Posted on 01/25/2006 7:41:57 AM PST by NYer
Well, alright. I'm just relaying my experience. The particular Order I'm referring to is quite devout and quite substantially peopled.
It just might have been one of their in-house jokes, so to speak. Like, for example, "it's all Bush's fault" of today...them saying, when asked about their (at that time) recent change out of the habit, "it's Vatican II's fault, we blame Vatican II." They always said it with a degree of jollyness but I'd hear from others who also worked with them that they were seriously upset about being required to abandon the habit for normal wear -- which, I realize, may also have been others misunderstanding the reasons why.
So, does anyone know WHY Catholic religious orders were instructed to stop wearing the habit when in service outside cloistered situations? That would then probably identify the inspiration since it's been cleared up here that it was not Vatican II who required it. All these years, I thought it was based upon those jibes from the nuns.
Understood. The only small detail I'd still wonder about is as to Holy Communion conducted in the bedrooms of shutins. It is written there that it's not to be conducted in bedrooms and yet this is the customary practice I am familiar with for most shutins and for the elderly who I have known well enough to spend time with them in their homes after they've become frail. The Priest just enters the house, walks to the bedroom and meets the frail elderly there for purposes of Communion.
'Course, it's never occured to me to give that a second thought and perhaps also hasn't to most Priests, given the practical considerations involved. Surely there has to be some allowance for that, given that many shutins are also bedridden at least part of their hours.
In the case of grave need exceptions to the law are allowed, as the code itself often injects. It is the routine exceptions that we see that are based only upon convenience or preference that we need to guard against.
Vatican II did call for a renewal of religious life. "Progressives" in some orders 'hijacked' this call of the council to promote their own ideas, such as getting rid of the habit. Perhaps the superiors of the order ordered them not to wear the habit under color of Vatican II, and they didn't know any better.
Mel & Hutton bumpus ad summum
Beautiful. More to substantiate why I love the Church, and Christ.
Certainly seems possible. I wouldn't categorize that particular order as being "progressives," but you never know. I knew them only on a professional level, the few others socially in formal situtations, fundraising, volunteer work, things of that nature.
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