Interesting, Odd, or "Different" Habits

  • Thread starter Thread starter PrayForMeStJude
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
goforgoal said:
My apologize to the OP I don’t mean to hijack your thread as I know it is about “habits”

Bro. JR, OSF, Even though this response was intended for someone else I wanted to sincerely thank you for this great reminder it means a lot to me.
Click to expand...
I understand. I have a great love for the cloistered life.
When I was first discerning I had the opportunity to visit the “Sisters of the Child Jesus” (I am still blessed to be in contact with them and they are my friends). They explained to me that the Foundress, Servant of God Anne-Marie Martel didn’t even realize that she started a Religious Order.
Click to expand...
That was true of St. Francis as well. He founded four orders and did not realize what he had done until they were exploding all over Europe. Remember, he was a layman. It hit him when the pope called in “Father Francis”. Knowing that he was the first and only Francis in the world, he knew that the pope was talking to him. But he was not quite sure why he was being addressed as “Father”. That title was used only by Abbots. Even priests did not use it yet. The word “abbot” comes from the Hebrew, Abba (Father).

members.shaw.ca/gmlamy/a_foundress/index.html
Smugleaf said:
I find the habits of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy to be beautiful, and I think they are charming to see as nowadays most nuns’ habits are very simple.

http://www.swfaustyna.pl/uploads/images/IMG_0040.JPG

I once met one of these sisters and I couldn’t help myself. I asked her how they molded that head piece. She took it off an showed me. It’s actually a cap that has two bands. The bands are folded back. To make them stay, they used to starch them. Today they use a plastic cap. It goes over cotton cap that looks like a surgical cap. They gather their hair under the first one. These sisters never shaved their heads either. They actually have a full head of hair under there. Once upon a time, it was customary for nuns to shave their heads. When the first sisters were founded, they broke with the custom. They adopted many customs from nuns, but not the shaving of the head. St. Louise de Marillac was the first sister. She had very long hair as did St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. Other sisters kept a full head of hair under there, but usually cut very short in the back and long in the front.

http://img.audiovis.nac.gov.pl/PIC/PIC_1-R-629.jpg

Maybe you know this. I’ve seen them before they changed their head piece. They had a school in the next town over from where I grew up. It always looked like the drum on their head floated. You could actually slide your hand between their head and the drum. Look at the picture closely and you’ll see what I mean.

How on earth did they do that? There was no velcro in those days. :confused:
Click to expand...
Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF :christmastree1:
 
JReducation said:
It’s a cassock with a square rabbat. This kind of collar was very common among Catholic secular clergy in Europe, until we adopted the collar from the Church of Scotland and made it our own.

The brothers can wear either the solid white collar or the tab, because of their European origins. The solid white collar is more often worn by the Church of England and the American Episcopal Church.

For a while, it was mandatory for American Catholic priests and brothers too, when the Catholic Church forbade the use of habits and cassocks outside of Church property in 1852. That ruling was later found illegal and was reduced only for secular priests. The Council of Trent has ruled that only the pope could give orders to religious men, be they priests or brothers. Bishops and laymen who interfered or even tried to persuade religious men, without being asked by them, were to be penalized by the Church for overstepping their bounds.

After that, the collar became the staple for secular clergy, while religious continued to wear the habit, until the early 1900s when the Conference of Major Superiors for the USA decided that the religious would also wear the collar while in public, so as not to stand out from the Protestant clergy. Many of the European brothers and clergy adopted the solid white band collar. The square collar was not as common in the USA. It seemed to catch on in the UK, Italy and Spain more quickly than the Americas. In Italy, it became so popular that it got the name, Roman Collar. But it’s origins are really Scot, not Roman.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
Click to expand...
That would make sense. The photo was taken in Newfoundland, and the Irish Christian Brothers are big here, even though there was a little controversy which I won’t speak of. Thanks for letting me know 😃
God Bless :signofcross::byzsoc:
 
JReducation said:
To make them stay, they used to starch them.
Click to expand...
Ah, I did wonder if that’s how they did it in the olden days!
JReducation said:
Maybe you know this. I’ve seen them before they changed their head piece. They had a school in the next town over from where I grew up. It always looked like the drum on their head floated. You could actually slide your hand between their head and the drum. Look at the picture closely and you’ll see what I mean.
Click to expand...
I was going to join the sisters at some point but I’m afraid I never asked them that question 😃 I do always wonder things like that about the really complex veils…
 
JReducation said:
It’s “To each his own” in Italian.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
Click to expand...
I was complimenting the Knights of the Holy Eucharist’s Habit, not knocking them. Although I prefer traditional Habits, I give those guys’ Habits a definite A+.
 
cgfmom said:
This is the habit of the sisters of the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Still River, MA saintbenedict.com/theorder/sisters.html

I llike it because it is simple and traditional with the Miraculous Medal.

I also like this one: srspreciousbloodnh.org/TheHolyHabit/WhiteDress/tabid/68/Default.aspx
Click to expand...
I like them both, but I like the Precious Blood habit better.

They certainly reflect what Perfectae Caritatis and Vita Consacrata had in mind. They are simple, practical, modest and becoming. Those were the guidelines that the Church gave to all religious when she said that we should examine our habits. I have to admit, years later and I’m still not sure what they had in mind when they said, “becoming”.

There are some habits that do not look good on certain shapes. For example, the Franciscan habit looks awful on fat guys. The cord always hangs below their belly and it looks as it it’s holding it up. Not very becoming. I know this, because I’m over weight. 😊

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF :christmastree1:
 
JReducation said:
I like them both, but I like the Precious Blood habit better.

They certainly reflect what Perfectae Caritatis and Vita Consacrata had in mind. They are simple, practical, modest and becoming. Those were the guidelines that the Church gave to all religious when she said that we should examine our habits. I have to admit, years later and I’m still not sure what they had in mind when they said, “becoming”.

There are some habits that do not look good on certain shapes. For example, the Franciscan habit looks awful on fat guys. The cord always hangs below their belly and it looks as it it’s holding it up. Not very becoming. I know this, because I’m over weight. 😊

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF :christmastree1:
Click to expand...
Different habits for different "Rabbits"Elmer Fudd
 
JReducation said:
There are some habits that do not look good on certain shapes. For example, the Franciscan habit looks awful on fat guys. The cord always hangs below their belly and it looks as it it’s holding it up. Not very becoming. I know this, because I’m over weight. 😊

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF :christmastree1:
Click to expand...
Ahh, a Franciscan is a Franciscan is a Franciscan. No matter what size.

God Bless :signofcross::byzsoc:
 
LoyalViews said:
Ahh, a Franciscan is a Franciscan is a Franciscan. No matter what size.

God Bless :signofcross::byzsoc:
Click to expand...
In 2009, the Franciscan family celebrated its 800 birthday. We were actually founded before then, but the formal approval came in 1209. There was a Chapter of Mas in Assisi. Every branch of the Franciscan family was to send one male Franciscan. Only the Secular Francisans could send a female.

Long story short, there were 1200 brothers in Assisi. The Holy Father had said that he has a special interest in meeting the delegation after they concluded the chapter. Since there was no way to get all 1200 from Assisi to Castel Gandolfo in any orderly manner, they walked. It’s about 50 miles.

There were these 1200 brothers walking down the roads and highways of Italy. One Italian reporter commented that he never knew that there were more than 500 variations of the Franciscan habit and if it were not for the cord, you would recognize them. They come in blue, brown, grey, black khaki, white and then they have variations with scapular, no scapular, shoulder cape, no cape, collars, no collar, small cowls, long cowls, square cowls, stiff cowls, soft cowls, no cowls.

All of this, because Francis said that as long as it was a tunic with a cord, he could care less. And Clare would add after his death, that the habit was to be designed according to custom, climate, work and the taste of the brothers and sisters.

If you want to identify a Franciscan man, look for the guy who’s holding up his belly with his cord. 😃
 
A plug (sorry if it has been mentioned already) for the simple and elegant habits of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia out of Nashville.

The fact that they taught chastity classes for both my daughters makes me biased. 😃

Our parish school recently created an poster with a picture of one of the ever smiling sisters and the tag line, “Catholic Education: Our Difference is Black and White”

http://nashvilledominican.org/img/copyimg/images/A_Dayin_the_Life_img.png

-Tim-
 
JReducation said:
In 2009, the Franciscan family celebrated its 800 birthday. We were actually founded before then, but the formal approval came in 1209. There was a Chapter of Mas in Assisi. Every branch of the Franciscan family was to send one male Franciscan. Only the Secular Francisans could send a female.

Long story short, there were 1200 brothers in Assisi. The Holy Father had said that he has a special interest in meeting the delegation after they concluded the chapter. Since there was no way to get all 1200 from Assisi to Castel Gandolfo in any orderly manner, they walked. It’s about 50 miles.

There were these 1200 brothers walking down the roads and highways of Italy. One Italian reporter commented that he never knew that there were more than 500 variations of the Franciscan habit and if it were not for the cord, you would recognize them. They come in blue, brown, grey, black khaki, white and then they have variations with scapular, no scapular, shoulder cape, no cape, collars, no collar, small cowls, long cowls, square cowls, stiff cowls, soft cowls, no cowls.

All of this, because Francis said that as long as it was a tunic with a cord, he could care less. And Clare would add after his death, that the habit was to be designed according to custom, climate, work and the taste of the brothers and sisters.

If you want to identify a Franciscan man, look for the guy who’s holding up his belly with his cord. 😃
Click to expand...
Franciscans in blue? I’ve never heard of any male Franciscans that wear blue. Do you have any Orders in mind that do this? The only blue Habits I’ve ever seen in my life were for females, and I’m sure male blue Habits are quite different.
 
ATeutonicKnight said:
Franciscans in blue? I’ve never heard of any male Franciscans that wear blue. Do you have any Orders in mind that do this? The only blue Habits I’ve ever seen in my life were for females, and I’m sure male blue Habits are quite different.
Click to expand...
I know there is one, but not the name of the congregation.

Tau crosses over a medium blue, simple tunics to mid calf, and blue slacks or bluejeans, as appropriate for the weather and work.

They were very active in Alaska in the 1970’s and 1980’s.

Also, there are some OFM congregations in gray, and the gray often appears blue in some light.
 
ATeutonicKnight said:
Franciscans in blue? I’ve never heard of any male Franciscans that wear blue. Do you have any Orders in mind that do this? The only blue Habits I’ve ever seen in my life were for females, and I’m sure male blue Habits are quite different.
Click to expand...
View attachment 12283

Here you go. Franciscans in blue. The middle friar is wearing a habit made of blue denim.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF :christmastree1:
 
JReducation said:
View attachment 12283

Here you go. Franciscans in blue. The middle friar is wearing a habit made of blue denim.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF :christmastree1:
Click to expand...
Hey! I’m friends with those Friars in black! They are the Franciscan Brothers of Peace in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and my friend Brother Conrad has invited me to come up for a visit anytime I’m in the area. They really are a cool bunch. They’re doing the same thing you’re doing, except they are where it’s nice and cold, and you’re where it’s hot and miserable. 😃
 
ATeutonicKnight said:
Hey! I’m friends with those Friars in black! They are the Franciscan Brothers of Peace in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and my friend Brother Conrad has invited me to come up for a visit anytime I’m in the area. They really are a cool bunch. They’re doing the same thing you’re doing, except they are where it’s nice and cold, and you’re where it’s hot and miserable. 😃
Click to expand...
The FBP wear the Benedictine habit with a cord…

The Friar with the sweater is a CFR. They wear the same habit as the Capuchins, but in grey.

The middle Friar in blue is a LBSF.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF :christmastree1:
 
JReducation said:
The FBP wear the Benedictine habit with a cord…

The Friar with the sweater is a CFR. They wear the same habit as the Capuchins, but in grey.

The middle Friar in blue is a LBSF.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF :christmastree1:
Click to expand...
I know. I was simply saying I knew them. They are up to eight in number now, and Brother Conrad told me one or two more were going to enter this spring, so thankfully they are building up their numbers a bit. Losing Brother Michael for them was like losing a hundred Friars, so it’s good that more will be filling the huge gap he left. But I suppose their Labrador is helping with that as well. 😃

I thought he was a C.F.R. I always liked their Habits and the simplicity of them. I also like that they wear gray, the actual color Saint Francis wore, contrary to popular belief.
 
ATeutonicKnight said:
I know. I was simply saying I knew them. They are up to eight in number now, and Brother Conrad told me one or two more were going to enter this spring, so thankfully they are building up their numbers a bit. Losing Brother Michael for them was like losing a hundred Friars, so it’s good that more will be filling the huge gap he left. But I suppose their Labrador is helping with that as well. 😃

I thought he was a C.F.R. I always liked their Habits and the simplicity of them. I also like that they wear gray, the actual color Saint Francis wore, contrary to popular belief.
Click to expand...
Actually, we don’t know what color Francis wore. We have the habit in which he was buried. It’s a mousy grey. It’s like one of those fabrics where the threads are grey and brown. We know that he didn’t wear this same habit from 1207 to 1226. We also know that they wore many colors. St. Anthony’s habit is black. It looks like the Augustinian habit, but with a cord. Blessed Giles’ habit is brown as is St. Bonaventure’s habit.

The truth is that the two Franciscan founders were not into habits. They mention dress in passing and they never use the term habit. They refer to the brothers and sisters dressing simply, with a tunic and cord, according to time and customs, something practical and something to that takes into consideration the individual. In other words, you had to factor in what the brother or sister felt comfortable wearing. It had to be poor.

Franciscans have a very different attitude toward habits than other Catholics. For us, the habit is all about grounding ourselves in Franciscan tradition and making that tradition present in the world. It’s about austerity and asceticism. It’s about making the Church more visible. It has nothing to do with wearing this or that to show that we’re consecrated religious. That’s a whole other school of spirituality that is not our own. It’s actually more common to women religious than it is to men religious.

I guess that’s why most male religious congregations never had a habit and simply wore a cassock. They were not too concerned about being set apart as Jesuits, Vincentians, Fathers of Mercy, Salesians or OMI, etc. If you put them all into a room, they all look alike in their daily dress. It’s usually a cassock or a clerical shirt and collar.

To the orders, the habit is important, because it tells their story, not so for most of the congregations.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF :christmastree1:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top