The way the sign of peace is observed at Mass has provoked an instruction from Rome on proper practice. This reveals a need for a catechesis that explains the deeper meaning of liturgical gestures When I was a child, we wore our “Sunday best” to church. It was a way of acknowledging that we were going to attend a mysterious, majestic ceremony unlike anything else in our daily life. Women and girls covered their heads when they came into the church as a show of reverence (and part of modest attire). But, post-Vatican II (and when hats fell out of style and people began to dress more casually), this practice was dropped.  At the time, of course, many other (more signifi­cant) changes in understanding and in attitudes were taking place in the Church.For one, there was a