Wearing a Habit as a sign of Consecration - like St. Catherine of Siena

[nikita92]

So...Confetticatholic...did you get your original question answered to your satisfaction?

[islandanchoress]

On 5/18/2021 at 12:47 PM, gloriana35 said:

Perhaps this has changed, and I hope so, but many of the SFOs I knew had an attitude of 'religious life is obsolete - we are the Franciscans of today.' Nearly all were married. Had they worn religious garb, it could have given a puzzling view of both religious life and marriage!

Enter, and exit, Wendy James. 

[GraceUk]

In any case a lot of women in the days of Catherine of Siena wore headveils and robes so somebody dressing in a habit  wouldn't have  looked that much different from everyone else but  these days they would stand out. And everyone would think they were a nun. I read third order members could be buried in the habit. This was years and years ago. Don't know if it's true or ever was the case. 

[gloriana35]

Before the annoying 'religious life is obsolete - we are the Franciscans of today' attitude, which I witnessed too many times, many people who joined the Third Order Franciscans did so because there were indulgences attached to this. They were allowed to wear a 'full habit' for burial. Some of the Poor Clare monasteries made these. It wasn't that common, but some third order members bought the shroud. (One of my friends got one, from the Poor Clares, perhaps in the 1990s.)

There also were some third order Franciscans who chose to live and work with the friars. They could wear a 'third order habit' when they wished.