If I Were Designing A Habit...

[DameAgnes]

I was thinking the other day that if I were a foundress or something, and designing a religious habit for women, I would probably design a "two habit" situation, with one more "formal" habit, the gown (with or without scapular, although I like scapulars, myself) an inch or two off the floor, and veil (something similar to the Passionists or the Summit Dominicans or even the Sisters of Life or Nashville Dominicans, to get really formal), but then a "working" habit as well, one that might even involved wearing trousers and a longish (mid-thigh) tunic, for the "housework" and "gardening" type of work, in which case, I think the headpiece might look like this:

http://www.tznius.com/cgi-bin/tying.pl

Or, one could even imagine a gown/scapular habit with those same head coverings, which - when I looked at them - reminded me very much of what Mary might have worn in Israel.

What would you design, if you could design a habit?

[CatherineM]

I thought about that many times while helping my mother sew habits for the Carmelites. First off, white is a bad idea for the front if you're going to work in a school. That's why my mom was sewing them, I sort of messed up my principal's habit. There was a mustard competition in the cafeteria, and she wandered onto the firing range. I've always thought color was a good idea, bright blue or red. Their habits were the same color as the brick, and we couldn't see they were coming until it was too late. Bright colors would have helped us keep an eye on them.

[InHisLove726]

I recently thought about designing a habit for a religious order. The habit I have in mind reminds me of the Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters (Pink Nuns) but is a little different. The tunic/dress would be royal purple--for the Heart of Jesus--to represent the bruises He received during His Passion. Purple also represents blood in the vein. The Heart of Jesus is very present and living amongst His people. Royal purple is also for the King. It has several different meanings, but most of all, to represent Our Lord's Passion and Death.

I would then design a pure white scapular to go over top, which represents purity and is the color of lilies--the flower of purity. There would be a white rope cincture with 4 knots (instead of 3 like the Franciscans). One for each vow--poverty, chastity, obedience, and fidelity to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The veil for novices and professed Sisters would be white and would be very long like the Trinitarians of Mary. The way I would differentiate between novices and professed is temporarily professed would receive a small pin of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, while the perpetually professed would receive a large medal of the Sacred Heart and a ring.

I think the name of the order should also reflect the mission (of course), which would probably be:

Sister Servants of the Passionate Heart of Jesus

[Luigi]

[quote name='DameAgnes' date='10 September 2009 - 06:02 PM' timestamp='1252620158' post='1964562']
I was thinking the other day that if I were a foundress or something, and designing a religious habit for women, I would probably design a "two habit" situation, with one more "formal" habit, the gown (with or without scapular, although I like scapulars, myself) an inch or two off the floor, and veil (something similar to the Passionists or the Summit Dominicans or even the Sisters of Life or Nashville Dominicans, to get really formal), but then a "working" habit as well, one that might even involved wearing trousers and a longish (mid-thigh) tunic, for the "housework" and "gardening" type of work, in which case, I think the headpiece might look like this:

http://www.tznius.com/cgi-bin/tying.pl

Or, one could even imagine a gown/scapular habit with those same head coverings, which - when I looked at them - reminded me very much of what Mary might have worn in Israel.

What would you design, if you could design a habit?
[/quote]

The Religious Sisters of Mercy used to have two different habits - the more formal (basically) blue and the all-white habit for those who were on the nursing floors. I've heard old-timers who used to work at Mercy hospitals refer to them as the "dress blues" and the "working whites."

[Graciela]

I agree wholheartedly with you, DameAgnes! I remember thinking that the Trappistines (Wrentham MA and Crozet VA)
show incredible wisdome and common sense for having workclothes- jeans, boots and flannel
shirts for farm work. The Benedictine nuns at Our Lady of the Rock have denim work habits and a modified one-piece coif/veil thing
for their farm work as well.

I think denim makes sense for simplicity, poverty and durability for work clothes/work "habits". In fact, I think that the Fraternity of .
Jerusalem wears such a daily habit with scapular and adds a mantle for worship and prayer.

If I were designing the formal habit for community activities, Mass, etc. I would use the discalced Carmelite design
tunic, scapular, coif and veil. But I would make the white/cream mantle into a full monastic cowl/cuculla with hood,
like the Carthusians or Camaldolese.

I have a Carmelite and eremitical spirituality, so I'm not thinking about a habit for teaching or nursing...

[Thomist-in-Training]

[quote name='Luigi' date='10 September 2009 - 07:27 PM' timestamp='1252625246' post='1964603']
The Religious Sisters of Mercy used to have two different habits - the more formal (basically) blue and the all-white habit for those who were on the nursing floors. I've heard old-timers who used to work at Mercy hospitals refer to them as the "dress blues" and the "working whites."
[/quote]

Now they actually have three--at least the RSMs of Alma, Michigan. Navy for everyday, black for Sundays and feast days, and white and pink pinstripe for summer. At least, I remember distinctly reading about that last one, but now I think I may have been dreaming. This picture has light grey http://www.rsmofalma.org/prayer/prayer.html so now I'm really unsure.

I think many communities use "work habits" which are sometimes a different color & fabric. Monialesop has some that are blue maybe. Otherwise they just use really old habits, and maybe a shorter veil. I think?

[VeniteAdoremus]

[quote name='Thomist-in-Training' date='11 September 2009 - 09:11 AM' timestamp='1252649492' post='1964815']
Now they actually have three--at least the RSMs of Alma, Michigan. Navy for everyday, black for Sundays and feast days, and white and pink pinstripe for summer. At least, I remember distinctly reading about that last one, but now I think I may have been dreaming. This picture has light grey http://www.rsmofalma.org/prayer/prayer.html so now I'm really unsure.

I think many communities use "work habits" which are sometimes a different color & fabric. Monialesop has some that are blue maybe. Otherwise they just use really old habits, and maybe a shorter veil. I think?
[/quote]

I thought I saw in the pictures of the New Jersey Dominican nuns that they have elasticised over-sleeves and huge aprons. My community has the aprons, but not the over-sleeves (as they don't wear blouses underneath the tunics they can just roll up the sleeves). The SSVM (at least here in .nl) also have the huge aprons.

I have actually bought veils at Tznius, to wear during Lent, and worn them like in those pictures I think "normal" veils, tied and with an inner cap, will stay on better. These are pretty ok but they do slip, especially if you have short hair.

There was this site that designs and sells actual habits (with prices appropriate for clothing that should last a decade...) and they also had a "work tunic", like mid-thigh length and with a monk's hood. They had it in denim and more regular cloths. I thought it looked absolutely awesome.

If I designed a habit, it would be a denim skirt with pockets, a hoodie, a veil, and a prayer mantle for in church. Practical, very much "the garb of the poor", and people always tell me I look good in hoodies

[AccountDeleted]

I think that designing a habit has to take into account a lot of factors, starting with things like location (climate) and type of ministry (praying in a cold English choir or evangelizing on a humid and hot St Louis street. Then, there is also the question of whether or not there should be a work habit, or just a "tuck up" with aprons and/or sleeves. Of course, one also has to consider the colors based on charism and spirituality (and once again - climate).

I have spent many a pleasant hour drawing habits and changing colors (using a software drawing program) but I recently ended up asking a Carmelite community if they could send me either an old habit or a pattern for one of theirs, and they were kind enough to say that they would send me a pattern, as soon as the habit sister could get one done for me! I had seen one of their sisters a few times when she had permission to be outside the monastery, and it seemed very practical, even for non-cloistered nuns, and also attractive. So, I am considering using their pattern, but with slight modifications and some color changes.

I guess the most important thing is that the habit be a real witness to Christ, whether cloistered or in the world. I respect those sisters who choose not to wear one, but I do feel warm fuzzies whenever I see a sister in habit!

[AccountDeleted]

[quote name='VeniteAdoremus' date='11 September 2009 - 10:06 PM' timestamp='1252663594' post='1964839']
I thought I saw in the pictures of the New Jersey Dominican nuns that they have elasticised over-sleeves and huge aprons. My community has the aprons, but not the over-sleeves (as they don't wear blouses underneath the tunics they can just roll up the sleeves). The SSVM (at least here in .nl) also have the huge aprons.

I have actually bought veils at Tznius, to wear during Lent, and worn them like in those pictures I think "normal" veils, tied and with an inner cap, will stay on better. These are pretty ok but they do slip, especially if you have short hair.

There was this site that designs and sells actual habits (with prices appropriate for clothing that should last a decade...) and they also had a "work tunic", like mid-thigh length and with a monk's hood. They had it in denim and more regular cloths. I thought it looked absolutely awesome.

If I designed a habit, it would be a denim skirt with pockets, a hoodie, a veil, and a prayer mantle for in church. Practical, very much "the garb of the poor", and people always tell me I look good in hoodies
[/quote]

The Hermits of Bethlehem wear a denim habit and denim veil - it looks very nice. They also wear a cloak with hood with they are professed, but that's white with a start of Bethlehem on it.

[zunshynn]

Honestly, having lived in a monastery, I think having a work habit and a formal habit would be really impractical. They're [i]always[/i] working... and heavy work kind of gets sprung on you without notice sometimes... could be at 9 o'clock at night when a washing machine breaks and there's water flooding the laundry room. What are you gonna do? Go change before you clean it up?

Plus, dressing does not take that long, in the morning, but when the schedule goes from working to prayer so quickly, and you only have about 2 and a half hours to do your work before you would have to change again for prayer, which is the case for most monasteries, that is going to take a big chunk out of your work time... time that they really can't afford to waste.

A durable apron, and perhaps work sleeves, in my experience, is really much more practical. Although I must confess I was terrible about remembering to wear my apron.

At OLAM the sisters where the same habit for everything (although you do have 2 or 3 usually, and some do keep one "nice"... alot of older sisters will use their old habit, once they get a new one, as there "work habit")... they play sports in it, work in it, and pray in it. It really isn't too much of a problem. You do have to make an effort to take care of it, but I think that's a good exercise in poverty, and it also makes you remember that it is a sacramental, and what a grace it is to have the privelege of wearing it.

They are designed to be "bustled" which means pinning the bottom to your waist and tucking the scapular inside, if you are doing really dirty work. They have "work veils" which are short and white, but they only where them for really heavy cleaning and things like that... I hardly ever saw it worn, really because of the hassle that changing into it would be. I have to say, it is funny though, to see solemn professed sisters walking around in what looks like a novice veil.

When I first got the habit, I thought about using my favorite one just for Mass, and Sundays or feast days. But really, there just isn't time to change like that, and I could never anticipate when it would be a "messy" day... especially because solemnities often turn out to be the messiest days of all! Plus I really liked one habit, and didn't like my other one so much, because it was thinner fabric, and got holes VERY easily, and just wasn't as easy to work in, even though it technically was my "work habit." Making distinctions between the two, I discovered quickly, was just not going to work. So I just learned to do everything in the one... which worked out very well.

The Knights of the Holy Eucharist have "work habits"... they actually just wear the same outfit that they wore as postulants. For them, I suppose it was a good idea, especially when they are working outside mowing lawns and painting and things like that. But they also don't have to leave for office in the middle of the day (They have 2 hours of Adoration during the day, which generally stays the same, but they don't pray together until the end of the day, and of course for Morning Prayer and Mass and the Rosary). For more active orders that don't gather for prayer in the middle of the day, I think it might make sense, depending on the type of work they do.

Just my .02, for what its worth.

Edited September 11, 2009 by zunshynn

[elizabeth09]

I really like the butterfly one.

[Gemma]

Keep a journal--even if you think you're indulging in fantasy, you may not be sometime down the road.

The habit usually comes through first because it's the physical manifestation of the charism. However, that being said, charisms and habits evolve, and that's why the journal is so important.

Here for your enjoyment:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thereligioushabit/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/founders_and_friends/

Blessings,
Gemma

[AccountDeleted]

Well, the funny thing is that the Edmonton Carmelites have a work habit and have to change clothes several times a day. It started in Macau where the fierce heat and humidity caused them all to be drenched with sweat in their normal habits, so they started changing into a brown cotton "cassock" when they weren't in choir. I found this very strange because now they are in Canada in -40C snow outside, and temperature controlled inside, so there is absolutely no reason to do this any more, but it has become either a tradition or a habit (no pun intended) and they like doing it! I asked once if I could just wear an apron in the kitchen instead of changing clothes, but they said no, this was what they did. This gets very time consuming when one has to change back into the choir habit seven times a day (or even a postulant outfit)!!!

So, I think I do prefer the idea of a "tuck up" or whatever terminology is used by that order, and an apron etc. Wearing work clothes appears to make sense for some types of farm work or other heavy outdoor activities, but otherwise - well I guess it depends on individual preference.

Edited September 13, 2009 by nunsense

[InHisLove726]

The Sisters of Reparation in Steubenville, OH wear a denim habit during work periods, and a black habit other times. I also know that the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother wear denim blue habits for work and outdoors, and white habits during worship and periods of rest. It does seem like a lot of work to change in and out of the regular habits into work habits, but I can definitely understand if your habit is white and you don't want to get messy, however, the Dominicans do it, and they manage.