Which Catholic congregation of nuns wear the most simple, inexpensive and plain habit?

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I know the Poor Clare’s don’t wear any shoes but I wondered if there were other congregations/communities that had a simple habit that would cost very little?:confused::hmmm:
 
Difficult to answer, as we don’t have a working definition of plain, simple or inexpensive. For instance, the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul tend toward plain dresses/skirts of blue with a plain white blouse. These can easily be obtained in your local Goodwill Stores. Definitely fits the criteria you set. On the other hand, many traditional habits are made of very sturdy material that lasts a long time and may initially be expensive, but Sister may wear it for a number of years. So in the long run such a habit may actually cost less. These days, it seems very few nuns, even the most traditional wear elaborate habits. My opinion is that the simplest habits are the ones that require the least amount of care to maintain.
 
Sesame said:
Difficult to answer, as we don’t have a working definition of plain, simple or inexpensive. For instance, the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul tend toward plain dresses/skirts of blue with a plain white blouse. These can easily be obtained in your local Goodwill Stores. Definitely fits the criteria you set. On the other hand, many traditional habits are made of very sturdy material that lasts a long time and may initially be expensive, but Sister may wear it for a number of years. So in the long run such a habit may actually cost less. These days, it seems very few nuns, even the most traditional wear elaborate habits. My opinion is that the simplest habits are the ones that require the least amount of care to maintain.
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Communities that sew their own habits buy the material in big quantities and get pretty good prices. And as pointed out already, if your habit lasts for 10 years, imagine how many simple skirt and shirts you need to dress properly for 10 years.
Then, even more elaborate habits -so to speak- like those who wear a scapular on top of the habit tunic, well, the scapular is a wonderful “cover all” and you can have your habit tunic made of many patches and it doesn’ look bad -especially cloister nuns are pretty good at replacing only the worn out parts of the habit with another piece of material, so you get a nicely done clean patch and your habit’s life extended again …

The cost of the habit is not only the price of the first moment, but the duration etc. And the way the individual person cares for it -keeps it clean, fixes small things etc. makes a whole difference as to the overall price. In any case you can’t compare the cost of a traditional habit for a community, with the price that you have to pay if you have it done by some professional business, which is always much more expensive.

Hope this helps.
 
I’m not a woman religious, I’m a religious brother. Our habit is very similar to the CFRs. It costs $180.00 to make one. They last about three years. Most religious have two habits. You have to wash them, you know. The washing takes its toll on the fabric. But if you don’t wash them, the odor of sanctity is not very pleasant. LOL

The wool blend is much more expensive than the synthetic. But in cooler climates you want the wool. You have to wear layers of clothing over the lighter weave. My community wears the lighter weave and I think the CFR do too, because I’ve noticed that some wear sweatshirts and sweaters over their habit. It can be very uncomfortable under the arms. You feel like a suffed doll. 😛

Women’s habits are not as wide as men’s, because women take smaller steps. The two panels that make the front and back are usually 48" for women and 60" wide for men.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
 
Can anyone tell me what the knots on the belt of a religious sister or brother mean? Is the belt tied in some special way? I’ve seen nuns with just a rope belt and no knots and I’ve also seen belt that have several knots. Is it just any rope that it’s made of or is it something special?

Sorry I’m asking soooo many questions, am having an inquisitive day!:ehh:
 
GodsTinyFlower said:
Can anyone tell me what the knots on the belt of a religious sister or brother mean? Is the belt tied in some special way? I’ve seen nuns with just a rope belt and no knots and I’ve also seen belt that have several knots. Is it just any rope that it’s made of or is it something special?

Sorry I’m asking soooo many questions, am having an inquisitive day!:ehh:
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We Franciscans, wear a chord that is wrapped double and tied at the waist. There are three knots on the legs that hang down the side of the habit. Each knot represents one of the evangelical counsels: chastity, poverty and obedience.

Some religious families also wear a chord, they call it a cincture. But they do not wear the knots. The knots are an exclusively Franciscan symbol.

Among Franciscans, the chord can be either white, brown or natural hemp. The most common color is white and it usually hangs down the right side of the habit.

The tradition started with the penitential movement of the Middle Ages. Many penitents were hermits. They wore a tunic tied at tthe waist with a rope. Francis of Assisi, being a peninent, adopted the clothing of the penitents. Later, when the Franciscan habit was standardized, many many years later, the knots were added.

Hope this answers your questions.

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
 
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