Dressing up as priest or nun for Halloween?

carmelitenovice · #1 Jun 15, '12, 8:33 am

I just saw the Children playing Mass thread. That got me to thinking: Several years ago, I remember my uncle dressing up as a priest for a Halloween party. I don't think he meant it disrespectfully, but it always seemed "not quite right" to me. What are your thoughts?

I admit, I'm the type that doesn't get what's funny about nun jokes or shows like Nunsense, Sister Act et al. I don't know of anything particularly offense about them, but again, they just don't seem quite right to me.

Just wondered...

Thanks

Cristiano · #2 Jun 15, '12, 9:21 am

It really depends on the circumstances, what is the purpose of wearing such a costume? I think that it would be considered appropriate only in very limited circumstances like a parish event with children. Beyond that I think that it is not appropriate.

TheRealJuliane · #3 Jun 15, '12, 9:25 am

Not appropriate in any way. Mocks our religious and priests. People do this in order to scandalize the Church. I HATE to see this and would shun anyone who put on such costumes. Usually the nun costumes are "sexy nun" which as we know, directly mocks the chastity of our sisters.

_Abyssinia · #4 Jun 15, '12, 10:21 am

If you regard the origin of Halloween, in my opinion it is kind of like you are mocking Nuns or Priests if you wear traditional outfits associated with these vocations on Halloween.

SonCatcher · #5 Jun 15, '12, 10:30 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by _Abyssinia

If you regard the origin of Halloween, in my opinion it is kind of like you are mocking Nuns or Priests if you wear traditional outfits associated with these vocations on Halloween.

You must be considering a different origin than I was.

I understand that children used to dress like saints to honor them. If that saint happened to be a priest or religious person, that kind of outfit would be necessary.

Remember that the name "Halloween" comes from "All Hallows Eve" - another way to say "All Saints' Eve."

Luna Lovecraft · #6 Jun 15, '12, 10:48 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by SonCatcher

I understand that children used to dress like saints to honor them. If that saint happened to be a priest or religious person, that kind of outfit would be necessary.

And children still do. Here's the link for Our Coats of Many Colors, a fantastic website that custom makes children's costumes of saints, priests, and nuns/sisters. My step-daughters have worn their creations in school pageants and at Halloween. For a couple of years one dressed as Elizabeth Ann Seton and the other as Joan of Arc.

Luna

mikelionheart · #7 Jun 15, '12, 11:04 am

It's often quite common in the UK to see drunken men and women swaggering around dressed as nuns or bishops. I find it offensive. You wouldn't get them dressed as Buddhist monks or Muslim clerics.

I'm often tempted to go over to them and 'kick off', as we say in England.

Not very Christian but standing up for yourself aggressively seems to be the only way to get respect in the UK.

zab · #8 Jun 15, '12, 11:04 am

It has been several years since our parish school has done away with allowing the children to dress up for Halloween. But knowing that children love to participate in the holidays, they substituted it with the "All Saints Day Party". So the children dress up like their favorite saint. The costumes are getting better and better over the years. They wear their costumes to Mass on All Saints Day when the school children attend Mass, then they have a live museum inviting parents and parishioners to attend. They love it. Some of the children still go out trick-or-treating on Halloween and some wear a different costume other than their sain's costume, but I think most parents encourage respectful costumes then also. Regarding your uncle dressing up as a priest, I would think it would depend on the impression that he gave. As long as he was respectful and did nothing to mock the Church, it would be OK in my opinion. But, like others have said, sometimes the costume comes across as being disrespectful like a sexy nun's costume, or something that would in any way suggest mocking or insulting priests and nuns is not appropriate.

superamazingman · #9 Jun 15, '12, 11:25 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheRealJuliane

Not appropriate in any way. Mocks our religious and priests. People do this in order to scandalize the Church. I HATE to see this and would shun anyone who put on such costumes. Usually the nun costumes are "sexy nun" which as we know, directly mocks the chastity of our sisters.

Indeed. Dressing as a generic priest or nun seems inappropriate in almost every circumstance. However, one could dress up as a saint who is a priest, and if it's done well, it would probably be fine.

TheRealJuliane · #10 Jun 15, '12, 1:53 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by superamazingman

Indeed. Dressing as a generic priest or nun seems inappropriate in almost every circumstance. However, one could dress up as a saint who is a priest, and if it's done well, it would probably be fine.

My younger son's middle school did this - they could dress up as their favorite saint. It was great, but hard to shop for! Not like you can just go to the party store and grab "St. Dominic" or "St. Benedict." You have to go to thrift shops and look for long, drab dresses with long sleeves, or bathrobes in brown or black. I'm a great costume shopper so I managed but it did take searching in several stores.