![]() And thus as we go through the day, the habit calls us back to the spirit of prayer and to the life of virtue, grace, and charity for which we prayed that morning. We pray first the words of the bride: “Clothe me, O Lord, in the nuptial robe of charity…” We pray also for the virtues of purity and obedience, the grace to carry the cross, and for the protection of our Blessed Mother and St. In the solitude of our cells, we pray with one heart the traditional prayers associated with each piece of the habit. “Receive this tunic, emblem of innocence… Receive this scapular, Mary’s maternal pledge of protection… Receive this veil, a sign of humility… Receive this rosary, emblem of prayer by which your soul is united to God…” Now clothed in the habit, we are marked as Christ’s brides and as members the Dominican family.įrom that day forward we clothe ourselves in our Dominican habit as we pray to be clothed in Christ. ![]() Giving the pieces of the habit, Mother offers a simple reminder of the symbolism associated with each. Dominic.” Mother addresses the new novice by her religious name for the first time and then places the habit, piece by piece, into her open hands. Dominic, each sister kneels before the Prioress General in the midst of the entire community and voices her desire: “…the mercy of God and yours and to be received to the holy habit of St. On the day of our reception to the holy habit of St. The reception of the habit marks a sister’s formal entrance into the community. While the habit identifies us as belonging to Christ and links us to the broader Dominican family, it unites us in a particular way to St. “I am the handmaid of the Lord” (Luke 1:38). This testimony is not only meant to be a sign for those we encounter, but also a personal reminder of who we are called to be. We become “a particularly profound expression of the Church as Bride who…stands before Him ‘in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish’ (Ephesians 5:17). Clothed in a long white habit and black veil, we become by our very presence, witnesses to the captivating love of Christ. Perfectae Caritatis, the Vatican II document on the renewal of religious life, explains, “The religious habit, a symbol of consecration, simple and modest, at once poor and becoming.” Our religious habit is an outward manifestation of an interior, spiritual reality: that of being a Bride of Christ. Cecilia Dominicans, the symbolism is the same. From the foundation of the Order, the simple tunic and long white scapular, have served as a sign of simplicity, poverty, and most importantly, of consecration to Christ. The black and white habit of the Order of Preachers joins us in a moment’s glance to over eight centuries of Dominican history. Our Lady Queen of Preachers House of Studies.The Years of the Second Vatican Council.Litany of Dominican Saints and Blesseds.
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