We earn from sales through Amazon affiliate links on this page. Read the Full Disclaimer here
Sandals are not prohibited in the Catholic church. So, Yes, you CAN wear sandals to the church to Mass. However, you might want to choose your sandals carefully to avoid having everyone’s eyes on you.
The sandals are not considered wrong for any religious reasons. It’s not because Moses was asked to take off his ‘Sandals’ at the burning bush.
When you wear sandals, like flip-flops, to a church program, there is a high tendency you will be pulling a lot of attention to yourself due to the noise of your footsteps.
You can evade this unwritten law by choosing your sandals wisely. By going for sturdy noiseless sandals, you can avoid pulling attention to yourself.
How To Dress For Church With Sandals
Short-sleeved Top + Short Skirt + Noldares Summer Sandals
The picture above is an example of a short skirt that is allowed by the Catholic church.
No one is asking you to sacrifice Fashion for Christianity, although excessive materialism is openly disallowed in the church.
You might only end up having people’s eyes on you throughout the program.
The skirt in the picture is short but not short enough to show any part of her hips.
As long as you have your skirt reaching your knees, you can go to the Catholic church at any time. Have your sandals on, as long as they are not flip-flopping people’s attention.
Also, take a look at the top the lady is wearing. It is not sleeveless. If you are worried about the heat, instead of going for a sleeveless top, you can go for a top with short sleeves.
With short sleeves, you can be allowed in the church for the Sunday mass. You can even go for shorter sleeves than the one in the picture and you would still be allowed in (though that depends on the specific church and how the rule is enforced).
The perfect sandals to match this outfit will be the Noldares Sandals above. With this pair of sandals, you are disturbing no one and you keep up the perfect look.
Cap Sleeve Top + Flared Long Skirt + Masbird Sandals
The dress above covers the sandals on your feet but that doesn’t guarantee you freedom.
Sandals are not prohibited in the Catholic church, as mentioned earlier, so there is no reason to hide your sandals anyway. Just make sure they are not noisy, which is why flip-flops are often frowned upon.
The dress covers her legs entirely. That is the appropriate style for the Catholic church. Could you take a look at the top she’s wearing? It is almost sleeveless but her shoulders are still covered, even though her arms are exposed.
The rule doesn’t directly call out armless clothes but clothes with open shoulders. With these clothes, you should be able to attend the Sunday mass without criticism.
However, some Catholic churches may not allow this if their rules are different.
A pair of Masbird Sandals shouldn’t be too flashy for the Sunday mass. The hems of the gown will probably cover it.
However, when it comes to footwear, it’s the noise of your footsteps that matters. Fortunately, a snug pair of Masbird Sandals are silent as much as they are fashionable.
Long sleeve Maxi Dress + Steve Madden Sandals
Now, that is a picture of a perfect look. Not only is the outfit acceptable in the Catholic church but also beautiful. This is an outfit you can wear casually or on an occasion, and expect compliments.
The sleeves cover your hands, your chest is covered, and the hems are down to your toes. You can wear the right pair of sandals on this outfit and you’ll look perfect.
Finding a perfect pair of sandals like Steve Madden can be pretty hard. The Steve Mdden sandals are not just perfect for your legs.
They are a perfect match for this outfit. The shiny adornment on the upper part of the sandals fits well with the floral design on this dress.
No one would be able to tell a difference between the two designs once you put these on.
Shirt + Sleeveless Top + Maxi Skirt + Marc Fisher Sandals
This is another dress that completely covers the legs. Wearing long-short skirts can feel very awkward, due to the look, so you can just go for an outfit that covers your legs completely but retains your beauty.
Remember, the church is not a place you pick a cute outfit for. The church doesn’t want you showing your body but the church also doesn’t want you looking so casual like you can’t afford good clothes. This is a moderate outfit that should look perfect on you.
The woman is wearing a sleeveless top but is covered by her shirt, which is the right way to dress.
Her skirt is slim but it covers her legs completely. Wear the right pair of sandals on this and you’ll be good to go.
Speaking of the right pair, there is none better for this dress than the Marc Fisher sandals. The Marc Fisher sandals are made of leather so they’ll last long.
This pair also has non-flashy adornments on the top, making it fashionable. The color also matches perfectly. No other pair of sandals can be better.
Shirt + Sleeveless Maxi Dress + Plain Hat + Laicigo Summer Sandals
Another great outfit for Sunday mass. The gown under her shirt is either strapless or has thin straps that expose her shoulders.
You won’t be allowed in the church for the Sunday mass if your shoulders are exposed. That makes the shirt necessary. This is the perfect way to wear sleeveless clothes to church.
Her gown covers her legs completely. You can also see the sandals in her hands, ready to be worn. Her hat is another beautiful addition.
Not all hats are allowed in the church. If you can get a plain hat, without stylish logos, you should be good to go.
The sandals in her hands might not be snug enough so replace them with the pair of sandals above and you’ll have perfection.
First, the Laicigo Slingback Summer Sandals have optimum comfort from the cork insole, then an elastic top that adjusts to fit you perfectly.
This works well for the church even uncovered, and you still have a beautiful look
Things You Should Not Wear To Church
While you can style Sandals in the right way for the church, some outfits will never be allowed in the church.
These clothes don’t only call people’s attention to you, but you will be explicitly told to go back. Some of them are just not right for a holy place;
- SLEEVELESS TOP
- MINI DRESSES
- DEEP CLEAVAGE CLOTHES
- TROUSERS
- LOGOS
- PLATFORM SHOES
- FLIP-FLOPS
- FALSE EYELASHES
Sleeveless Top
You might want to consider wearing a sleeveless top, probably because of the cold or another reason.
Sleeveless tops and sleeveless dresses are not allowed in the Catholic church. This may cause you to wonder why the rule was made, just like the rules against flip-flops.
However, you may find yourself in a Catholic church, unchallenged and dressed in a sleeveless cloth.
While the Catholic church is generally against all kinds of clothes that reveal the shoulders, not all churches enforce them.
Some Catholic churches now allow sleeveless wedding dresses for the bride. Other members can’t be challenged to wear sleeveless clothes too.
Mini Dresses
According to the Catholic church – or, what you’ll hear from anyone you ask -, God forbade the wearing of shoulder tops because exposing the shoulders for people to see is a sin.
While this makes for the rule against sleeveless tops, mini Dresses are even worse.
The rule was formed against clothes that reveal too much of your body. Because there is a rule against this, it is considered a sin.
However, the rule against wearing mini skirts or mini dresses has to be enforced in all Catholic churches because, asides from the rule against revealing clothes, it is a sin.
Mini dresses reveal the legs of the ladies. This is capable of instilling wrong thoughts in the males, and there is a statement in the bible that forbids the act of causing others to sin.
If you will be going to the Catholic church, even as a stranger on a casual tour, do not choose to wear a mini skirt. Wear something that covers your legs, at least down to your knees.
Deep Cleavage Clothes
Deep Cleavage Clothes are exactly what they mean. Deep cleavage clothes are clothes that don’t cover the cleavage
By wearing this kind of cloth, you will be indirectly exposing a side of your bre*sts, which are considered a s*x organ.
If the legs of the ladies can be considered tempting enough to be a sin, exposed cleavages cannot be spared, so you should avoid wearing these kinds of clothes.
However, you can wear a piece of clothing to cover your exposed cleavage. It would no longer be a “Deep cleavage,” but you could enter the church for the Sunday mass without challenge from anyone.
Trousers
We have all probably heard this once or more times, even though many churches now accept this. Wearing trousers used to be considered a sin for women.
Although no commandment concerning this was explicitly stated in the Bible, the Church believes the clothing between the legs of the women can prevent them from fulfilling their marital duties “at all times,” which is a sin.
The Trousers just had to be forbidden by their rules. However, this rule has been in existence for a while and is probably outdated since many ladies now wear trousers to church without being challenged.
That doesn’t apply to Catholic churches, by the way. The rule against Trousers is enforced, so you should avoid wearing jeans, leggings, and shorts for Sunday mass.
Clothes with logos
Logos are not allowed in Catholic churches for an unexplained reason. However, this rule can be understood from the rule against materialistic adornments like gold, silver, and other precious stones shaped into accessories
The excessive desire and love for these accessories are explicitly stated as a sin in the Bible.
Wearing clothes with logos, which is mostly used by luxury brands- can also be understood as another form of materialism and is not accepted in the Catholic church.
Platform Shoes And Super High Heels
No piece of footwear, in general, is directly prohibited by the church.
However, the church recommends wearing a modest piece of clothing, while making sure you don’t look so casual that you pull the attention of people to yourself.
High heels are allowed in the church but, when your heels are too high, you will end up pulling the attention of people to your legs.
The same applies to Platform shoes which are not considered to be modest enough for the church.
Flip-flops
Flip-flops are not allowed in the church for a reason that has been stated earlier. Flip-flops are a kind of sandals that are prohibited.
Normal sandals can be allowed in the church, as long as you are not making a noise that distracts other people.
Asides from that, Flip-flops are considered “too casual”, as many assume flip-flops to be better for the bathroom.
When choosing footwear for Sunday mass, consider the noise of your steps and the traction so you don’t skid in the church and end up distracting everyone.
False Eyelashes
Makeup is allowed in the church but not all in Its entirety. You can always have your makeup on for the Sunday mass but not if it includes overly long false lashes and other excessive additions that distract others.
Keep your makeup and your dressing as moderate and modest as possible and you can attend the Sunday mass.
Conclusion
The rules against outfits in the church are not direct but everyone can understand the prohibited pieces of clothing. They are not needless, either.
Some things should be naturally perceived as wrong. You shouldn’t wear cute clothes in the office so you don’t distract others from work.
The same applies to the church. Wearing cute clothes will distract others from their purpose for coming to the Church. Come to think of it, noise also distracts others. Pick your footwear right.