I am a cradle Catholic, although a much more conservative, orthodox one as an adult than I was raised. I was always attracted to the beauty and majesty of the Church. When I was in eighth grade, my family switched from our geographical parish to a small, Polish one.
This parish was a blend of old and new. It remained unchanged in appearance since it's inception in the early 1900's, however the Novo Order Mass was celebrated, much to the chagrin of the traditional priest. He incorporated Latin and tradition wherever he could to keep the Mass in line with the past.
Such a traditional minded priest attracted traditional minded parishioners. He even served a traditionalist community with Extraordinary Form Masses at he parish, weekly. It dismays me that i never took advantage of that opportunity, but I didn't know what I was missing.
But, I digress. There were a handful of women who veiled that assisted the regular weekend Masses because Father preserved the communion rail and distributed Holy Communion both standing and kneeling--a practice I sorely miss.
These women, and their daughter looked so beautiful in their lacy mantillas. I longed to have one, but my family was not traditional and was happy to be done with the old ways. I spent my adolescence marveling at this practice and yearning to know more.
Once I was grown, I continued my search, always wondering where these women even bought the veils and not even knowing what they were called. Here is where the beauty of the Internet has blessed me. Without it, I would probably still be searching.
After I was married, I began working with the local diocese on mother/daughter programs which inspired my own mother/daughter retreats. I was in charge of collecting resources to sell and distribute at the event. in one of my orders, I found the pamphlet, The Veil. Finally, there were answers to my questions.
It took me nearly a year to get up the courage to order my own mantilla and broach the subject with my husband. He was thankfully happy with my decision. I veiled for the first time while we were away, still timid about standing out.
The first few months, maybe even year, I was still self conscious but at peace. Now, I feel down right naked without a veil. As the years have passed, almost eight years now, I have fallen more and more in love with the devotion. It is a devotion I choose to share and promote both here on my blog and through my etsy shop.
My simple, but beautiful devotion has brought my heart so much closer to God and our Blessed Mother.
What is your favorite devotion? How did you come to it?
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