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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Mode of dress for a Sister	Chas	Sunday, February 17, 2013
Question: Please look at this picture, if you are able to. I don't know how to paste pictures on here if at all possible. But I read the bio on this sister and seems like she has accomplish alot regarding civil rights. It seems like she went against all odds but kept her faith in our Lord. However, I question the mode of dress. It appears that she is wearing an alb and stole which are vestments worn by priests. I see from their website that these sisters, like the majority of sisters around the country, do not wear habits but dress like any woman going to her office job. Is this permissible?
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r), CCL, LTh, DD, LNDC Dear Chas: I do not see a picture on that page that fits your description. The first photo, the woman is wearing a blouse, not an alb, with what looks like a African cloth of some kind. It does sort of look like stole, but there is no reason to presume that. The second picture she seems to wearing normal clothing. In the third picture she is wearing doctoral robes as she is being presented with a Doctorate. Canon Law requires priests to wear clerical garb or the habit of their community if they are religious priest. Non-priest brothers and also nuns and sisters are to wear the habit of their orders. Unfortunately, many orders have mistakenly presumed that the laity do not want to see habits. They think they can be "closer to the people" is wearing clothing that is more secular. This is hogwash of course, but that is the justification for abandoning traditional habits. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Mode of dress for a Sister

Chas

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Question:

Please look at this picture, if you are able to. I don't know how to paste pictures on here if at all possible. But I read the bio on this sister and seems like she has accomplish alot regarding civil rights. It seems like she went against all odds but kept her faith in our Lord.
However, I question the mode of dress. It appears that she is wearing an alb and stole which are vestments worn by priests. I see from their website that these sisters, like the majority of sisters around the country, do not wear habits but dress like any woman going to her office job. Is this permissible?

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r), CCL, LTh, DD, LNDC

Dear Chas:

I do not see a picture on that page that fits your description. The first photo, the woman is wearing a blouse, not an alb, with what looks like a African cloth of some kind. It does sort of look like stole, but there is no reason to presume that.

The second picture she seems to wearing normal clothing. In the third picture she is wearing doctoral robes as she is being presented with a Doctorate.

Canon Law requires priests to wear clerical garb or the habit of their community if they are religious priest. Non-priest brothers and also nuns and sisters are to wear the habit of their orders.

Unfortunately, many orders have mistakenly presumed that the laity do not want to see habits. They think they can be "closer to the people" is wearing clothing that is more secular. This is hogwash of course, but that is the justification for abandoning traditional habits.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum