Our Habit
As a sign of our witness, we wear the Franciscan habit. We begin to wear the habit as novices. The habit, following after St. Francis’ own example, is in the form of a cross, and reminds us daily to conform our lives to that of Jesus Christ.
Every member wears the San Damiano Cross, a Cross depicting Christ Risen from the dead, surrounded by those who were present at the Crucifixion and other key figures in Salvation History. This cross was the one from which St. Francis heard Jesus speak to him while praying at San Damiano Church at the beginning of his conversion. Wearing the San Damiano Cross also reminds us of our obligation to help rebuild the Church as the Lord commissioned St. Francis to do 800 years ago.
During the novitiate, the sisters wear a white veil and both the friars and sisters wear a cord with no knots. Upon professing First Vows, the sister or friar will begin to wear a cord with knots, symbolizing the three vows she or he professes: poverty, chastity and obedience. Sisters receive the black veil upon making their first profession as a sign of their consecration to God.
Both the friars and sisters wear the Rosary, which is attached to their cord. The Crucifix on our Rosary is a replica of St. John Paul II’s Papal Crucifix, reminding us of the tremendous sacrifice of Christ on the Cross and of St. John Paul’s beautiful teaching on human sexuality presented in the Theology of the Body. As Franciscan friars and sisters, we strive to live as brothers and sisters in Christ as a witness to the complementarity of men and women, always mindful of maintaining holy and healthy boundaries both in community and among those with whom we work and serve.
