Expert: Griff Ruby - 4/9/2007

Question
Dear Father Jerome,

During the upcoming hot summer months how should I direct my family on how to dress modest yet stay cool. I'm speaking of myself, my wife, my five year old daughter, and my 1 year old son. My concerns are towards swim wear, shorts, shirts, dresses, etc...

Thank you Father,

Gene

Answer
I am not any great expert on clothes, but a few practical suggestions I can give are:
1)  Use loose-fitting, light-colored clothing, preferably of a "breathable" material such as cotton.  Loose-fitting (but still long) allows the air to pass through, as like many of those robes that people wear in the middle-east, but if long nevertheless provide decency.  Light-colored will reduce heat absorption from the sun (in direct sunlight a black object can be more than ten degrees hotter than an otherwise similar white object).  And avoid synthetic fabrics since they often don't "breathe" very well, thus trapping sweat and heat.
Long clothing that covers the legs to the ankles and the arms to the wrists is also good for avoiding skin cancers, and so in fact can actually help you stay cooler than being bare.  A sun hat isn't such a bad idea, either.
As to swimming, decent swimsuits have not been around for decades (but I do seem to recall some place where replicas of antique swimwear can be purchased, if you are brave enough to go out in it), but one workaround for Catholics that I have heard of is that one wears some other long robe over the swimsuit until the very moment that one is to enter the water, and to be immediately put back on when one exits the water.  This would at least reduce the likelihood of being seen in an otherwise inadequate dressing, along with trying to find at least some of the more conservative designs for swimwear (e. g. a one-piece for women that covers everything from the thighs to the shoulders instead of a bikini, or a man's swimsuit that looks like short pants instead of mere colored underwear).
These are stopgap measures, as it would probably be best to swim only in isolated areas or private pools, or else not at all, but I know there are those for whom swimming is a very major part of their life, and such options may still not be available for them.