The visible tonsure upon the head is not actually required for a religious to be “tonsured”. Tonsure was originally the first step towards the priesthood (or religious life) and the official beginning of the clerical state. The shaving of the head came about from the practice of shaving one’s head when they take a vow but is not required for the vow to be taken in the first place. In the early Church, when religious took their first vows, the tonsure was simply an outward sign. After Vatican II, however, the earlier stages of the clerical state had been done away with. Some, like acolyte, lector, and porter, instead were instituted as ministries. Tonsure, as it was not ministerial, was officially done away with. Some orders, however, have been given permission to still conduct the pre-Vatican II rites of investiture of the minor clerical orders (like tonsure) because they had traditionally been part of the religious formation process. For some, they only hold the weight of instituted ministries, but for others orders which are centered around the priesthood, those who undergo these minor orders are still considered part of the clerical state.
