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Habit – Habitus (Latin): having, possessing; condition, appearance; dress; character. The habit is a distinctive garb of a man or woman religious dating back to the beginning of monasticism. Saint Pachomius (294-346) was the first to establish definite provisions regarding the habit. Early ascetics, such as Anthony of Egypt, imitated the garb of John the Baptist. Saint Basil, Saint Benedict, and even the widows and virgins in the first few centuries of the early Church were identified by their plain, common attire as signs of poverty and simplicity. This continued throughout the centuries until the Council of Trent (1545-1563), when it was indicated that the novitiate began with reception of the habit and gave uniform dress prominence in the renewal of religious life after the Reformation. Added to this purpose and reasoning were the beautiful passages of “Bridal Imagery” presented throughout the scriptures. Referring to a sister as “Bride and Spouse” is central to the habit as a personal and ecclesial identity. The “habit” of the bride of Christ is fully expressed in the solemn promise to live the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Religious are to express this ecclesial reality, this mystery of consecration, through public witness. The external garb, the habit, functions as a concrete, tangible, visible symbol of an internal reality. The habit reminds consecrated religious of their “habit of being,” their mystery and mission. It proclaims to people; “I am set apart, I am here for you.” When they see us, they should see Christ. The revised Code of Canon Law states: Religious are to wear the habit of the institute determined according to the norm of proper law as a sign of their consecration and as a testimony of poverty (Canon 669, 1). The Decree of the Up-to-date Renewal of Religious Life, Perfectae caritatis contains the following statement: The religious habit, as a symbol of consecration, must be simple and modest, at once poor and becoming. In addition, it must be in keeping with the requirements of health, and it must be suited to the times and place and to the needs of the apostolate. The habits, both of men and women, which are not in conformity with these norms, ought to be changed (17). The Holy Father urges Religious to continue to be visible witnesses for Christ and His Church: Rejoice to be witnesses to Christ in the modern world. Do not hesitate to be recognizable, identifiable, in the streets – as men and women who have consecrated their lives to God and who have given up everything worldly to follow Christ (Given to Religious in Ireland). The Pope’s remarks have a parallel in the life of Saint Francis. He asked one of the brethren to accompany him into town where they would preach God’s word. The two walked from one end of town to the other and back. Finally, the brother asked, “But, Father Francis, when are we going to preach?” “We just did!” he replied. Blessing of the Habit This blessing of the habit may be used in a Franciscan Community. Prior to the Rite of Reception, the priest blesses the habits to be received by the Novices with the following prayer: Let us pray: Lord Jesus Christ, You have deigned to put on the garb of our mortality, and to be wrapped in swaddling clothes in the manger. You have graciously inspired Your glorious Confessor, our Father St. Francis, to institute three Orders, and the Supreme Pontiffs of the Church, Your Vicars, to approve them. We humbly ask You to bless + these garments, which our Father St. Francis asked his followers to wear as a badge of innocence and mortification, and as a strong armor against the world, the flesh, and the devil. May these, Your Sisters, devoutly receiving them, so clothe themselves with You that they may, in the spirit of humility, faithfully walk in the way of Your commandments until death. You live and reign, world without end. Amen. The Religious Veil Veil – Velum (Latin): covering The veil as a source of identity points to the very heart of religious life: consecrated virginity for the sake of the kingdom. From the very beginning the veil was the distinctive sign of consecrated virgins. In the early 3rd century, there was a veiling ceremony in which the virgin was veiled as a sign of her spiritual marriage with Christ. This marked her single-minded consecration, in total chastity, and in conformity with her life of poverty, charity, seclusion, mortification and fasting. It symbolizes fidelity to Christ and religious profession; it is the distinctive mark of a special consecration. It says that she is “spoken for,” as the bride of Christ. Her spiritual marriage is a reminder of the life of heaven where there will be no other marriages, because it will be the wedding feast of the Lamb—the final and definitive marriage of God and His People. Blessing of the Veil The blessing of the white veil before the Rite of Reception is a beautiful expectation of this espousal: Let us pray: God our Savior, we ask You to bless + and sanctify + with Your right hand these veils that Your servants are about to put on their heads, for love of You and Your Mother, the ever Blessed Virgin Mary. May they, by Your protection, always with equal purity of body and mind, preserve that which is mystically signified thereby: that when, with the prudent virgins, they come to the everlasting recompense of the saints, they may also be worthy to enter, conducted by You, to the nuptials of endless felicity. You live and reign, world without end. Amen. The blessing of the black veil takes place before the Rite of Religious Profession. During the Rite of Profession, after pronouncing her vows, the Novice receives the black veil. The prayer of blessing over the black veil is as follows: Let us pray: Father, Giver of all good gifts and bountiful Bestower of all blessings, we humbly ask You in Your mercy to graciously bless + and sanctify + these veils, which Your servants desire to put on as signs by which the religious state is to be known, and that they may be recognized among the other virgins as dedicated to You. May these veils be the emblems of lowliness of heart and separation from the world, by which Your servants are visibly to be instructed of their holy purpose. May they, under Your protection, preserve the virtue of holy chastity that they have received through Your inspiration, and may they be clothed with happy immortality. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. |
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