Appropriate attire?

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Habits are expensive, but their lifespan is much longer because of the quality of the fabrics. They never go out of style. And most orders that wear habits make their own so do not have to bear the cost of having them made, just the material. Cost should have nothing to do with the decision.
 
I agree. I was just responding to the post suggesting that habits somehow symbolized the vow of poverty better than a polyester pantsuit.
 
JHFamily said:
Habits are expensive, but their lifespan is much longer because of the quality of the fabrics. They never go out of style. And most orders that wear habits make their own so do not have to bear the cost of having them made, just the material. Cost should have nothing to do with the decision.
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Most? I’m not sure about that. I know about a dozen sisters in habits. None make their own. Nuns, yes, but not sisters.

And cost should factor in. Lets say a habit costs $400 and lasts 2 years. Or the same woman gets 4 off-the-rack pantsuits for $40 each and they last 2 years. Times that by 20 sisters and that’s a $4,800 difference. One can feed alot of people with $2400 extra dollars a year.
 
Price should not be a factor because Canon Law states, “Religious are to wear the habit of the Institute made according to the norm of proper law as a sign of their consecration and as a testimony of poverty” (Can. 669 section §1). It implies that all religious should wear a habit and all Institutes should adopt one. The Dominicans of Nashville and Ann Arbor, which have hundreds of teaching sisters make their own habits and wear them much, much longer than two years. Think more like ten. It’s okay to adapt the habit to the times, for example, the Daughters of St. Paul. However, I believe the full habit entails the perfection of modesty, so I have greater esteem for the orders that bind themselves to that.
 
I would be surprised if habits last only 2 years.
I still have clothes that I have been using since 2010 that were expensive.(Slightly only) when I bought them
 
JHFamily said:
“Religious are to wear the habit of the Institute made according to the norm of proper law as a sign of their consecration and as a testimony of poverty” (Can. 669 section §1)
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This is the pertinent part—it’s up to the Institute to determine. Not you. Not I.
 
abinjoy said:
I would be surprised if habits last only 2 years.
I still have clothes that I have been using since 2010 that were expensive.(Slightly only) when I bought them
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Sisters would have 2-3 habits replaced at a rate of every 2-3 years. It really depends on what they are doing. The sisters I know are out in the community and very active. Like your aformentioned Drs of St. Paul. They were out helping hurricane victims. They were just doing some sort of construction the other day and got really cute pictures of them doing work in hard hats. They aren’t sitting quietly praying and knitting. They are wearing them day in and day out from sun up to bedtime. They usually keep their nicest one for Sundays or events while they use the more well-worn one for day to day things. While most people can’t tell which is which, believe me, the sisters know.
JHFamily said:
However, I believe the full habit entails the perfection of modesty, so I have greater esteem for the orders that bind themselves to that.
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But a pantsuit can be a habit. What you’re saying is that you think that dresses fashioned after 1800’s styles are the perfection of modesty, which is not at all what the CC teaches.
JHFamily said:
“Religious are to wear the habit of the Institute made according to the norm of proper law as a sign of their consecration and as a testimony of poverty” (Can. 669 section §1).
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Actually, if one is making a testimony to poverty, weighing all costs should very much be on Mother’s shoulders. (IE the mother of the order).
 
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abinjoy said:
In non -Western world many nuns still wear habits
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You said she is a sister. There is a difference
semper_catholicus said:
It’s a shame that most nuns don’t wear habits.

The reason I believe that nuns should wear habits is because they become consecrated to God. They no longer are supposed to be concerned with worldly things, but of Godly things.

When nuns wear pant suits, it just seems like they still have attachments to worldly things.
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And sisters work in the world. Again, there is a difference between nuns and sisters.
 
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Yes sisters work in the world. Nuns do not. Big difference in the vocations.
 
Yes and there are sisters who don’t. It’s for each order to discern. The same with consecrated virgins and hermits. And that’s their right, given them by the magisterium. It’s our duty to be obedient as Catholics…
 
It was given to them by the magisterium?? I must have missed that!
 
There also seems to be a trend where orders of sisters who wear habits are increasing in numbers, while sisters who don’t are decreasing in numbers.
 
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