The history of women wearing veils goes way back to the earliest parts of the church. While culturally we fell away from veils as a daily staple a long time ago. The Catholic Church held on to the tradition for the past 1,960 years. It was only with Vatican II that the mandatory veiling of each woman as she was in the church ended.
Very few women held onto the tradition of wearing a veil for the next fifty years. But as we look about the church today we can see a resurgence in the tradition.
But why do women veil themselves and what is it all about? That is precisely what I hope to answer here today.
The idea of veiling may seem alien to some and downright patriarchal to others, but this is not the case. It is a personal devotion about following Mary Mother of God’s example and consecrating oneself to God, through Christ, allowing the woman veiled to enter more fully into being Christ’s Bride through his church. It is to be a reminder to the woman wearing it of the spousal relationship between Christ and His Church. This, of course, takes on a much deeper meaning when discussing religious sisters but that is a topic for another day.
Women are unique among the church body as we can enter fully into the spousal relationship between Christ and His Church, as members of the Body of Christ we enter more fully into the role of the Church than men are capable of doing. Even though like women they are part of the Body of Christ men take on the role of Christ, and it is between the two of them that we can see the whole image of Christ and His Church and through the people in religious orders that we can see how the relationship between man and woman, Christ and His Chruch will look not only in heaven but during Christ’s second coming.
But I am getting away from myself, back to veils. For a woman to veil it is a humble consecration of herself as she presents herself to Christ. So if you wish to begin veiling; you would veil yourself whenever you would be in front of Jesus. So in the Church because he is in the Tabernacle, and anywhere where the Holy Eucharist is present, adoration, Eucharistic processions, etc.
When you first start looking for a veil, you will be bombarded with different colors and styles. Don’t be intimidated. Just pick any style and color you like, as long as the veil is modest you can’t go wrong.
There is a tradition in Italian, Spanish, and Latin cultures where unmarried single women and girls wear white veils and married women wear black. While there is a lot of beauty in that tradition, you do not have to keep to it, you may wear whatever color you like so long as it is not out of vanity or pride that you chose that color. If that is the case, I would advise you to talk to your spiritual director about that.
Sources:
https://www.veilsbylily.com/frequently-asked-questions
https://www.veilsbylily.com/the-best-booklet-on-the-chapel-veil-you-probably-never-read/
Catholic Veil Colours For Mass