Should Religious wear the habit at all times?

[Luigi_Daniele]

R

We are no “less married” as our love for each other is not dependent on whether or not we wear our wedding rings.

I believe the same could be said for a religious and a habit.

But you miss a great opportunity to witness to a great marriage and maybe encourage others who are going through a rough patch. NOT judging you or your marriage in any way, BTW; they would have to take mine off with a hatchet, though

I have nothing against religious that don’t wear a habit (unless they come from an order that does, and they don’t wear it: that drives me nuts). I just like seeing “habited” religious. Reminds me that I’m not alone (even as a layman).

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

I think this question says more about us and our issues than it does about the other and what they are wearing, be it a habit or a wedding ring.

No one can look at a couple wearing wedding rings and tell how great the marriage is. Couldn’t one see a couple wearing wedding rings that is very loving and appears to have a great marriage when in reality they are cheating on their respective spouses?

A habit on a religious in no way tells you what type of religious that person is.

It seems that when this question is ask that the answers are telling us more what those who are answering it want (or feel they need) in their lives rather than being about the actual religious.

 

[Luigi_Daniele]

Hi, David.

Perhaps you are right, amico mio.

How do you feel about religious that are supposed to wear a habit, but choose not to?

 

[Captain_America]

If I were among the clergy, I would consider it my Happy Armor and a very good thing indeed to be wearing! I’d embrace it as a good and useful thing.

 

[nice2000]

Yes, I think they should wear the habit.

Now a days you can’t tell who is a Nun and who isn’t. More and more nuns are not wearing their habits. I would be honored to become a Nun and to wear my habit on a daily basis.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Hi, David.

Perhaps you are right, amico mio.

How do you feel about religious that are supposed to wear a habit, but choose not to?

I feel the same way you do but I do not think that it can ever be said that a religious should wear the habit at all times.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Yes, I think they should wear the habit.

Now a days you can’t tell who is a Nun and who isn’t. More and more nuns are not wearing their habits. I would be honored to become a Nun and to wear my habit on a daily basis.

Actually it is easy to tell who is a Nun and who isn’t. To be a Nun one must be part of a cloistered community so you would never, ever, run into a Nun any place but within the cloister of her monastery.

Now a sister, which is what the active women religious are, is a whole other story.

 

[nice2000]

Before I converted to Catholism many moons ago, me and many of my friends looked up to, respected, and always greeted the Sisters and Fathers as Sister so and so and Father so and so. We did it out of respect…I always loved seeing them in their habits.

 

[nice2000]

Actually it is easy to tell who is a Nun and who isn’t. To be a Nun one must be part of a cloistered community so you would never, ever, run into a Nun any place but within the cloister of her monastery.

Now a sister, which is what the active women religious are, is a whole other story.

Actually it is NOT easy to tell who is a nun. FACT: I help teach sixth graders at a Catholic school (Religious Ed.) as the teachers assistant. The teacher told them about two weeks ago that a certain person was a nun…The children were in shock…they had no idea that certain person she mentioned was a nun because she never wears her habit. She wears slacks all the time. They were in awe, confused and wondered why she does not wear her habit.

I have not seen a nun in years. I used to see nuns walking the streets, in grocery stores and in other various places. They are almost non-existant any more.

 

[triumphguy]

In case you missed ByzCath’s point:

A Catholic nun is a woman who lives as a contemplative life in a monastery which is usually cloistered (or enclosed) or semi-cloistered. Her ministry and prayer life is centered within and around the monastery for the good of the world. She professes the perpetual solemn vows living a life according to the evangelical counsels of poverty, celibacy, and obedience. Check out the Carmelite Nuns of Baltimore for example.

A Catholic sister is a woman who does lives, ministers, and prays within the world. A sister’s life is often called “active” or “apostolic” because she is engaged in the works of mercy and other ministries that take the Gospel to others where they are. She professes perpetual simple vows living a life according to the evangelical counsels of poverty, celibacy, and obedience. Check out my community, the IHM Sisters of Monroe, Michigan. anunslife.org/resources/sister-or-nun/

“I have not seen a nun in years. I used to see nuns walking the streets, in grocery stores and in other various places. They are almost non-existant any more.” Apparently you saw Sisters, not Nuns.

 

[nice2000]

In case you missed ByzCath’s point:

“I have not seen a nun in years. I used to see nuns walking the streets, in grocery stores and in other various places. They are almost non-existant any more.” Apparently you saw Sisters, not Nuns.

Like I said before I have not seen a nun in years wearing their habits. Sisters or nuns are almost non-existant any more.

 

[triumphguy]

I’m trying not to be pedantic, but you WOULDN’T have seen NUNs in grocery stores or on the streets. They would have been religious sisters! The Nuns were/are cloistered. That means they don’t go to the store!

 

[TiggerS]

A religious I know in secular clothing was in a bakery and a woman, wanting to have a look at something in the cabinet said “Excuse me, Sister” and a couple of people turned and looked, smiled at Sister. The woman later commented that she thinks she can always tell when a woman is a religious and also she noticed the pin on her lapel. Since Sister is local in the area, I daresay it will be pointed out by those that recognize her that she is a religious sister.

I think we can all repeat stories of religious in habit or in secular clothing. They are all valid since they are our stories, but I dont think we can define all religious and what they should or should not wear according to our personal experiences. We can have opinions, I think, while religious have their Rule and Constitiutions to abide by and we should respect this wholeheartedly and can strive to understand and embrace their reasons. I have known peole who delight that religious no longer wear habits since they find them much easier to relate and open up to. As I know people who lament that few religious nowadays may wear the habit and those that are in habit are in the main enclosed contemplatives.

 

[Inego_de_Loyola]

Nuns can be given assignment outside the convent, just as monks can be given assignments outside of the abbey. I believe that the Rule of Benedict explicitly states this in chapter 50.

The brethren who are at work too far away, and cannot come to the oratory at the appointed time, and the Abbot hath assured himself that such is the case – let them perform the Work of God in the fear of God and on bended knees where they are working. In like manner let those who are sent on a journey not permit the appointed hours to pass by; but let them say the office by themselves as best they can, and not neglect to fulfil the obligation of divine service.

I also know that the benedictine monks of St.Joseph Abbey run the local philosophical seminary, so that seems to preclude the notion that it must be religious sisters rather than proper nuns teaching in schools.

As far as the question at hand, whether or not religious should where their habits at all times, I think that most religious should wear their habit at all times practical. There are important reasons to wear a habit which have been enumerated by above posters, especially Kon93, but I don’t expect them to wear them while showering or working in the garden.

[edited[

I don’t believe that any religious should disobey a lawful order from his superior.

[edited]

P.S. Having reread the whole thread, it would appear that someone made a comment in a post that was deleted that those who don’t wear habits are unorthodox. I apologize on behalf of all those who prefer the habit, but it should be pointed out that the person in question was clearly uneducated on the subject, or rather than claiming unorthodoxy he would have made spurious claims of unorthopraxy.

 

[paperwight66]

I’m trying not to be pedantic, but you WOULDN’T have seen NUNs in grocery stores or on the streets. They would have been religious sisters! The Nuns were/are cloistered. That means they don’t go to the store!

Not entirely so. The Poor Clares round the corner from me are an enclosed order, but they also have ‘Externs’, who wear the full habit but go out ‘questing’ i.e. shopping and being given donations.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

As far as the objection (or out right lambasting) sure to come from Byzcath, I don’t believe that any religious should disobey a lawful order from his superior.

This is very uncharitable. No where did I ever say that a religious should disobey a lawful order.

But as you can see I am the only religious replying to this thread.

I can tell when I am not wanted so I will go elsewhere.

 

[Marauder]

[edited]

ByzCath, your comments are always appreciated. Since my OFS fraternity meets at an OFM Conventual friary we are blessed by the fact that we get to see the friars when they are “off duty” and “on duty”. Does my opinion of the friars change when I see them in “street” clothes? Not at all.

Volunteering at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception I also get to see many brothers, sisters, and even occasionally nuns that are given special permission to leave their cloisters to attend Mass on special occasions. I see all types of habits from pants suits to the “traditional” habits that many recognize. Do I view any of the religious brothers and sisters any differently based on their dress? No. The religious sisters that are the sacristans at the Shrine and work there daily with little thanks usually just wear pants suits.

I find it more interesting that the last Mass I worked that we couldn’t find a SINGLE family where all the members were not wearing jeans. We have a policy at the National Shrine that the people taking up the gifts cannot be wearing jeans of any type. We could not find a single family where all the members were appropriately dressed. As has been said before on here. I think others are projecting their own issues onto the religious.

Leave it up to the religious communities in conjunction with their rules and founders to determine what is appropriate to wear in different circumstances. Let them determine whether they should wear their habits “at all times”. Many people on here don’t understand how rude it sounds to try to impose your wants on others.

 

[salusanimarum17]

The actual canons state;
Can. 284 …

Can. 669 §1 … .

The Episcopal Conference has left it up to the bishops to decide and the local custom is for the wearing of clerics when actually ministering so that would apply to habits as well unless the religious institute says otherwise within its rule/constitutions/statues. …

The episcopal conference has not left it up to the bishops to decide. They have said: "Complementary Norm: The National Conference of Catholic Bishops, in accord with the prescriptions of canon 284, hereby decrees that without prejudice to the provisions of canon 288, clerics are to dress in conformity with their sacred calling.

In liturgical rites, clerics shall wear the vesture prescribed in the proper liturgical books. Outside liturgical functions, a black suit and Roman collar are the usual attire for priests. The use of the cassock is at the discretion of the cleric.

In the case of religious clerics, the determinations of their proper institutes or societies are to be observed with regard to wearing the religious habit.

As President of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, I hereby decree that the effective date of this decree for all the Latin Rite dioceses in the United States will be December 1, 1999." usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/canon-law/complementary-norms/canon-284-clerical-dress.cfm

 

[salusanimarum17]

What do you think?

Did you literally mean “at all times?” If so, I say “no.” If you meant something else, maybe I’d say yes.

 

[konk93]

Okay, I agree that sisters shouldn’t wear the habit “all the time” like when they are showering, sleeping… etc.

I have visited many religious orders and have spoken to many of the sisters that are the vocation directors. (The ones who let girls come on retreats and teach them about their order and if they feel that order is for them, that sister would give them application forms.) I have visited both cloister and active sisters.

The Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia are the largest growing order right now in the U.S. Every year they are averaging about 20 new postulants. After speaking to the vocations director, she told me that one of the reasons that so many young girls are flocking to this order (as they have told her) is because of the traditional habit. After I spoke to many of the sisters at that order, they confirmed.

The Discalced Carmelites, I visited, and they indeed have an Extern who does their grocery shopping, answers the phone, and opens the door to the secular world. They also told me that the habit was a huge part of their apostolate and that it brings many women to come visit them.

The Olivetan Benedictines, I visited, and the vocation director even told me that they are even experiencing craziness within their own community b/c the younger sisters are wanting to lengthen the habit to make it more traditional (it’s about knee high right now) and the older sisters don’t want that. They are struggling with vocations more b/c of the name “Benedictine”. When the majority of people discerning think “Benedictine”, they think about no habit and a more liberal minded community. (Now, I don’t think that’s right, but even I thought that when a Benedictine community would email me and I’d go to look at their website and the first thing I saw were older women dressed in secular clothes.

The Children of Mary, I visited, and they are contemplative sisters. The majority of their apostolate is to pray, pray, pray… but they do leave once or twice a week to attend the Tridentine Mass and to visit the nursing home/soup kitchen. They have told me that they are being a physical witness to others by wearing the habit which has brought so many people back to their faith. When someone sees one of the sisters, they will come up and ask for a prayer and talk about their struggles that they are having.

I could continue on with the other orders I’ve seen/visited (even the Missionaries of Charity - Mother Teresa’s order) but I can’t stress enough how the habit is the start to a beautiful vocation. In a sense, that is was is “reeling” vocations in. Personally, that is the first thing I look for in an order. It tells me that they are traditional, modest, and take the vow of poverty very seriously.

Many discerners I have talked to agree - they want the order to have the habit! And I believe that religious orders are starting to listen. Some orders (that didn’t have the habit) are now giving new sisters the option to take on the habit or making their current habit a little longer.

Sorry for my rant but this is something I am very passionate about!