the more easily and securely to effect, this sacred congregation, by the mandate of Our Most Holy Lord, decrees what follows to be enacted:
1. May parish priests especially, and preachers when the occasion
presents itself, and according to the words of St. Paul “…demand, reprove, beseech and rebuke…” women to wear clothes that redolent of modesty and such other things as are the ornament and vanguard of virtue, and may they warn parents not to permit their children to wear unseemly dress.
2. Parents, being ever mindful of the most awesome obligation which
binds them of caring firstly and foremostly for the moral and religious
education of their children, are to apply particular diligence, that their
daughters be firmly grounded in Christian doctrine and that those same
daughters also zealously foster in their souls, by words and example, the love of virtues of modesty and chastity; may parents also, in imitation of the Holy Family, busy themselves about so ordering and governing their family, that each and every individual within the family home has a cause and incentive to love and guard modesty.
3. Let those same parents prohibit their children from public athletic
events and gymnastics competitions, or at least, if their daughters must be involved in them, that they take care to exhibit clothing which is fully in keeping with modesty and that their parents never permit them to wear immodest clothing.
4. May the governesses of colleges and instructresses of schools strive so to imbue the souls of young women with the love of modesty that these same young women are led efficaciously to modesty of dress.
5. May those same governesses and instructresses, with no exception even to their own mothers, forbid admission to colleges and schools, to such women as wear unseemly clothing, and once admitted, if they fail to come to their senses, that they dismiss them.
6. Let not religious, according to the letters given by the Sacred
Congregation concerning Religious on August 13, 1928, admit young women into their colleges, schools, oratories, or gymnasia, who do not observe a Christian manner of dress, or if they have already been admitted, that they not tolerate those who do not observe a Christian manner of dress. May they moreover take special pains in the education of their female students, so that the love of Christian modesty and holy reserve take deep root in their hearts.
7. May pious associations of women be established and fostered, organizations which, by their counsel, example and deed, set before themselves the goal of checking the abuse of dress, which is not consistent with the dictates of Christian modesty, as well as the goal of promoting purity of morals and modesty of dress.
8. Into the pious associations of women, let not those women be admitted who put on immodest clothing; and once admitted, if afterwards they commit a sin in this regard, and come not to their senses when admonished, may be expelled as well.
(Reverend Fathers, note well this next order applies to you. If you allow this sin in God’s own House, the sin of the women is imputed to you, and you put your soul in danger of hellfire. Like the damned priest St. Leonard refers to in his book COUNSELS TO PRIESTS, who would absolve an adulterer when he would confess his sin, but would not make him give it up. His wife, a good Catholic woman, warned the husband but he told her to shut up, the priest knew what he was doing. Later the man and the priest both died, and one day in prayer, the woman was shown a vision of her husband and the priest both in hell. She asked her husband, “Who is that carrying you?” and he replied, “It is the priest. He has to carry me and many others for all eternity because he didn’t correct our sin.”
9. Women and girls who wear immodest clothes are to be prohibited from Holy Communion and from the office of sponsor in the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, and in certain cases, they are to be prohibited even from entry into the church. (Note: No Communion, and in certain cases, are to be debarred from entering the church).
10. When feasts occur throughout the year, which supply a particular opportunity to inculcate Christian modesty, and especially feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary, may parish priests and priests of pious associations and heads of Catholic societies not fail, by means of a sermon for that occasion, to recall and encourage women, to a Christian manner of dress. Every year, on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, let special prayers in all the cathedrals and parish churches be made, and, where possible, may timely exhortation be given to the people in the church.
11. May diocesan counsels, discussed in a declaration of the Holy Office of March 22, 1918, in a spirit of vigilance, and at least once a year, openly deal with finding ever more suitable means and methods of effectively giving counsel on feminine modesty. (Suggestions on suitable means. First of all, teach modesty and proper dress in the sermons. Silence implies consent. Secondly, post notices on doorways and inside church the requirements of proper dress, along with head coverings, and demand these regulations be followed. Thirdly, leave out brochures and other means of literature teaching and warning of the sin of immodesty. There is one card titled: SIN MOST DISPLEASING TO GOD IN WOMEN relating the story of the woman damned to hell. Fourthly, post notices in the bulletin on a weekly basis).
12. To which point may salutary action, effectively and safely lead. May bishops and other local ordinaries keep this sacred congregation informed, every third year, together with a report on religious institution given of our own accord in letters in the Catholic World on June 29, 1923, even concerning the condition of things and the state surrounding feminine manner of dress, and concerning works carried out in accordance with the rule of this instruction.
THE MARYLIKE STANDARDS FOR MODESTY
IN DRESS
“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 materials are improper.” (The Cardinal Vicar of Pope Pius XI).
1. Marylike is modest without compromise, “like Mary,” Christ’s mother. 2. Marylike dresses have sleeves extending at least to the elbows; and skirts reaching below the knees.
3. Marylike dress requires full coverage for the bodice, chest, shoulders and back; except for a cut-out about the neck not exceeding two inches below the neckline in front and in back and a corresponding two inches on the shoulders.
4. Marylike dresses do not admit as modest coverage transparent fabrics — laces, nets, organdy, nylons, etc. — unless sufficient backing is added. However, their moderate use as trimmings is acceptable.
5. Marylike dresses do not admit the use improper of flesh-colored fabrics.
6. Marylike dresses conceal rather than reveal the figure of the wearer; they do not unduly emphasize the parts of the body. (Forbidding tight clothing).
7. Marylike dresses provide full coverage — even after the jacket, the cape or the stole are removed.
8. Slacks or ‘jeans’ are not to be worn to church. (Forbidden).
(Read Deut. 22:5. ‘’ A woman shall not be clothed with man’s apparel, neither shall a man use woman’s apparel: for he that doeth these things is abominable before God.’’ Do you want to be abominable before God?
A woman who sold pants in her retail store in Vancouver went to confession in Italy to Padre Pio and was refused absolution. . .”He commanded her to return home to Canada and dispose of all this stock, and not to give any of the items to people who might wear them, and if she wanted his absolution, she could come back to Italy and receive it, only after she ruthlessly carried out his orders.” – A. M., biographical writer, saintsworks.net)
Marylike fashions are designed to conceal as much of the body as possible rather than reveal it. This would automatically eliminate such fashions as tight fitting slacks or ‘jeans’, sweaters, shorts; shorts which do not reach down at least to the knees; sheer blouses and sleeveless dresses, etc. These Marylike standards are a guide to instill a sense of modesty. Women and girls who follow these standards and who look to Mary as their ideal and model will have no problem of modesty in dress. She who follows these standards will not be the occasion of sin nor a source of embarrassment or shame to others.
Other sources. Search ; Prophecies of Blessed Elizabeth Canori Mora. She said she saw God’s gaze on the world and it was enough to incinerate the whole world. This was 200 years ago. She said God was especially angry with the clergy, parents and teachers, because they were not instructing those under them as they were supposed to. She saw the Child Jesus on Christmas Eve covered in his own blood. Watch the video and see why. She said in the great chastisement which is coming for our sins, “countless men and women will die.” 13 minute video. Pope John Paul II, at Fulda, Germany in 1980, answering a question on the third secret of Fatima said, “If there is a message which says, oceans will flood entire sections of the earth, and from one moment to the next, millions of people will die, there’s no point in really wanting to publish this secret message.” We do not agree there’s no reason to publish this warning from heaven, from our Blessed Mother. She told Sr. Lucy it should be revealed by 1960, and warnings are meant to alert people to the danger, and take the proper precautions, in this case, to amend our lives and give up our sin, and start praying the rosary everyday and wearing her Brown Scapular. But the secret Pope John Paul refers to is in Scripture: “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves;” Luke 21:25. Do you think there will be “distress of the nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves,” when oceans are flooding entire sections of the earth, and millions of people perishing?
Modesty and Purity Resources at saintsworks.net
Padre Pio and God’s Will Regarding Modesty: ‘If you have the courage to imitate Mary Magdalene in her sins, have the courage to imitate her penance!’
Padre Pio: “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.” Women’s heads must be covered. “The Church is the house of God. It is forbidden for men to enter with bare arms or in shorts. It is forbidden for women to enter in trousers, without a veil on their head, in short clothing, low necklines, sleeveless or immodest dresses.”
– Signs on the doors of San Giovanni Rotondo
‘There are, moreover, three virtues which perfect the devout person with regard to control of his own senses. These are: modesty, continence and chastity. By the virtue of modesty the devout person governs all his exterior acts. With good reason, then, does St. Paul recommend this virtue to all and declare how necessary it is and as if this were not enough he considers that this virtue should be obvious to all. By continence the soul exercises restraint over all the senses: sight, touch, taste, smell and hearing. By chastity, a virtue which ennobles our nature and makes it similar to that of the Angels, we suppress our sensuality and detach it from forbidden pleasures. This is the magnificent picture of Christian perfection. Happy the one who possesses all these fine virtues, all of them fruits of the Holy Spirit who dwells within him. Such a soul has nothing to fear and will shine in the world as the sun in the heavens.’
‘Padre Pio wouldn’t tolerate low-necked dresses or short, tight skirts, and he forbade his spiritual daughters to wear transparent stockings. Each year his severity increased. He stubbornly dismissed them from his confessional, even before they set foot inside, if he judged them to be improperly dressed. On some mornings he drove away one after another, until he ended up hearing very few confessions. . .
Sometimes when Padre Pio refused to absolve his penitents and closed the small confessional door in their faces, the people would reproach him asking why he acted this way. “Don’t you know,” he asked, “what pain it costs me to shut the door on anyone? The Lord has forced me to do so. I do not call anyone, nor do I refuse anyone either. There is someone else who calls and refuses them. I am His useless tool.”‘
– D. G., biographical writer
How Long will a Soul be in Purgatory? & What is the Reparation Necessary for Creating Immodest Art? Saintsworks.net https://tinyurl.com/73rrzwef
OUTRAGES, SACRILEGES, AND INDIFFERENCE! https://tinyurl.com/5nr8nm9d
SCREAMS FROM HELL! https://tinyurl.com/reepw6e3