In Elizabeth Kuhns' The Habit: A History of the Clothing of Catholic Nun, she explores the history of the habits of Catholic nuns. Beginning out with the history of the nuns of the Egyptian desert where monasticism began, the habit was used as a symbol for the wearer of being separate from the world and seeking to live according to Jesus’ way of life. This was also true for the monks. To wear a habit was or is part of the monastic or religious life according to the Desert Mothers and Fathers.
Many Catholics today are disappointed in not seeing sisters or nuns dressed in habits as they used to be. Some of this is just romanticism or nostalgia. The habit had and still has a purpose in the Church which Kuhns discusses in her book. Most of the book though discusses the various habits and the various parts of the habits. They differed a lot at first when there were only a few orders, but as time progressed and the number of orders increased the sisters had to create sometimes small differences in their habits in order to be distinguishable from another order. They might add a rosary or a symbol to their habits or something else. The first habits of an order were simple and went well with the climate the wearer was in, but as the order grew and expanded the habit could be a problem. A heavy woolen habit was misery for many sisters working in tropical regions. The sisters were many times reluctant to change the habit. They considered it sacred and what the founder wanted. Many died early deaths because of this unfortunate belief. Kuhns also relates that it was not always up to the sisters as to what they wore. Churchmen would impose their ideas on the women.
Kuhns discusses the positives and the negatives of the habit. A lot of times the sisters would receive preferential treatment like not having to pay bus fares and such. The wearers were considered safe from rape and other crimes, but this was not always true. Men or women in habits in regions where Catholics were a minority suffered persecution and attacks because they were visible symbols of the Church. Many religious and clergy would not wear religious or clerical garb in public especially when they were traveling.
Elizabeth Kuhns is a convert to Catholicism. She writes on Catholic traditions for newspapers and magazines. She is a frequent contributor to Faith and Family and is an editor for Godspy: Faith at the Edge. Her book is fascinating and a joy to read. She has provided lots of photos of habits especially from the 1950s and other periods. She consulted with various religious women on their habits’ history. She provides a glossary and an extensive bibliography. She also mentions men’s habits. A book on men’s habits is needed too.
Kuhns points out from her research that orders that have habits are growing while those that do not have habits are not doing as well. There maybe other reasons too for this.
This book is highly recommended to all those curious about religious habits and their history. Kuhns does a very good job with this book. — Br. Benet Exton, O.S.B., St. Gregory’s University, Shawnee, Oklahoma.
