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Why did Women Wear Head Coverings in the Church?
Throughout much of Christian history, women were expected to cover their heads during worship services, and this tradition extended to many denominations, including the Episcopal Church. The practice of women wearing head coverings has deep theological, cultural, and liturgical roots that have evolved over centuries. In this article, we will explore the reasons why women wore head coverings in the Episcopal Church and how this practice has changed over time.
1. Biblical Foundations: The Apostle Paul’s Teachings
The tradition of women covering their heads during worship can be traced back to the New Testament, particularly to the writings of the Apostle Paul. In 1 Corinthians 11:2-16, Paul addresses issues of propriety in worship and the roles of men and women in the church. He writes:
- “But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head…” (1 Corinthians 11:5, NIV).
Paul’s directive to cover one’s head while praying or prophesying is rooted in the idea of honoring God and maintaining proper decorum in worship. Paul goes on to explain that the head covering symbolizes a woman’s respect for the divine order of creation, with man being the head of the woman and Christ being the head of man. This scriptural passage became foundational for many Christian communities, including the Episcopal Church, which upheld these traditional practices as part of their liturgical and theological framework.
2. Symbolism of Modesty and Reverence
In the context of the Episcopal Church, as in many other Christian traditions, the head covering became a symbol of modesty, reverence, and humility before God. In the early centuries of the Church, women’s roles in public life were more restricted, and modest attire was considered a sign of virtue. Covering the head was seen as a way of acknowledging one's place in the larger cosmic order—women’s submission to God’s will and men’s roles as spiritual leaders. This custom was not seen as a sign of inferiority, but rather as a reflection of the social and religious structures of the time.
The head covering was also a visual cue for the worshippers to distinguish between those who were engaged in private, domestic life and those participating in the sacred space of worship. Just as priests wore special vestments to signify their role in the liturgy, women’s head coverings marked them as participants in the holy assembly, with all the reverence that entailed.
3. Cultural and Historical Influence
As the centuries passed, the practice of women wearing head coverings became entrenched in various Christian traditions. For centuries, it was common for women to wear veils or headscarves in public, not just in church. The cultural norms of modesty and respect for authority shaped these practices. In the Episcopal Church, which is a branch of the Anglican Communion, this tradition was carried forward, particularly during the Victorian era when modesty and decorum were considered paramount.
For much of history, women’s roles in the Church were more restricted than men’s, and head coverings were often used to demarcate gender roles in worship. In this sense, wearing a head covering symbolized not just respect for the Church but also a visible sign of women’s traditional roles within the religious and social fabric.
4. The 20th Century: Changing Perspectives
By the early 20th century, cultural and social changes—such as the suffrage movement, the rise of feminism, and shifts in attitudes toward women’s rights—began to challenge long-standing customs, including the practice of head covering. In the Episcopal Church, as in many other Protestant denominations, attitudes toward gender roles became more egalitarian, particularly after the Second World War.
The 1960s and 1970s saw significant shifts in liturgical practice, and the Episcopal Church began to embrace a more inclusive approach to women’s participation in worship. Women were ordained as priests starting in 1976, and the custom of wearing head coverings gradually faded in favor of more egalitarian practices. The liturgical reforms that followed Vatican II (1962-1965) in the Roman Catholic Church also influenced many Protestant communities, including the Episcopal Church, by de-emphasizing ritualistic elements like veils and focusing more on the personal relationship between the worshipper and God.
5. Current Practice and Reflection
Today, the practice of wearing head coverings is no longer a widespread tradition in the Episcopal Church. It is considered optional, and most women do not wear veils or headscarves during worship. However, the practice has not disappeared entirely. Some women, particularly those with more traditional or conservative views, continue to wear head coverings as a personal expression of faith, reverence, and connection to the historical practices of the Church.
For some, the decision to wear a head covering is a form of spiritual discipline, a way to honor the biblical teaching of 1 Corinthians 11. Others view it as an act of solidarity with women in other Christian traditions, particularly in Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, where the practice is still more common.
In modern times, some Episcopal communities, especially those with Anglo-Catholic or high-church leanings, may still observe the custom of head covering, often in the context of a more formal or liturgically rich worship experience. For others, the absence of head coverings reflects a broader trend toward simplicity and equality in worship, which emphasizes the dignity and worth of every person regardless of gender.
Willard L. Burce
February 9, 1924 ~ October 4, 2024
The Rev. Dr. Willard Lewis Burce, born on February 9, 1924 in Marshall, Michigan, died peacefully in the early hours of October 4, 2024 at Heatherwood Assisted Living in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He was 100 years and almost eight months old.
Willard—Bill, as he was known to his family and friends —was raised in Eau Claire, the fifth of six children born to Charles S. and Alma O. (Knudtson) Burce of Washington Township. He was baptized at Drammen Lutheran Church (ELC) in southern Eau Claire County and confirmed thirteen years later at Epiphany Lutheran Church (LCMS) near downtown Eau Claire. He received his education at Sunnyview School, Eau Claire Senior High School, Concordia College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, where he earned the Bachelor of Divinity and Master of Sacred Theology degrees.
In 1948, Bill and one of his seminary classmates, Otto Hintze, were recruited by the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod to pioneer mission outreach in a corner of the Papua New Guinea highlands known today as the Enga Province. Bill, who had imagined serving as an overseas missionary, quickly accepted the call. On August 1 he married Elinor Dicke of Long Prairie, Minnesota, the daughter of a Lutheran pastor and former missionary to Brazil. Three weeks later, on August 22, Bill was ordained as a pastor and commissioned as a missionary at his home congregation, Epiphany, Eau Claire. In mid-September he and Elinor headed west for New Guinea. They would spend the next forty years there with periodic furloughs along the way.
Bill’s work in Papua New Guinea unfolded in three stages, all of them undertaken in close cooperation with missionary colleagues whom he would come to respect and treasure. In the first stage he and his colleagues focused on the essential task of sharing the Christian faith with their new Enga hosts and neighbors. This entailed learning who these neighbors were and how they thought about the world. It meant learning their Enga language and putting it into writing for the first time ever. It involved translating Bibles stories and prayers and worship resources into Enga and teaching people what they meant and how to use them. It called for recruiting and training local co-workers who could expand this Christian outreach into other communities. Bill excelled at this work and quickly emerged as a leader among his colleagues. In 1957 he presided at the first Lutheran baptism service in the Enga Province. Many more would follow over the next few years.
Stage Two of Bill’s career began in 1960 when his colleagues appointed him to establish a formal school for church workers. The language of instruction was Enga. The task involved setting up a campus, devising a curriculum, writing materials to support the curriculum, and teaching the classes. An indigenous Lutheran church organization had recently been established in the Enga Province. Almost all of its emerging leaders passed through this school.
During this period Bill also completed requirements for a Th.D. (Doctor of Theology degree) from Concordia Seminary; he translated two books of the New Testament into Enga and had them published; he chaired the editorial committee for the first-ever translation of the entire New Testament into New Guinea Pidgin English, the country’s emerging lingua franca; and he was the chief draftsman of a Statement of Faith that all Lutheran groups in Papua New Guinea would come to adopt. By now his gifts were being recognized and put to use in the country’s wider Lutheran and Christian circles.
This continued to be the case in the final stage of his career in Papua New Guinea. In 1967 Bill and Elinor moved their family from the highlands of the Enga Province to the coastal port of Lae. A new school, Martin Luther Seminary (MLS for short), had opened there a year earlier to provide pastoral training in English for young high school graduates. Bill had been highly instrumental in working with other Lutheran leaders in the country to develop this school. Now he was asked to teach at it. A few years later he was appointed its principal. Bill and Elinor would spend twenty-one years at MLS. They got to know and appreciate a new of set of colleagues and neighbors. Bill was now training pastors for Lutherans throughout the country. By working with other seminaries to establish an accrediting agency, the Melanesian Association of Theological Schools, he helped to strengthen theological education for Papua New Guinea as a whole.
While in Lae, Bill and Elinor helped to found the Papua New Guinea Handicapped Children’s Association and a new school, the Lae Special Education Center. Among its many beneficiaries was their youngest son Charles, born with Down Syndrome. He was very dear to his parents, family and many friends.
When Bill retired at the end of 1988, he and Elinor returned to Eau Claire. The next thirty years were busy and fruitful. Bill was invited to teach at Lutheran seminaries in St. Louis, St. Petersburg in Russia, and Edmonton, Alberta. He returned to Lae for a guest lectureship at Martin Luther Seminary and to the Enga Province for six months of volunteer service. Elinor kept him company on all these trips. Meanwhile they bought and developed a five-acre property on the northwest outskirts of Eau Claire where they lived in peace and contentment until Elinor turned ninety and her health began to fail. She fell asleep in the Lord in 2019. Their dear son Charles followed in 2022. And now it’s Bill’s turn. He spent his final weeks trusting the promise he had shared with so many in Papua New Guinea and elsewhere. “Christ is risen indeed! We have nothing to fear. Alleluia!”
Bill was preceded in death by his parents; by his brothers Sheridan, Charles E., and John; and by his sisters Doris Olsen and Phyllis Sherman. He is survived by six of his and Elinor’s seven children, all born in Papua New Guinea: Gregory (Jan); Amy; Jerome (Nancy); Mary Burce (James) Warlick; Juliana (Brian) Tanning and Carrie (Myron) Koehn. He is also survived by fourteen grandchildren—Simon, Martin, Elizabeth, Kathryn, Robin, Jamie, Jason, Jordan, Aaron, Rachel, Micah, Hannah, Rebekah, and Grace; and by ten great-grandchildren. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews from both the Burce and the Dicke sides of the family.
The family suggests that memorials, if any, be directed toward theological education in Papua New Guinea. The Cleveland congregation that son Jerome served for twenty-eight years will gather and channel the funds, some through the Papua New Guinea Mission Society to benefit Timothy Lutheran Seminary in the Enga Province and some through the ELCA to benefit Martin Luther Seminary, Lae. Checks can be written to “Messiah Lutheran Church” with “Burce Memorial” on the Memo line. Mail them to—
Willard Burce Memorial
Messiah Lutheran Church
21485 Lorain Rd.
Fairview Park, OH 44126
For an online giving option go to messiahchurchfairview.org and follow the logical path to the church’s giving portal. Once there, use the “Memorials” option and be sure to enter “Willard Burce” on the appropriate line.
“Rest eternal grant him, O Lord; and let light perpetual shine upon him.”
Mark F. Nelson
December 21, 1952 ~ November 5, 2024
Mark Francis Nelson, age 71, of Eau Claire, WI, passed away due to complications from surgery at May Clinic Health system, Eau Claire, WI, on Tuesday, November 5, 2024.
Mark was born December 21, 1952, the second child of Francis and Kathryn (Schumacher) Nelson, Eau Claire, WI. Mark had a kind heart, and was an animal and nature lover. In his younger years, Mark worked in farming, trucking, and residential construction.
Mark is survived by siblings: Nicholas (Lana) Nelson of Huntsville, AL; Carl Nelson of Arden Hills, MN; Kathryn (Roy) Howard of Shoreview, MN; Paul Nelson of Eau Claire, WI; Mary (Mark) Boysel of Columbus, OH; and Tonia (Dennis) Johnson of Eau Claire; and also by many cousins, nephews, nieces, and extended family and friends.
Mark is preceded in death by parents, Francis and Kathryn Nelson, who now welcome him into the eternal kingdom of our Lord. Rest in peace, Mark.
Mark’s family would like to extend a special thank you to the extraordinary caring staff at Mayo Clinic Health System’s Critical Care Unit.
A mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:30 AM, Monday, November 11, 2024 at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Eau Claire. Visitation will be held at the Church on Monday from 9:30 AM until the time of services. Burial will take place at Lakeview Cemetery in Eau Claire, WI.
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