By Olivia Obijiaku
A parishioner of Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Dr. Jerome Unubi Okpanachi has bemoaned indecent dressing among Catholics. He also disclosed the dangers associated with the trend when he spoke on the topic, ‘True Devotion to Mary and the Challenges of Marian Devotees in the 21st Century’ in the parish, Wednesday, October 23, 2024.
The speaker charged attendees to emulate the Blessed Mother of Jesus, the Role Model of decent dressing, recalling the message that she delivered on worldly fashion through the three Children of Fatima, Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta.
“Today we have a challenge in the Church.” He identified. “It is very difficult for our young ladies today to challenge the fashion of the world. When Mary appeared in Fatima, Portugal in 1917, she told the three children, especially Lucia that a time will come when new fashion, new dressing will be introduced into the world and this fashion that people will pick up will grieve her Son.”
“There are several dress codes for Catholic faithful both for the men and for the female, but some churches decided to relapse the rules because of the peculiar nature of the parishioners they have. In Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish here for example, some female students go for lectures wearing trousers and from there they attend the Mass wearing trousers too.”
“I am not saying that trousers are bad. But we know that whatever one is wearing should not be a source of distraction to other worshipers at Mass. So, if you know you are coming for Mass, dress in a way that looks like the way Mary herself dresses. Dress appropriately. But unfortunately, we have our sisters here who wear miniskirts. Some wear tights and call them trousers. Some wear jean and do not wear belt, and when they keel, they expose their pants and people from behind will see their underwear. This is very un-Mary like.”
“So, the discipline is on all of us. We have young men who do sagging. They do not put on belt. They wear slack trousers and then their trousers show. Let us go back to the message that Mary gave the little children at Fatima on how immodest fashion can bring sin to the world and increase the level of immodesty in the world.”
