Today being the memorial of St. Catherine of Siena I was reflecting on the fact that she is the only lay Doctor of the Church. Hurray one for our side. Many people don’t realize that St. Catherine was a lay person since she always shown wearing a Dominican habit. She was in fact a Third Order Dominican and it was common in that time that those who were part of a third order could wear the habit of that order. I remember when I first heard that I thought how cool it would be to be able to do that today. After 20 years in the military wearing a uniform and never having to worry about what to wear to work that since I was part of the Secular Discalced Carmelites that wearing the Carmelite habit would be really POD. I can see why they have changed this since it would certainly be abused, misunderstood, and easily leading to the spiritual pride of the wearer. Though the regulations in many third orders allow their members to be buried in the habit of their orders.
Also thinking about the story of St. Catherine of Siena it made me think about how things just never change. Lay people and women just don’t have any power in the Church and certainly wouldn’t be listened to the the Pope or world leaders or be the instrument of reform in the Church. Oh wait I think I got that all backwards.
Update: Jean At Catholic Fire has a great post on Catherine.
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Well, St. Teresa of Avila and St. Therese (the Little Flower) are both lay Doctors of the Church. (Nuns aren’t in holy orders.)
Poebe,
From the Catholic Encylopedia in an article on the laity.
“But ascetics, nuns, and unordained members of religious associations of men were not originally in the ranks of the clergy, and, strictly speaking, are not so even to-day, though, on account of their closer and more special dependence on ecclesiastical authority, they have long been included under the title clergy in its wider sense (see RELIGIOUS). The juridical condition of the laity in the Christian society is therefore determined by two considerations: their separation from the clergy, which excludes them from the performance of acts reserved to the latter; and second, their subjection to the spiritual authority of the clergy, which imposes certain obligations on them, while at the same time it confers on them certain rights.”
It’s definitely a good practice that third order members don’t wear the habit. I’m a third order Carelite by virtue of being enrolled in the brown scapular (which I wear and consider a blessing to be able to do so). Imagine the scandal of a miserable dork like me wearing the full habit in public.
In fact, as I consider this, it’s probably a good thing that certain religious (like the IHMs) don’t wear habits. Maybe it’s best that they are not easily identified by the public as being religious. Food for thought…
When I was a Carmelite nun (Discalced) two of our Third Order members passed away and both were buried in “habits” – the man received an old habit from the friars consisting of the habit tunic, scapular and white mantle. The deceased did not receive a capuche (hood). The woman received from us an old habit tunic, scapular and also a white mantle. She did not receive a veil or toque (the white head/neck covering that Carmelite nuns wear.) It is not an insult that they received “old” habits – deceased religious are also buried in old habits because the good ones are still servicable!
I know other Orders do the same for their Third Orders because my mother-in-law is a 3rd Order Dominican and she recently showed me the habit she will be buried in – white habit tunic and white scapular.
David Warren also has a great article on St. Catherine of Siena: http://www.davidwarrenonline.com/index.php?artID=604
Photos are up at my blog from the feast day Masses here in Rome, if you’re interested.
God bless!