Another habit question

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GodsTinyFlower

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Sorry to keep asking all this stuff. If I’m posting too much or in the wrong place then I’m sorry!😊 Your answers are always so good and I’ve learned a lot just being here a few days.

In my last question I asked about cinctures/belts. Well, I was putting some flowers on my Grandmother’s grave in our lovely local graveyard (which is really peaceful) when I saw a nun talking to the priest. She was in a black habit and modern style veil, no collar but had no belt/cincture around her waist, just a cross at the neck. She then walked off, over to the bus stop (I think) and the priest got in his car and drove off. I replaced the flowers on the grave and thought I’d go and talk to the nun but she wasn’t there when I went over.😦

Foiled again! Maybe Nuns can sense me coming and run away?:crying:

I see quite a few nuns in town but they always look so purposeful when they’re walking and I don’t like to disturb them.🤷

So I’m relying on you guys to solve the mystery of the belt-less nun!:nun1:

Could it be that she doesn’t get the belt until she’s made permanent vows or something?

(Is it me or is it that some orders aren’t wearing collars any more? That’s the second collar-less Nun I’ve seen this month.):confused:
 
Hello God’s Tiny Flower.
The belt would not normally be a sign of perpetual vows. It is much more likely that their habit does not have a belt.
You’re sure it wasn’t dark brown or navy?
How long was the habit?
Was the veil completely black or was there a white band on it?
Also where was this, would this sister be from the area or out of town?
Did she have a scapular?
Any other little bits of information like that might be helpful.

It could be the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma.
rsmofalma.org/index.html
They have a light colored habit and a dark habit.
 
*GodsTinyFlower,
Code: 
    It is difficult to determine which order this sister may belong to. There are so many each with a distinctive habit.  The color and length of the habit might be helpful to narrow it down. Sister Rose had some good questions.... 

  As for bothering her? I wouldn't worry about that .. as long as normal manners prevail  (i.e. not interrupting a conversation or something like that).. there is no reason you couldn't approach her and ask if you could speak to her if she had a few minutes.   [trust me I had it happen quite often when I used to go marketing for my former community.. so don't be shy]

  One other thing you could do is to find out if your diocese has a book or directory  which lists the churches, priests and religious communities serving in your diocese. Many times this lists communities situated right in your area... that might help narrow down the communities and you might even be able to make an appointment to visit them if you so chose to do so.

                               Blessings of Peace and All Good!*
 
Sister_Rose said:
Hello God’s Tiny Flower.
The belt would not normally be a sign of perpetual vows. It is much more likely that their habit does not have a belt.
You’re sure it wasn’t dark brown or navy?
How long was the habit?
Was the veil completely black or was there a white band on it?
Also where was this, would this sister be from the area or out of town?
Did she have a scapular?
Any other little bits of information like that might be helpful.

It could be the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma.
rsmofalma.org/index.html
They have a light colored habit and a dark habit.
Click to expand...
Sister Rose,

The habit was black and was right down to the floor. There was a white band around the veil where it framed the face and the rest was black. She didn’t have a scapular, just the habit and the veil. She had no collar but had quite a large cross around her neck. I wish I had gone to talk to her now.😦

I don’t think she was local but I would think she spoke English as my Mum has met the priest when there was some sort of coffee morning to raise money for missions and he told her he’d never been outside England and was pretty baffled when one of the visiting missionaries spoke to him in French.😃

I’ve looked locally and haven’t found any orders with that habit. Most of them here have modern habits or are cloistered.:confused:

This was in England.

This might sound stupid but I thought most habits would have the same sort of things, like a belt, a scapular and a collar. This nun had none of these. So there are some habits that are just a habit and a veil? I hadn’t thought of that…😊
 
Back in the day, when the majority of Sisters wore habits, the variety of styles was actually remarkable. The head-dresses seemed to be the one element of the habit that most people used as an identifying “tool” to distinguish the various orders if/when they didn’t know the actual name of the given order.

The only order I had any long term exposure to was the one that staffed my grade school.
Their habit had all the traditional elements: Floor length dress, scapular, the square white “bib”, linen around the face, the white headband, a squared stiff veil, a belt and sash that matched the scapular (royal blue) and a large rosary on one side.

When I started high school. there were 4 other orders of Sisters who taught there and they each had their own distinct habit. Some wore cords with the knots in them, some didn’t. Some wore rosaries, some didn’t. Each order had a completely unique veil they wore, as well.

When the changes started occurring after Vatican ll, each order made modifications to their habits. Some were very “severe”, some were mild. It ran the proverbial gamut. Some kept some of the features of the original habit, some changed completely with little or no resemblance to the original dress of the order.

The changes occurred over several years and ultimately they all ended up in secular dress, with no veils or any identifying article that distinguished them as Sisters.

To see a nun with a veil, (much less a "habit’ anymore) around here is very rare indeed.

I find it extremely interesting that the habited, traditional orders are the ones getting new vocations, while the majority of the others have numbers that are dwindling annually.
 
Not all habits are the same. Our habit is a white blouse and tan skirt and the Franciscan tau. Sometimes we wear a vest, especially in the cooler weather. It is simple, contemporary and since we all wear the same thing it is a habit. I have helped some to understand that this is our habit by saying, “This is what we habitually put on in the morning.” This usually gets a chuckle and the truth is there. What is a habit? Isn’t it something that is habitually done?
Sr. Judith Ann
 
Perfectae Caritatis said that the religious habit had to be “simple and becoming”. I’m not sure what they meant by “becoming”, but I understand simple.

Many female habits are very simple. They do not have all the pieces that they once had. In the end, it’s not that important. The habit is a symbol of a way of life, a consecration. As long as it speaks about the life and mission of the Church and the religious who wears it, it does the job.

I’m thinking about a habit that has no frills such as the Franciscans Sisters of the Renewal and the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist. They are simply tunics tied at the waist. They have no collar, no coif, no guimpe and the old two layers of veils and three layers of skirts are not there any more. Nonetheless, the habit tells you that this is a religious sister.

We minister to Poor Clare nuns. Our nuns look like nurses. The temperature here never goes below 80. The nuns wear a white top and skirt and white veil. No other frills.

There is only so much that one can do with fashion, if you can call habits fashion statements. :confused::confused: In the simplification of habits, many look alike and they are alike.

I’m thinking about the Franciscan men. The TOR friars and the Conventual friars wear the same habit. The difference is in the pleats, which are hardly noticeable. The TOR have pleats. The Franciscan Brothers of Peace, the Franciscans of Life, the Franciscans of the Renewal wear the same habit in different shades of grey. You have to see us together to tell us apart. Then you have the Capuchins whose habits a slightly different from each other to distinguish their ethnic group and origins. But you have to see them together to tell the apart.

Habits are like any other uniform. They have certain common elements and slight details that set them apart. Unless the people are standing next to each other, you can’t always tell the difference.

I was stationed in a parish where we had the IHM sisters with the blue dress and little black veil. I don’t know how many sisters I have seen in that same combo and they are not IHM.

The point is, that it is difficult to come up with much diversity when you’re tyring to keep it simple and becoming (have no idea how a habit is becoming :confused: )

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
 
It is interesting, JR, that you use the word “fashion” in the same sentence as habit. The habit of the community I initially joined in 1968 was actually designed by a secular seamstress. It was, at the time it was designed in the 1870’s, considered beautiful. It was beautiful because it was balanced and graceful.

Then you used the word “becoming” as that is what is used in the documents on religious life. My guess is that it means modest and perhaps, appropriate. Since the documents were published in Latin and translated, I wonder what it started out to be.

We can understand all three words, becoming, modest, appropriate. Yet they are subjective words. What they mean to me or to my sister-in-law or my mother would all be definitely different because of our cultural setting. My sister-in-law is a business woman and wears “professional ware”. and even that is up for interpretation. My mother, at 81, is far more fashionable than I would ever consider being.

Interesting, bears reflection.
Sister Judith Ann
 
Hi GodsTinyFlower,

I don’t have anything to add, I just think your “Nun spotting” threads are cute. I have never seen a Nun in habit before 😦 The major order in my city is the Sisters of St Joesph and they don’t wear a habit or similar clothing. We have one other order in town but I believe they are cloistered because I haven’t ever seen one of their Nuns out and about.

I would love to see Nuns everywhere. lol, I was taking my Grandmother for tests in the hospital the other day and a lady wearing a cross necklace got on the elevator beside me. I couldn’t stop peaking over at her wondering. It would almost be like seeing a celebrity 😃
 
Sr_Judith_Ann said:
It is interesting, JR, that you use the word “fashion” in the same sentence as habit. The habit of the community I initially joined in 1968 was actually designed by a secular seamstress. It was, at the time it was designed in the 1870’s, considered beautiful. It was beautiful because it was balanced and graceful.

Then you used the word “becoming” as that is what is used in the documents on religious life. My guess is that it means modest and perhaps, appropriate. Since the documents were published in Latin and translated, I wonder what it started out to be.

We can understand all three words, becoming, modest, appropriate. Yet they are subjective words. What they mean to me or to my sister-in-law or my mother would all be definitely different because of our cultural setting. My sister-in-law is a business woman and wears “professional ware”. and even that is up for interpretation. My mother, at 81, is far more fashionable than I would ever consider being.

Interesting, bears reflection.
Sister Judith Ann
Click to expand...
In the Italian and Spanish translation of Perfectae Caritatis the word that is used in place of becoming is consistent. It actually makes more sense. Our religious habits must be consistent with who we are. I’m a Franciscan Friar. My habit must be consistent with who I am. My gray tunic, capuche and chord is consistent. Everyone recognizes it as Franciscan. It is also very simple, which is also consistent with the simplicity of our holy Father Francis. I think this is the external appearance that the Church is looking for. I believe that in some way our religoius clothing helps us.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
 
TeresaAnn said:
Hi GodsTinyFlower,

I don’t have anything to add, I just think your “Nun spotting” threads are cute. I have never seen a Nun in habit before 😦 The major order in my city is the Sisters of St Joesph and they don’t wear a habit or similar clothing. We have one other order in town but I believe they are cloistered because I haven’t ever seen one of their Nuns out and about.

I would love to see Nuns everywhere. lol, I was taking my Grandmother for tests in the hospital the other day and a lady wearing a cross necklace got on the elevator beside me. I couldn’t stop peaking over at her wondering. It would almost be like seeing a celebrity 😃
Click to expand...
I think that your elevator story is cute. I don’t know why, but I think I have an eye for lay sisters in secular clothes. There is something about them that gives them away. I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s he behavior. I’ve worked very closely with lay sisters for many years. Recently with nuns.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
 
Wow, I’ve have had sooooo many replies! I didn’t think it would become a talking point. But, I have found a nun to talk to about “nunly” things which I’m very excited about.😃 I found a link to her when I was on a friend’s blog. (Well not a direct link but after a few minutes I found her blog, purely by chance.)

She’s called Sr Leocadia. She wears a similar habit to the mystery nun but it’s slightly different. She’s just come back to the UK after years away (she’s only 26!:clapping:) and is hoping to start a new foundation of her order (is that the right thing to say? Foundation?:confused:) in this country. She was born in England, not far from where I live. So I said I would go to visit her sometime in the next 7-10 days or whenever I can get some money together for the train/bus fare.

Her order worked somewhere remote in Eastern Europe with the mentally ill so she’s affiliated with St Dymphna in some way, I can’t remember how. She’s staying in a relative’s house at the moment but is on her own as the house is only a holiday home. She’s got an email and everything so if you guys want to have a look at her blog you can have her email address to ask her. I’ll ask her to join here too.👍
 
Actually there are modification of the habits after vatican 2. Here in my dicoses there nuns wearing white habits and white viels with belts and rosary.I think of the habits depends upon the community where you belong.I ask some sister why blue or white and they give some explanation. If you happen to meet a nun in your area try to ask her. They are willing to give you answer.
 
This letter was emailed to me on Feb.27/06/Mon. from a religious Sister at Sisters of the Presentation of Mary. One of my good friend’s asked me why the Sister’s don’t wear habits anymore?

Hi “goforgoal”, thanks for keeping in touch. Hope you can make it to the
retreat? It would be great to see you again. As for the question about
the wearing of the habits. I can only answer for our community. We
still wear a certain type of clothing (some with or without the veil)
mostly for simplicity sake. It is what we have chosen as a congregation.
The ministries, charism, and mission of each community may also have
something to do with whether or not the sisters within that particular
community wear the habit. The important thing is not to judge, and to
understand that it is the commitement not the clothing that makes the
sister. Love of God always comes first. take care and hope to see you
soon! Sr.

Sisters of the Presentation of Mary

presentationofmary.ca/
  • I deleted my “real” name and used my username I also deleted the name of the Sister for private reasons
Don’t be afraid to talk with religious Sisters or Nuns. I’m not really sure if you are aware but there is a difference.

God bless,
goforgoal
 
Peace be with you. In my area, we have a nun whom we affectionately call “The Pink Lady”, who with permission has founded her own order. (As yet the order consists only of her and a novice.) She designed her own habit, with a pink veil and scapular, a belt, and the rest of the habit is white. Very distincitive! I, too, like to see nuns in their various habits. We have some Dominican Sisters, some of whom wear the black and white habit and some who wear street clothes. Please pray for an increase in vocations.
 
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