TIA,

The cover on Courtesy Calls Again, by Judith Fife Mead & Marian Therese Horvat, does bring back memories of Western Society before the current Untergang des Abendlandes [decline of the West]. "Küss die Hand, Gnädige Frau" [I kiss your hand, gracious lady], the gentleman seems to say.

Feminism will not allow such discriminatory behavior, of course. Women must be the equals of men in every possible way. But why then were women so special that we opened doors for them and seated them at table? Motherhood. That is what was so special about women.

Feminists, who are women after all, should know better. Without mothers, there can be no women, and thus there can be no feminists. Well, there's always a bright side to everything.

     E.P.L.

Dear TIA,

Every time that I believed I had just witnessed the nadir of Vatican 2 apostasies [i.e., The Punk Priest, The Elvis Priest, The Surfing Priest, The Superman Priest, The Italian Boxing Priest, The Marijuana Priest, etc.] TIA, unfortunately, finds another one, to wit, "The heavy metal priest of Tarragona."

He is beyond scandalous and a perfect representative of the existing, prevailing Conciliar influences. I cannot help but believe that the only ones "lower" on this hierarchy of evil are the homosexuals, pedophiles, and those who participated in the "black mass" described by Fr. Malachi Martin in his novel, Windswept.

Also, I could not help but notice that in the photos the orthodox Jew(s) showed more dignity and reverence towards their "God of Abraham," in their dress and demeanor, than this "priest."

Thank you for sharing with us the Truths of the Faith and the unvarnished facts about those who live to insult and attempt to subvert the Deposit of Faith.

May God Bless your work and continuing efforts.

     M.V.S.

Dear TIA,

It is interesting that your reader, L.B., is complaining about traditional Catholic women dressing like Protestants or Puritans, in long “Little House” dresses and plain braid or bun for hairstyle. While many agree with Dr. Horvat that we must restore our dignity as Catholics in society, there is a dearth of modest fashion in today’s markets, both American and European, and where do we start? We all need help finding the ideal.

The places offering modest clothing are overwhelmingly Protestant in name and venue, and hence the “prairie” look that’s available. The pendulum must be swung back with such force that some modest (not necessarily traditional) Catholics are adopting the ways and means of the Amish. I fear there is a great danger, here, as Catholics seek to preserve the family and establish virtue. They see a natural virtue in the Amish, but it is cold and it is spiritually dead, yet they see only the strength of the family that fights off the material world and, in the case of the progressivist Church and its adherents, protects their faith.

The lack of fashionable hairstyles among traditionalists can be caused by lack of time (many small children), lack of energy, lack of money and lack of knowledge. It can be due to a fear of vanity (desire to restore virtue, mentioned above), and it can be due to human respect – fear of being too different from others.

Persons like L.B. who appreciate the efforts made by traditional Catholic ladies to be both modest and fashionable are very few and far between. Meanwhile, the lukewarm traditionalists are prone to mean-spiritedness towards their struggling contemporaries. No one wants to stand out in a crowd – it can be painful to be a maverick.

Let’s face it; the modern female (even traditional Catholics) shaves her hair very short for ease of upkeep and for the more assertive influence. I applaud ladies of all ages who wear their hair long for the sake of being truly feminine. However, I agree that to influence our neighbor and the world for good, women must wear their hair in an attractive and pleasing manner.

One reason for the lack of fashion for traditional Catholics is the mentality that women’s clothing must attract attention from the opposite sex, for if the men aren’t looking at the women, the women are not happy. Even the much younger girls are searching for this approval and acceptance. It is not considered that true femininity in fashion is not sensual and is automatically pleasing by its sheer charm. Are there no Catholic fashion pioneers today to produce loveliness and functionality in modest Catholic dress ware?

Most modest traditional Catholic women today are reduced to wearing long skirts and knit blouses, but these I do not think look Protestant. Unfortunately, they also do not look elegant or dressy and can even be sloppy-looking or immodest if snug, and are certainly not charming. A jacket or blazer helps a great deal, but still it doesn’t seem to be the Catholic solution, and certainly not for young girls. The ladies who would like to wear something more like a dress can only find such items from the Protestant seamstresses; hence I believe L.G.’s complaint.

Another real problem for the traditional Catholic lady is looking out of place, or different. I’ve overheard fellow ladies at church gossip about the lady in the beautiful hat – complaining that she only wears it for attention. “For attention?” She wears it to up the standard of our own pathetic showing as traditional Catholic ladies. Must the modest ones and the fashionable ones run a gauntlet every Sunday morning? Or, are they to be more militant than that and brave even our own?

Ultimately, I do agree with L.B. and Dr. Horvat that traditional Catholic fashion is a must for the restoration of true Catholic culture, and I believe there are many who would answer that call if they could find an opportunity for it. Where to begin?

     In Maria,

     C.C.

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