D
dplusr
Guest
Those are my sisters! Although I also love the habit of the Dominicans and the Sisters of life (because of the meaning behind it)
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A
Anne_Stein
Guest
My vote for both richness of the inner beauty of the Sisters and their ease and comfort with and in themselves goes to Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Church. I had never heard of them before and to me they are the definition of simplicity.
D
DaughterOfMary6
Guest
I know I’ve answered this question in the past, but my favorites would have to be:
Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal (so simple)
Sisters of Life (I love how Marian their habit is)
Sister Servants of the Eternal Word (combine two of my fave spiritualities)
Any Dominican habit
Religious Sisters of Mercy (I love how feminine their habit is)
Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate
Basically, I love any blue feminine habit as it reminds me of Our Lady Immaculate.
Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal (so simple)
Sisters of Life (I love how Marian their habit is)
Sister Servants of the Eternal Word (combine two of my fave spiritualities)
Any Dominican habit
Religious Sisters of Mercy (I love how feminine their habit is)
Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate
Basically, I love any blue feminine habit as it reminds me of Our Lady Immaculate.
J
JReducation
Guest
I don’t know if beautiful is the word that I would use to describe it, but the habit of the Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters (Pink Sisters) is very unique. There are several things that I find attractive about it.
First: the color.
Second: its simplicity. It’s just an alb with a scapular. It has no side rosary, no belts, chords or cinctures of any kind, which must make it very comfortable.
Third: it’s length is very traditional, while practical. It does not go all the way to the floor. Trust me, when you’re older, you appreciate little things like this, especially if you can’t stand up straight.
The habit of my own fraternity is not beautiful either, but it’s very practical. Sometimes beauty is in the practical.
Because we are men and of the nature of our work, our habit is not the typical long tunic to the floor. It’s a short tunic just below our knees, with the Franciscan chord, a cowl and a Tau over the chest. It is grey in color, which means that we don’t have to change it for different climates. Grey is good for warm and colder weather. It came about by accident. We wore a long tunic to the floor. One day, someone came to one of the pregnancy centers where we serve. She needed a blanket for her child, but there were no more. The brother went to the back room, took a pair of scissors and cut off his habit below his knees. He cut it up into to receiving blankets for a poor mother. St. Francis did something similar with a missal.
A woman came to the brothers’ house asking for food. There was not enough food to share. He looked around and all he could find was the missal. He gave it to the woman and told her to take it to the local priest in exchange for food.
You have to keep in mind that the Franciscans were not founded as an order of priests. The Franciscans are a family of men and women, some are priests, but they do not cease to be brothers. When the one priest in the house asked Francis, “Father (Francis was not a priest), what do we do now in order to celebrate mass?” Francis shook his shoulders in his typical boyish way and said, “We walk down to the local church where the priest who now has our missal will celebrate mass for us.”
I truly believe that many religious habits are born from a spiritual flash of light that the Holy Spirit gives us. Sometimes, they’re the most beautiful.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
First: the color.
Second: its simplicity. It’s just an alb with a scapular. It has no side rosary, no belts, chords or cinctures of any kind, which must make it very comfortable.
Third: it’s length is very traditional, while practical. It does not go all the way to the floor. Trust me, when you’re older, you appreciate little things like this, especially if you can’t stand up straight.
The habit of my own fraternity is not beautiful either, but it’s very practical. Sometimes beauty is in the practical.
Because we are men and of the nature of our work, our habit is not the typical long tunic to the floor. It’s a short tunic just below our knees, with the Franciscan chord, a cowl and a Tau over the chest. It is grey in color, which means that we don’t have to change it for different climates. Grey is good for warm and colder weather. It came about by accident. We wore a long tunic to the floor. One day, someone came to one of the pregnancy centers where we serve. She needed a blanket for her child, but there were no more. The brother went to the back room, took a pair of scissors and cut off his habit below his knees. He cut it up into to receiving blankets for a poor mother. St. Francis did something similar with a missal.
A woman came to the brothers’ house asking for food. There was not enough food to share. He looked around and all he could find was the missal. He gave it to the woman and told her to take it to the local priest in exchange for food.
You have to keep in mind that the Franciscans were not founded as an order of priests. The Franciscans are a family of men and women, some are priests, but they do not cease to be brothers. When the one priest in the house asked Francis, “Father (Francis was not a priest), what do we do now in order to celebrate mass?” Francis shook his shoulders in his typical boyish way and said, “We walk down to the local church where the priest who now has our missal will celebrate mass for us.”
I truly believe that many religious habits are born from a spiritual flash of light that the Holy Spirit gives us. Sometimes, they’re the most beautiful.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
Y
Young_Thinker
Guest
The full habits of Dominican friars and the Crosier Fathers are both magnificent. I just love that black-over-white look, Having a completely white habit (or dressing like the Pope), however, would worry me. White garments are so easy to soil. Tobacco, food, mud…any of a number of things could make it dirty.
B
Battle_Warrior
Guest
Thanks for posting the pictures…all the habits are beautiful…
J
JReducation
Guest
The bold is mine.
The popes dress like the Dominicans, not the other way around. The white cassock was adopted out of love for Pius V who was a Dominican Friar. In the past, popes who were religious wore the habit of their community. Pope Pius wore the white Dominican habit with the long collar and cowl. His successors simplified it by taking off the scapular. Later, the cowl disappeared and finally the black belt was replaced by a sash. Observe closely and you’ll see that the pope’s cassock is not snow white. It’s the same egg-shell white as that of the Brother Preachers.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
J
JoyfulLife
Guest
I think the Holy Father has a beautiful habit. Also, the FI Sisters have a very beautiful veil/habit.
L
Luigi_Daniele
Guest
The old ladies in Italy who pray the rosary every day on their porch
J
JReducation
Guest
It is very elegant, but it’s not a habit. A habit is a consecrated garment that is worn by either consecrated religious, hermits, members of secular orders or by certain secular institutes.
The garb of the current popes is what is known as a Jesuit Cassock, which takes its color from the Dominican habit. Some popes have worn the Roman Cassock, such as Pius XII and Pius X. The Roman Cassock is like a coat, fitted at the top and narrow at the bottom. It’s what we call an “A Line Cut.”
I believe that it was Paul VI who started to wear the Jesuit Cassock. A cassock is never consecrated or blessed, because it is modeled after the Spanish military garb of the 1500s. St. Ignatius of Loyola adopted it because it was very practical. The bottom is wider, allowing the wearer to taker longer strides. Military garb is secular.
Diocesan priests and some religious wear cassocks. Diocesan priests are not allowed to wear a habit, unless they belong to a secular order that has a habit. If the pope were a religious he could wear either the cassock or the habit of his order with the pectoral cross worn by bishops.
Prior to Pius V, popes wore royal robes, because they were monarchs. Paul VI surrendered the Papal Monarchy and the pope became a sovereign head of state instead of a monarch. That’s why he was the last pope crowned.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
D
DaughterOfMary6
Guest
I love the habit of the Sister Servants of the Eternal Word. They combine the habit of the Nashville Dominicans with the brown of the Franciscan order into one habit. I am in contact with their Vocation Director and I hope to visit them soon. I pray that God is calling me there.
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Y
Young_Thinker
Guest
Thank you for explaining that, Br. J.R. I heard that prior to the reign of St. Pius V, the pontiffs usually wore red cassocks or simars (as cardinals still do). I even remember an altarpiece in which God was portrayed in pontifical attire, with a scarlet robes and tiara (there was also a royal crown at his feet).The bold is mine.
The popes dress like the Dominicans, not the other way around. The white cassock was adopted out of love for Pius V who was a Dominican Friar. In the past, popes who were religious wore the habit of their community. Pope Pius wore the white Dominican habit with the long collar and cowl. His successors simplified it by taking off the scapular. Later, the cowl disappeared and finally the black belt was replaced by a sash. Observe closely and you’ll see that the pope’s cassock is not snow white. It’s the same egg-shell white as that of the Brother Preachers.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
Y
Young_Thinker
Guest
When you say royal robes, do you mean garments like the cappa magna and mantum?
J
JoyfulLife
Guest
Amen! Hallelujah! woot woot!I love the habit of the Sister Servants of the Eternal Word. They combine the habit of the Nashville Dominicans with the brown of the Franciscan order into one habit. I am in contact with their Vocation Director and I hope to visit them soon. I pray that God is calling me there.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qSdHJD_kZ...Akg/z6Gd_jhapio/s1600/Srs+of+Eternal+Word.jpg
Love is in the air with this order, I tell 'ya. They are soooo beautiful!
I’m thinking about them each day and picturing my life with them. I don’t know what I’ll do if they say no… Of course, I haven’t even visited, so I don’t know for sure that it’s THE order for me…
C
cara1
Guest
S
Shoshana
Guest
J
JReducation
Guest
That and the scarlett robes and tiara, etc. No one really knows how it all developed, probably as the relationship between the Church and the Empire grew . . .
Pope Paul VI was very moved by reality that the Church no longer was part of an empire, because the Empire had ceased to exist and Europe was now a community of sovereign nations. Some say that he was very moved by the influence and spirituality of Mother Teresa. I don’t know enough to say how well they knew each other. But he did surrender the monarchy and he did donate his tiara for the poor. Other popes after him have also refused to present themselves as monarchs. In a recent interview with Pope Benedict the interviewer asked him if he was trying to bring back some of these forms of dress and he said he would not wear them again. He’s gone as far as taking the tiara off of his Coat of Arms and replacing it with the Bishop’s Mitre.
The Eastern Catholic bishops and the Orthodox still wear royal dress for formal wear. The Roman bishops have toned it down to a simple cassock and choir robes when appropriate. The idea of choir robes is a monastic one, which is still in place in certain religious orders. Since many bishops were religious, the habit (no pun intended) carried over. Today, most bishops are secular priests, but wear the choir robes for ceremony. At one time, the choir robes were of different colors to represent the country of origin. Just before Vatican II they were all changed to a uniform color for the Roman Church.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
G
goforgoal
Guest
JReducation- God bless you for taking the time to explain all of this. I never realized that about the Pope.
DaughterOfMary6- Are you discerning with the Sister Servants of the Eternal Word?
cara1- God bless you for sharing the photo.
This is an off-topic and rather silly question to ask but do the Discalced Carmelite Nuns still cover their faces with a veil? Did they only do this in public? Are there any other orders that still do this?
Please look at the video of St. Teresa de Los Andes 8:50 where the Discalced Carmelite Nuns cover their faces:
youtube.com/watch?v=eA3ciD5Ojb8&NR=1
God bless,
goforgoal
DaughterOfMary6- Are you discerning with the Sister Servants of the Eternal Word?
cara1- God bless you for sharing the photo.
This is an off-topic and rather silly question to ask but do the Discalced Carmelite Nuns still cover their faces with a veil? Did they only do this in public? Are there any other orders that still do this?
Please look at the video of St. Teresa de Los Andes 8:50 where the Discalced Carmelite Nuns cover their faces:
youtube.com/watch?v=eA3ciD5Ojb8&NR=1
God bless,
goforgoal
J
JReducation
Guest
Covering the face is an ancient Carmelite custom. I don’t think it’s done today. However, we must remember that monastic communities are virtually autonomous, meaning that once a monastery or abbey is canonically erected, it becomes an independent community. Even those who belong to the same order, such as the Carmelites, are governed by their own statutes. They follow the Rule of St. Albert. However, the rule is very simple, about four pages. Each house has to draw up its own statutes to fill in the blanks. There may be a Carmelite house out there, somewhere, that still keeps this practice. In other words, many of these practices disappeared, because of the fact that cloistered houses do not have a universal government as do congregations.
The Discalced Carmelites are an order, not a congregation. Orders are often broken down into obediences (smaller groups) that self-govern.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
Y
Young_Thinker
Guest
I see. Thank you, Brother. One can obviously see this issue from different sides. I love the lavish clothing that prelates used to wear on a regular basis and insist upon viewing the pontiff as the greatest sovereign on Earth (because he is the Vicar of Christ), but I can see how some people feel that such display detracts from Christian humility and the spirit of poverty.That and the scarlett robes and tiara, etc. No one really knows how it all developed, probably as the relationship between the Church and the Empire grew . . .
Pope Paul VI was very moved by reality that the Church no longer was part of an empire, because the Empire had ceased to exist and Europe was now a community of sovereign nations. Some say that he was very moved by the influence and spirituality of Mother Teresa. I don’t know enough to say how well they knew each other. But he did surrender the monarchy and he did donate his tiara for the poor. Other popes after him have also refused to present themselves as monarchs. In a recent interview with Pope Benedict the interviewer asked him if he was trying to bring back some of these forms of dress and he said he would not wear them again. He’s gone as far as taking the tiara off of his Coat of Arms and replacing it with the Bishop’s Mitre.
The Eastern Catholic bishops and the Orthodox still wear royal dress for formal wear. The Roman bishops have toned it down to a simple cassock and choir robes when appropriate. The idea of choir robes is a monastic one, which is still in place in certain religious orders. Since many bishops were religious, the habit (no pun intended) carried over. Today, most bishops are secular priests, but wear the choir robes for ceremony. At one time, the choir robes were of different colors to represent the country of origin. Just before Vatican II they were all changed to a uniform color for the Roman Church.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
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