Canon Law Regarding

[tinytherese]

So there's been debating going on in the vocation station on this one thread regarding religious habits. Is it true that in canon law that a nun or religious sister is required to wear a habit? Now some communities say that wearing a pin or cross for example is what can be meant by the term "habit" instead of the traditional one that we are used to if they want to do that. Is this true?

Also, is it lawful if a consecrated virgin is given permission to wear a habit or a veil resembling a habit and to be called "sister"?

[CatherineM]

Canon 669
§1 As a sign of their consecration and as a witness to poverty, religious are to wear
the habit of their institute, determined in accordance with the institute’s own law.

§2 Religious of a clerical institute who do not have a special habit are to wear clerical dress, in accordance with Canon 284 (Clerics are to wear suitable ecclesiastical dress, in accordance with the norms established by the Episcopal Conference and legitimate local custom).

It would appear from the plain text that a habit is up to the group's own rules. The fact that it goes on to say that priests affiliated with orders that do not have a special habit should wear regular clericals implies to me that the writers acknowledge that some orders do not have special habits.

[cappie]

A distinctive form of dress was always a feature of religious life. Originally it expressed the life of prayer and penance embraced by the monk or nun. Later in more apostolic institutes, the members adopted the contemporary dress of clerice or servants. The habit was then an external witness to the consecrated life and a sign of belonging to a particular institute. As the number of religious orders increased and multiplied more and more attention was given to those details by which one form of dress was differentiated from others.

The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council called of an adaptation of religious habits to the requirement of health, the demands of different times and places and the needs of the apostolate. (Perfectae Caritatis 17, Pope Paul VI Evangelica Testificato 12. This led many institutes to erroneously abandon entirely a concept of a common form of dress. The law of the church still upholds the value of wearing the 'habit of the institute', seeing it as a sign of the consecrated life of the members and a corporate witness to poverty; it does leave the determination of the nature of the habit to the proper legislation of the institute. But far from countenancing abandonment the law specifically requires that all religious wear a form of dress which is specific to its institute and is a recognizable witness to the consecrated life espoused by the person in question. The mere appendage of a symbol, such as a cross or crucifix to what is otherwise secular attire does not fulfill this requirement of church law.

[cappie]

[quote name='tinytherese' date='07 January 2010 - 08:27 AM' timestamp='1262816829' post='2031155']

Also, is it lawful if a consecrated virgin is given permission to wear a habit or a veil resembling a habit and to be called "sister"?
[/quote]

To wear a veil in daily life seems to be part of a habit, and a consecrated virgin living in the world should not be wearing a habit, which is a sign of removal from the world in a Religious Institute.

[url="http://www.consecratedvirgins.org/cv/becomingcv.html"]http://www.consecratedvirgins.org/cv/becomingcv.html[/url]

[cappie]

Regarding the habit this is from the Capuchin Constitutions:

The religious habit is given during the rite of religious profession, even though the clothes of probation may have been previously received. Let us remember the clothes we wear must be a sign both of our consecration to God and of our minority and fraternity.

Clothed as we are with the meek and humble Christ, let us not be fradulent minors but those who are sincere in heart, word and deed.

The signs of humility that the brothers wear outwardly contribute little to the salvation of souls unless they are animated by a spirit of humility.

Following the example of Saint Francis, therefore, let us make every effort to become good and not merely to appear so, to be the same in word and in life, within and without and, considering ourselves less than all others, as the Rule admonishes us, let us surpass others in showing respect.

Our habit, according to the Rule and custom of the Order, consists of a tunic with a hood, chestnut in color, a cord and sandals, or, for a just cause, shoes.

Let the brothers, as a sign of their consecration and a witness of poverty, wear the habit of the Order. The norm of pluriformity applies to the custom of wearing the beard.