Good looking Habits- No!

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ToJesuswithMary

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I have 2 teen-age girl friends who also want to become nuns- carmelite nuns.

I asked them why , and all they spoke was " most beautiful habit!" and " I want to have one too!"

I was unable to tell them that it is not all about habits but something greater. ( its hard to have arguments with women , it never ends 😃 ) Although , it may also matter because its still a part of the “Attraction”… however… i just have in mind that it is not the habit that counts.

Even i am tempted on the good-looking habits though but i fought with it and instead, i just appreciate the beauty of their habits- and only that. In choosing congregation , it must be where we truly are comfortable to do the Will of Jesus.
 
Good Morning! I think the key word about your post was “teenaged”! Most seminaries and convents now make sure that their newcomers have been screened with psychological tests and many interviews. I don’t think that many will be allowed to join because they think that the habit is beautiful! I am praying for your vocation and that your family will become supportive. God Bless You.🙂
 
A nun friend once told me that even if you enter a convent for the wrong reason, if you are called by God, he will give you the right reason.
If your teenage girls are interested in a religious vocation, I’m sure the habit is only a small attraction, although perhaps the only one they can express.
When I was young, the youngest age at which a woman could enter a convent was 14 and the oldest was 30. Things have changed. I only found one convent recently that will accept woman as young as 18. Yes, it was a Carmelite community in NY.
Most communities, especially Carmelite, wants a woman who has lived in the world before retreating from the world. The call is not a turning from the world, but a turning to God.
The top age limit is now 45, although some communities will take a 60 year old.
Check with Vocations.org for retreats.
I think I found a community in NJ where women are invited to spend a year. During that year they learn about the different communities before choosing where to spend their lives.
 
kozlosap said:
Good Morning! I think the key word about your post was “teenaged”! Most seminaries and convents now make sure that their newcomers have been screened with psychological tests and many interviews. I don’t think that many will be allowed to join because they think that the habit is beautiful! I am praying for your vocation and that your family will become supportive. God Bless You.🙂
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thanks for reading my thread . I will pray for you also, may Jesus live with us and bring His kingdom in the most unlikely places ! Good morning !
 
I think the habit is an important part of the discernment process though not the important thing. God works through many different things to bring us where He wants us. I wouldn’t place too much stress on the habit but don’t leave it out of the picture either. If someone were to enter simply for a reason like the habit either they will stay because as they start to live the life they realize the real meaning behind the habit or they will leave changed by the experience they had there. God uses everything to accomplish His Holy will.
They and you are in my prayers.

JMJ+
~Betsy

Totus tuus Maria! Let’s see what the good God wills.
 
I’No matter what the habit looks like, I’m happy. At least they’re wearing one 😉
 
I think that the best-looking habits for men are probably those of the Dominicans(I love that penguin appearance!). The habits for the Missionaries of the Poor also look very nice.
 
Young_Thinker said:
I think that the best-looking habits for men are probably those of the Dominicans(I love that penguin appearance!). The habits for the Missionaries of the Poor also look very nice.
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The habit that is worn is the most beautiful habit in my opinion.
 
Young_Thinker said:
Oh, I see. I must have misread your comment.
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No problem, after I posted it I figured it might be read in the manner you did.

If I had to pick I would say Carmelite (O.Carm.) is the best looking, especially when we wear our white mantles, but then you could argue that I am biased.
 
ByzCath said:
No problem, after I posted it I figured it might be read in the manner you did.

If I had to pick I would say Carmelite (O.Carm.) is the best looking, especially when we wear our white mantles,** but then you could argue that I am biased**.
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Hahah!
 
ByzCath said:
No problem, after I posted it I figured it might be read in the manner you did.

If I had to pick I would say Carmelite (O.Carm.) is the best looking, especially when we wear our white mantles, but then you could argue that I am biased.
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Yes I would. Our simple grey tunic is rather good looking and austere too. Noooooooooooot 😃

It’s drab and sloppy looking. But that’s the way that it was supposed to look. 🤷

To be honest, as far as aesthetics are concerned. I have nerver seen a single male habit that I would say, “Now that’s a nice looking habit.”

Some look cumbersome and too bulky, such as the Carmelite and Dominican habits, which are really the same, but in different colors. Others are very sloppy looking, such as the Franciscan habits; but they’re supposed to look sloppy. Habits like the MOP look like nighgowns with a sash. And other habits are not habits at all, but variations on the secular cassock, such as the Passionist’s and the Redemptorists habit.

As a religioius myself, I must say that men’s habits are generally not very aesthetic and they were not meant to be. They each had a reason for their style.

I know that in the Franciscan tradition there is no prescribed habit. There is a prescribed form. The rule only says: “a tunic with a cowl, a chord and trausers”. You should know that trausers are not the same as pants. Trausers just barely cover the knees, much like the shorts worn by kids today. If you see a Franciscan with pants on, they don’t belong under the habit. Francis knew the difference between pants and trausers. They had both in his day. But pants were worn only by certain people in certain situations.

Oh, by the way, the reason why there are so many variations on the Franciscan habit was because the original habit changed from week to week. The custom was very interesting. The brothers wore what was worn by the farmers of the time. The way they went about getting clothes was to beg for hand-me-downs from the peasants. The only thing that Francis added was the chord. The tunic with cowl was common. To this day the tunics range from full-length tot he floor to knee-length. None of them are very aesthetic.

As one who wears it, I have to admit that it’s very practical. I get up and throw it over my head without having to think about it. I rarely wear a Roman collar because I hate those things. It’s as bad as wearing a necktie, which I also hate. I am convinced that Roman collars and neckties were designed by some woman who wanted to see all men hang. 😃

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
 
I am convinced that Roman collars and neckties were designed by some woman who wanted to see all men hang. 😃
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Goodness me! …an interesting perspective! :rotfl:what about Roman collars designed by men who felt their halos were strangling them ? 🤷 and neckties by men who felt strangled? 🤷

Thank you, Brother, for a history in part of the male habit.

TS
 
JReducation said:
… I rarely wear a Roman collar because I hate those things. It’s as bad as wearing a necktie, which I also hate. I am convinced that Roman collars and neckties were designed by some woman who wanted to see all men hang. 😃

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
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And torture masters designed women’s shoes. It’s hard to find a pair that fits right. High heels have been shown to cause all types of foot and leg problems. Of course being in the Middle East means I mostly wear sandals.

One of the attractions of habits is not having to worry about what to wear each morning. Decisions are minimized.
 
I wonder if Br. J.R. hates turtlenecks, too. Let us not forget about those nice-looking ascots!
 
I think Bro JR has enough humor to realize he is up to date fashion wise with his hoodie.
12th century fashion back in style in the 21st.

The parish here is staffed mostly by Franciscans. The Carmelite priest left. There are a few Carmelite nuns. Without the cord, the men’s habits are much like the trobes the Muslim men in this country wear. The pastor wears a white habit while other priests wear brown. It’s still an easy clothing choice in the morning. The nuns wear a white habit.

Back to the OP, and an earlier statement by Bro JR. Whether it is color or design, the habit is the basic uniform that is worn daily. A person can be easily drawn to a particular order because of the habit. It is clothing the person sees herself, or himself wearing. While the habit is not the main reason for a person selecting a particular order, it will assert at least a minor influence.
 
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