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All,

In the Western Catholic tradition, since around the 4th century religious orders formed. The first of these groups were the monastic Benedictines. In the Eastern tradition the idea of monasticism had developed earlier.

In the Latin tradition it was not until the 17th century that orders for women became "open", as opposed to being rigid cloisters.

The first of these were the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. And since that time many religious orders for women have formed. Most of these orders had distinctive habits (religious garb). Some of the orders, though few, still wear these traditional habits.

In the Eastern Catholic tradition many orders of nuns exist. The Basilian Sisters, for example, wear habits, though they are cleary of Latin origin. Has there ever been an attempt to "de-Latinize" the habits of women religious in the Eastern Catholic tradition?

I am curious because I have never seen a counterpart to Roman Catholic nuns in the Eastern Orthodox tradition. Though I am keenly aware that nuns do in fact exist in the Eastern Orthodox churches, their function seems to be exclusively monastic.

In other words are there any Eastern Catholic nuns (who are NOT monastics) that wear habits distinct from Latin ones?

And also in the Eastern Orthodox tradition are their orders of nuns who are not monastics? And if so, which are they?

Thanks

ProCatholico

Dear ProCatholico,

It was in the time of Met. Andrew Sheptytsky that "Eastern Houses" of Western Orders were introduced into the UGCC.

The Redemptorists are still around - but they have sometimes donned Eastern garb and were very Byzantine in outlook such as Bl Nicholas Charnetsky.

The Basilian Order was "reorganized" by the Polish Jesuits on more than one occasion and they've become a kind of Eastern Rite Jesuit Order, except that, unlike the Byzantine Jesuits, our Basilians are Latinized.

The Studites are the only true Eastern monastics that we have.

For one thing, Eastern monastics follow only one Rule - that of St Basil. There is the Pachomian Rule in Coptic Egypt as well.

But the Asceticon of St Basil is normative and Eastern monks don't refer to themselves by a particular name such as "Basilians" or "Redemptorists" etc. They are simply "monastics."

St Paissy Velichkovsky reformed monasteries in accordance with his hesychastic teachings and developed a 17 point set of rules for his monasteries - but this didn't introduced a new monastic Rule.

Alex

Alex,

Do not forget the Syriac and Maronite monks follow the rule of St. Anthony.

Fr. Deacon Lance

Bless, Father and Daddy!

If I knew everything, I wouldn't have to rub shoulders here with people such as yourself, would I?

But yes, the "Antonians" are still around!

Alex

As Alex said, in the East there are no orders, just monastics. I would also expand and say that in the East to be a nun or monk is to be a monastic. Monastics live in different settings (a monastery, hermitage, skete, cave, pillar, you name it) but they're all monastics. I guess it may just be semantics. In my mind, they go hand in hand, but we may have different definitions of monastic.

Anyway, usually Orthodox nuns live in monasteries. You will find some exceptions, though, of some nuns (or groups of nuns) who did social work or the like. Examples are Saint Elizabeth the New Martyr, or Mother Maria Skobstova. Saint Elizabeth, for example, wrote her own monastic rule for her nuns, and they wore a distinctive grey/blue and white habit, different from the typical black.

Speaking of habits, you will find slight variations in how Orthodox nuns dress, but this is not due to any difference in "orders" or the like, as in the West. It is usually just "geographic custom" of one sort or another. So, a Russian nun will dress a little differently than a Greek nun who will dress a little differently than a Romanian nun... it's all the same habit, but a slightly different cut.

These are just the simple observations of a non-monastic!

Dave

Dear Dave,

In our Church, some Latin habits dye hard!

Alex

Dear Dave (CHTEC),

Your are right about very slight variances in the monastic garb of Orthodox nuns of different countries.

I wonder, however, and perhaps you will know, why are all the habits black? (Weren't the original nun's habits of the West always black too...albeit, with a little white at the forehead)

I have heard some say that black is worn by all Greek Orthodox of the Church to symbolize the 'mourning for the fall of Constantinople'.

But then, again, black is also traditionally worn by widows, and indeed, the monastic costume in Greece is a lay widow's dress of the 1800's. Infact, in years back, many widows did become nuns in Greece. Infact, it is strange, but the word for 'nun' in Greece LITERALLLY means, 'Good old woman' (kalogria)!

In Christ,
Alice

+GLORY BE TO GOD FOR ALL THINGS!

I've always found it interesting that in our Orthodox monasteries and convents the habit is NEVER EVER viewed as 'a witness'...that was never primary in the East, but rather, the habit is simple ascetic clothing (the habit of penance as Francis of Assisi use to say---exactly the Easern concept!). Our monastic habit is often cold in winter and hot in summer and that's the way it should be...after all it is NOT suppose to be comfortable...and the 'witness value' is unimportant in the East. I've found that most Western religious orders and congregations have worn the habit in the past only/principally for 'witness' but seldom as an ascetical practice.

In the old Guidepost for Men and Women Reigious (Roman Catholic) each religious congregation was asked to briefly list a summary of: History, Purpose, Spiritual Life, Traning Program, Qualifications, and Habit of their community. I found that out of the HUNDREDS and hundreds of communities of religious only about 16 (in the 1963 edition) even mentioned SALVATION or REPENTANCE as the purpose of their vocation. Under 'purpose' you will find answers like the following: "The Sisters operate general hospitals in..." and, "The primary apostolic work of the congregation is the Christian education of children..." or, "The more than 800 professed sisters teach on the elementary, secondary, and college levels..." etc. In other words many R.C. religious congregations saw their 'purpose' as functional and lost complete sight of the REAL purpose of all monastic/religious community life: SALVATION through a life of REPENTANCE lived by profession of the EVANGELICAL VOWS!

Today in Roman Catholic religious congregations that ARE growing (the Missionaries of Charity of Bl. Mother Theresa, Nashville Dominicans, Sisters of Life, etc.) you will find the ancient understanding of their 'purpose' and a traditional habit, regular prayer life, and above all OBEDIENCE as the central premis of their life. These 'traditional' religious communities are thriving and growing by leaps and bounds...while the others (Sisters of Mercy, Sisters of St. Joseph, and Sisters of Notre Dame) are dying out and haven't had a vocation in 20 years.

My basic point is that there are certain components that make up traditional monastic/religious life:

1. The understanding that it is a life of REPENTANCE (not primarily 'ministry' centered even in 'active' communities)! In this life of REPENTANCE one needs ascetical aids: the virtue of OBEDIENCE being primary, the habit being another which is important...fasting is another...and the discipline of community life (in which the community helps to 'rub off the rough edges' of the personality of each member...keeping them from becoming simply 'fussy old bachelors' or 'finicky old maids').

2. That one enters monastic/religious life for their SALVATION (not again to 'help others' or 'minister' to others, as wonderful as this is).

3. That the means of attaining one's salvation is living the vows of POVERTY, CHASTITY, and OBEDIENCE in COMMUNITY.

When I see 'Benedictine nuns' or 'Basilian nuns' running around in secular clothes and wearing earrings, I know that someone somewhere has completely lost her understanding/knowledge of what monastic/religious life really is!---and why on earth WOULD many young women of today seek to live that form of life? It's like they gave up many things in 1950 or 60 and hated doing so...and now they're taking back from those days or reliving periods that they missed while in the cloister those many years ago? It's all very sad. But it is wonderful to see that the newer Roman Catholic religious communities have a correct understanding of their ancient vocation---and consequently are growing. To God be the glory!

In His Holy Name,
+Father Archimandrite Gregory

Bless, Father,

Yes, I used to always argue with the RC nuns in my Catholic high school on this very issue (I know that may come as a shock to you that I would argue with people, but there you have it . . .).

And one of our nuns just loved to say that, with the new reforms in the church, she is "praying less . . ."

If the Orthodox ever acknowledged the Pope of Rome, I would definitely become Orthodox!

Alex

Alex, +May HE bless you! Oh but we DO acknowledge him...and we would even give him primacy of honor---just not primacy of jurisdiction!

In His love,
+Father Archimandrite Gregory

Bless, Father,

Oh, you make joining the Orthodox Church so tempting . . .

So . . . tempting . . .

But, let me breathe deeply for a moment . . . just so you know, I commemorate the Patriarch of New Rome, as well as that of Old Rome, in my prayers!

Kissing your right hand, I again implore your blessing,

Alex

Dear Alex,

My daughter attends a lovely little academy run by the sisters of St. Joseph. Although they dress very conservatively, (skirts, high cut blouses, no make-up), my husband always feels perplexed as to who is a 'sister' and who is not! One wants to address the sisters as such, and being that they basically look like any other older, conservatively dressed woman, it is daunting to figure out who is actually a nun !!!

Father Gregory,

As for Western traditional habits not being penitential, perhaps the good sisters may not have realized it, but those head coverings are extremely penitential!

Whenever I visit the St. Nektarios monastery, I wear a scarf, and though it is NOTHING in comparison, it is physically uncomfortable, and not to mention that all of a sudden on those days I suddenly become hard of hearing because of the tight fabric covering my ears.

Once when I was in confession with the Elder, he noticed that I wasn't hearing well, and that I was fiddling with the fabric to allow some sound in, and said that I could take off the scarf if I wanted to, (as long as it wasn't infront of the monks)...I never the less, declined his courtesy, and continued to be hard of hearing!

In Christ,
Alice

Dear Alice,

I agree - it's all modern-day "nun-sense."

Alex

Usually, Latin nuns if not in habit wear a lapel pin that signifies their religious order

Dear LGC,

I have lots of religious lapel pins and one time someone mistook me for a Latin priest.

That person STILL calls me "Father" when they meet me in the street.

Alex