Some women cover their heads in church because they’re following an ancient Christian practice rooted in Scripture and Holy Tradition. Others don’t. Both are welcome at St. Michael.
The Antiochian Orthodox Church treats head coverings as a pious custom, not a requirement. You’ll see variety when you walk into our parish on Sunday morning. Some women wear scarves or veils. Some don’t. Nobody’s checking at the door.
The Biblical Background
St. Paul writes about this in 1 Corinthians 11. He says women should cover their heads when praying or prophesying, and he ties this to order in worship, to the relationship between man and woman, and to “the angels” who are present in our services. The Church Fathers, including St. John Chrysostom, understood Paul to mean that women should veil in church as a sign of humility and reverence before God.
For most of Christian history, this wasn’t controversial. Women covered their heads in church. It was just what you did, like making the sign of the cross or standing for the Gospel. The custom weakened in many Western countries during the twentieth century, but it never completely disappeared from Orthodox practice.
What It Means
When an Orthodox woman covers her head in church, she’s making a statement about worship. She’s saying something about humility before God. She’s acknowledging that we come into the presence of the King of Kings, and we don’t come casually. The veil marks the difference between the everyday world and the sacred space of the liturgy.
It’s also about continuity. When a woman puts on a scarf before entering the nave, she’s doing what her great-grandmother did, what the Theotokos herself would have done, what Christian women have done for two thousand years. There’s something powerful in that connection.
But here’s what it’s not: it’s not about women being less than men, or unclean, or needing to hide themselves. The Orthodox Church teaches that men and women are equal in dignity and both made in God’s image. We venerate the Theotokos above all the angels and saints. The head covering isn’t about shame. It’s about reverence.
Why the Variety?
So why don’t all Orthodox women cover their heads? Because the Antiochian Archdiocese hasn’t made it a universal rule. Some parishes encourage the practice strongly. Others leave it entirely to personal conscience. A few older parishes might expect it, especially among women receiving communion. But most Antiochian parishes in America, including here in Southeast Texas, treat it as optional.
This isn’t wishy-washy theology. The Church distinguishes between what’s absolutely required (baptism, for instance, or fasting before communion) and what’s a pious tradition that expresses local custom and personal devotion. Head coverings fall into that second category. They’re encouraged, they’re ancient, they’re meaningful. But they’re not a test of Orthodoxy.
If you visit St. Michael and you’re a woman wondering what to do, here’s the practical answer: do what feels right to you. If covering your head helps you pray, if it connects you to the tradition, if it makes you more aware that you’re standing on holy ground, then cover your head. If it feels foreign or distracting or like you’re playacting, then don’t. God sees your heart, not your hair.
Some women start covering their heads after they’ve been Orthodox for a while. The practice grows on them. They come to love what it represents. Others never feel drawn to it, and that’s fine too. The Church is patient with us as we grow into the fullness of the faith.
A Word About Visitors
If you’re visiting an Orthodox church for the first time, don’t stress about this. Really. We’re glad you’re here. Many parishes keep a basket of scarves near the entrance for women who want to borrow one, but nobody’s going to think less of you if you walk right past it. Come as you are. Learn the faith. Let the Holy Spirit work on you. You can figure out head coverings later if it becomes important to you.
The same St. Paul who wrote about veils also wrote that love is patient and kind. The Church follows his lead. We hold to ancient practices, but we don’t beat people over the head with them. If you walk into St. Michael on a Sunday morning, you’ll see women with scarves and women without them, all standing together, all praying to the same God, all part of the same Body of Christ.
