I thought y'all might want to see these pics, they are from the IHM's in Scranton PA. It shows the postulants and nuns habit changing over the years. Very cool!

IHM postulants

In Alton we wore jumpers and they were actually pretty comfortbale, I was surprised. We had two pockets in our slip, that we could get to through a slit on our jumper. Heather and I had a real hard time at first figuring out what to do with our hands. We were so use to shoving them in pockets. One day I asked Sr.Beata what are we suppose to do with our hands and she told us to just leave them at our sides. It felt really awkward and Heather and I looked like big dorks until we became more relaxed and comfortbale. Wearing the jumper made me a lot more aware of my posture for some reason.
Our blouses buttoned in the back which took me a few days to get use to, also having mutlitple layers was hard. I was just constantly sweating and final my body adjusted.

Tray, now I can ask you what I wanted to ask! Did your jumpers have a sort of "kick pleat" in the front and back? It looked like it from the photo. The ones I've been making for our postulants does but it is a lot of work!
We have slits in our habits to get to our pockets. I never thought of that for postulants. Usually,we just have possie's bring half or whole slips to wear underneath. Did you have "nun skirts" under your jumper?
Oh, women! Don't we love to compare clothes!

SMC

What's a "kick pleat""? We had a pleat in the front and back, it was kind of a pain to iron. When I would iron my jumper I think I would make it worse. Heather would jsut laugh at me. The slip was long and alomt like a jumper itself and made of cotton. It had two pockets in the front. Then our blouse went over the slip and the blouse buttoned in the back. Then we put our jumper on that had a small zipper on the left side. The slit in our jumper was by the pleat so we could get into our pockets. Jsut inside the the slit there was a little loop that we could string our keys on. In my grey jumper the slit was onthe right and in my black one the slit was on the left. Heather's wasn't like that though. I would have an identity crisis every sunday and monday because I would be trying to force my hand into a pocket that wasn't there. It was amusing.

What are "nun skirts"?

The trick is remember to take your chapstick out of you slip pocket or out of one of the many pockets in your habit ( for those who wear them) before throwing it in the laundry. In the bathroom by where we throw our laundry there are gentle reminders about removing your chaptstick and pens from pockets.

The canonical novices said they were so excited to receive the habit because now they have more pockets. They liked to make fun of heather and I with our two little pockets.

It was lovely to see the old photos of the IHM Postulants in their black dresses and bonnets but didn't they look very serious.!! Far different from those cheerful souls we see today.

Sheesh! All this fuss over postulant clothes! I say live by the K.I.S.S. rule: Keep It Simple Sisters! I think the IHM Sisters of Wichita KS have done it by going to a long sleeved blouse and skirt with sweater, maybe a chapel veil, too.
Have a great day everyone!

Hey, I agree with you! We did the skirt/blouse for awhile but some people can look dumpy in that and the jumper and blouse look neater. Our jumpers are very easy to make...I was the stupid one who thought that the pattern with the pleats in the front looked nice and wouldn't be too much work. I'm actually eliminating them.

Pockets are a necessity for monastery life! Our postulants have one and they want more but they can do with one. As for the slit in the habit to get at the pockets, it's really great. It makes things a lot easier.

What I meant by "Nun skirts" was cotton slips that are almost like skirts yet are slips.

We're always being reminded to remove everything from our pockets and at Regular Chapter when we do the venia if you forget to take stuff out of your right pocket (the side we lie on) well, OUCH!

Sr. Anastasia (at OLAM) was telling me that she finds herself very forgetful in the monastery, because it's not like she has a desk to keep notes on. lol. I'm sure if they hadn't any pockets they'd all be goners. lol

Btw, Sr. Mary Catharine, how many different kinds of chapters are there?

I had posted about the postulant outfit I liked the most before but didn't give a very good picture of it. Even now, reading through, it is still my favorite. I still like that they don't have the veil and I especially like that it's floor length.

hmmm, these are Capuchin-Franciscan Postulants in Australia,(the guys), they dont seem to worry about such questions of aesthetics!!...



and theses Benedictine Sisters, i am just not sure whom are postulating... and who are not??
http://www.stgertrudes.org/Membership/Voca.../postulants.htm


E-J

and..an Article entitled. Simplicity in religious Life' interesting thoughts, with a picture of Postulants.looking very Italian, from i dont know what Congregation..
http://cmswr.org/spiritual_reflections/sim...igious_life.htm

CFR Postulants


OCD Postulants.anything with a tie....NOt my favourite..


ohh they are Sisters of mercy Postulants..interesting
http://www.rsmofalma.org/formation/postula...postulancy.html

and here are some nice Photos of a traditionalist Community Postulancy to Novitate and professions Ceremony
sorry- phatmass does not link to trad sites for any reason - cmom

Are the CFR's required to wear beards?

Honestly I think there should be a class taught in the convents, "Theology of the Habits" and "Mechnism of Posto Outfito"

Boy I can tell you I'm going to have reallllllllllllll fun in the future.

+

I think these are my favorite postulant outfits, too! I wonder if there will be CFR sisters in Italy someday/soon... I can't believe there are so many postulants?! Is this from this year? How many sisters are there now?




+

Are they in communion with Rome?

Postulants, according to canon law, are to dress in lay clothing. That said, a uniform-type thing seems very appropriate. I don't think looks should be taken much into consideration. Having been a postulant at OLAM, I can say that the jumper with blouse and veil was 1) extremely comfortable, 2) extremely conducive to work 3) no hinderance to prayer. As long as you can work, pray, and play in it, it works

I agree with Totus Tuus.

well I think something simple like the PCPA's jumper (which is my fave postulant outfit) and a simple veil as I like that it is uniform and there's no trying to figure out what to wear etc (as if they have time to decide) also it begins to help the person prepare for religious life. My community the aspiriant/postulant wears a white habit that is like the professed only it does not have the scapular and we wear a simple white veil (without the crownband)that shows a little bit of hair, black tights and shoes.

No they are not required or regulated to
!!but!! its expected as a part of a Capuchin tradition/custom.of simplicity, poverty..besides its nice to fit in with your bros i suppose.. of course some men just cant push out a beard!

Sister Mary Catharine: What is the postulant Cape? Thanks

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They would roundaboutly say Yes, but i see they are Society of St Pius V, a breakoff of SSPX and seem to be sedevacatist...but i should have looked further before posting, gthey do keep the nice traditional Ceremony though...

here is part of there entrance requirments
"A candidate must belong to the traditional Catholic Faith and not be associated with the Novus Ordo Church, schismatic groups, or groups with doubtful sacraments."
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[mod]Link removed. Please do not link to orders not in communion with the Holy See. --Era Might[/mod]

From the CFR's I met, I was quite under the impression that they are required to grow beards. (ahem, *edit* the male CFRs, I mean... just so no one calls me on that!)

At least, one of the brothers I met was talking about when "all" of the postulants were growing out their facial hair.



Pius V Society = baaaad news.

I don't know about the esthetics. I think the postulant outfit just needs to be modest and practical as well as making a clear statement that one has embraced a different lifestyle. I'm happy about the veil.

http://www.sisters-of-reparation.org/Vocat...stulancyOne.htm

I couldn't get a picture up so I just posted the site. I like the simplicity ot he Sisters of Reparation jumper and veil and that one wears grey for ordinary work just like the Sisters.

well one of their Founding members didnt and still dosnt have a beard as you see in the pics..heck 2 Friars wear runners all the time....so Regulations and required, are flexible as they should be for special cases...
well, when i was around them, , and working for Fr Groeschel, i still understood it as encouraged custom,as it would be seen as part of the habit of Capuchins.. in a way.. but not actually 'required' .ie, not in Satutes/Constitution etc..but you would have a hrad time finding a razor in the Friary for sure!..they wouldnt reject you if you cant grow one, or have a bad skin condition...so, i still wouldnt say required.....semantics?perhaps//for sure ther would not of been a length regulation
Peace and goodness, E-J.

"43 The clothing of the friars is a gray tunic with a large pointed hood, cord, sandals and a rosary. The friars are encouraged to have a plain beard. If any clothing or footwear is worn with the habit, it should be consistent with the color and the character of our religious garb." PGp 43. CFR Constitutions.

As far as I know it is pretty much required. Obviously, as will be mentioned later in this post, there are exceptions to every rule.



That would be great! The brothers are in Europe and Honduras already.

No, this is not this year's postulant class. This was the year before. This year there are five, though, and that's five times as many as there were only a few years ago!!

I don't think I ever got a firm number while I was there but I think the average was about 24-25 now.

My count gives me 24 but I could be forgetting someone...



That's what I understand too. I believe it was Fr Bernard who was talking about it at a Youth 2000 when I came to understand that...



I know for certain that one of the brothers is actually unable to grow a beard. It's just not in his make-up to produce one like you will see on Fr Groeschel.

I like the OLAM postulents outfits, and the ones at Lockport. My favorite, however, are the old fashioned ones, the jumper with the small cape thing ( it has a name and I cant remember it ) and a veil, I even think the bonnets the postulents used to wear are kinda cool.

I actually like the SMME ones, rather fashionable.

Can y'all post pictures? I want to know what y'all are talking about!

There is in Italy,a basically identical Community of Little Sisters of the Renewal. also within Capuchin tradition, based in Sicily.
:0 they do alot of parish missions and youth things, and are quite contemplative..poor

Clothing speaks far louder than some words, and it usually speaks more to those who see the wearer in the garment than it speaks to the wearer herself. A garment that is clearly unattractive to the eyes does not say anything nice to the viewer. With careful consideration, a garment can be designed to speak of modesty, humility, and virtue, but also denote a sisterly or motherly relationship to the viewer. Nice modest clothing can be very calming to the mind.

I don't necessarily know if this is completely related to the above comment or not, but a friend of mine is with the DSMMEs (now a novice) and she said that when she was travelling home on her home visit (near the end of her postulant year) she said that LOADS of people (in the airport, etc) came to talk to her (She was wearing her postulant outfit, of course). She said that if that many people came to talk to her now, she couldn't imagine how many people would talk to her travelling in full habit! She said a lot of people told her how encouraged they were to see a young woman seeking God's will. Even as a postulant, she was a shining witness to those around her (not that I'm surprised!)

Blessings,
J

I also like the CFR sisters outfit. It is long and seems very practical, but it is also very different from their habit.

I do think the outfit should have a religious connotation and shy away from being of a "street" or "business casual" style.

All Canon Law states is that they are not to be religious habits. That is for after investiture, not during candidacy/postulancy.

Just out of curiosity, what do you suggest for men if not something like "business casual"?

Pink frillies. Honestly, I wouldn't know. (I'd write an essay on the differences between men's and women's habits if I didn't need to be out of the house ten minutes ago.)

I think people really should remember that they aren't supposed to be religious habits... the pity is that lots of "habits" these days look so much like normal dresses that a postulant of a more conservative community will look more like a religious than a professed of a very-much-adapted-habit community!

One question I'd like to ask is whether or not the term "habit" refers directly to the garments placed over the shoulders (which is the strict, traditional defintion) or whether it is referring to the colloquial understanding of a habit (the full religious gown). I have a feeling Canon Law uses the first definition. If so, I believe an attractive robe with no "frills" should be sufficient. What makes a robe look religious is all the extras, like a stole, a cincture, a crucifix, Christian symbology, liturgical colors, etc. The robe should avoid these to follow Canon Law. A nice material with the right cut should be all the robe needs to be attractive.

If Canon Law goes with the colloquial definition, I would maybe go with something of a "robe-like" look that is still pants and shirt. Despite the fact that a postulate isn't meant to directly represent the Church with the look of a religious, a somewhat "religious" look will subconsciously contribute to the postulate adopting the attitudes that will prepare him/her for the religious like. It would lead others around them to be reminded of the postulate's calling, thereby helping them to keep the postulate focused on living a holy life.

You could go for trousers and something more tunic-like on top, like halfway thigh-length?

I'm not qualified to go into all of these definitions, but it is my understanding that what is meant by the postulant "not wearing the habit of the order" is that the postulant must appear to be different from the rest of the community, and should not be confused with an invested religious (meaning, novices and up).

I think the postulant outfits should be aesthetically pleasing without being stylish.

Yes, it's true that many postulants' outfits are ominously dorky. One of my best friends from college joined the Nashville Dominicans and she could not WAIT to wear the postulants' habit, saying that "it's the Catholic school uniform I never had!" Postulancy is a time to discern whether you should formally join a community and make vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Compared to the rigors of authentic religious life, spending a year wearing a dorky uniform should not be a big deal if your soul is ready to leave the world for Christ.

I was told that the seminarians in my archdiocese are required to be clean-cut and clean-shaven at all times. That means no hair above the ears and no beards or mustaches. When my future husband was discerning the priesthood, he didn't like that idea because at the time, he had long hair and a beard. However, a life of obedience means you have to do as your told even when it doesn't make sense. Developing this virtue is key during years of religious formation.

Yeah I agree with St. Therese. I mean your not supposed to be "worldly attractive"

I think that the postulants of the Regular Canonesses of the Mother of God have a very appealing outfit with their veils and capes.

See picture in Nuns Picture Thread....................Post Jennirom Aug.26th.

I really like the postulant outfit of the Lockport Dominicans. (I'm discerning there!)

Do the Lockport Dominicans have a website?

http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=Ldominican a blog with pictures.

Those are some nice pictures! I definitely like that style of veil that the Lockport Dominicans have. That's what I'd want if I were a religious--a full black veil with a white robe, white scapular and Dominican black cloak.

I remembered this thread from a while back. These sisters, the Benedictines of Mary, seem to have a nice habit for the postulants.
http://benedictinesofmary.blogspot.com/200...-christmas.html

Click on the pic to enlarge

I found it rather hard at first to see which one was the postulant (at the far right, right? ). It's easier with the picture on their home page, I think: http://www.benedictinesofmary.org/

I feel a bit mixed about it: it's absolutely beautiful as a mode of dress, but it's not very different from the habit. And I think it should be a bit more different.

Random thoughts--

1) I like the jumper. I went to Catholic school and that's what we wore grades 1-6 (7-8 it was a skirt/blouse). It's generally flattering and it's easy to wear. As long as it's functional, I'm in.
2) I think it should be flattering, but not necessarily "Pretty". I like pretty clothes and all, but that's part of what I'd leave behind once I joined an order (along with make-up, too, I'm guessing, which kind of scares me more than the clothes! I love my mascara. )

I agree that it should be different from the fully professed habit, but I do think that it can be similar in some respects ( such as color or length ) like the CFR sisters. The outfit seem to be function and modest and although it is a similar length and color, one would not confuse it with the habit.

Silly Double Post