Reflections on Wearing a Head Covering
An Interview with Board Member Sister Judith Kreipe
For forty years – 1960-2000 – Interfaith Center board member Sister Judith Kreipe (Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary) wore a veil. As a Sister of the Roman Catholic Church, there was an expectation to veil oneself in order to display modesty before God. Sister Kreipe remarked that hair can be seen as a person’s crown, and so when a woman chooses to cover her hair, she is also “covering her crown” as a way to further show humility before God.
In 1968 the Vatican announced that each community should go back to living the spirit of their founding. This decree also made wearing a head covering optional. Thus, a large number of Catholic sisters began removing their head coverings during the 70’s, around the same era that nurses removed their traditional nursing caps. Nevertheless, Sister Kreipe commented, “Who we are and how we serve others has been the focus of our returning to the spirit of our founding. What we wear or don’t wear – like the veil – became less important.”
After her community adopted the Vatican’s decree that made wearing a head covering optional, and after serious personal consideration, Sister Kreipe chose to remove her veil. In the end, she decided to do so because when thinking about Jesus, she recognized that he blended into the society of Nazareth and was seemingly just like everyone else. Sister Kreipe decided that being a religious was more about following the life and example of Jesus Christ than about what one wears.
Sister Kreipe remarked that for 40 years she was publicly seen as “a religious.” Overall, however, she believes that the interior is more important than the exterior, and therefore her outward religious appearance shouldn’t mean as much as her actual practice and spiritual connection to her religion. As Sister Kreipe said, “I did discontinue wearing the head covering– or veil as we call it– but I still wear a habit as a visible sign of my belonging to a Catholic religious community that is over 150 years old.”
Even though Sister Kreipe has chosen to discontinue the practice of wearing a head covering, she maintains a deep respect and admiration for all who do choose to cover their heads, and she finds comfort in the familiarity of this practice which is found in so many religions. |
