Category Archives: Exhibits

June 25, 2014 · 8:44 am

Why Did the Daughters of Charity Change Their Habit?

Old and new habits of the Daughters of Charity

Sr. Regina Priller models the 1964 habit; Sr. Mary Rose McPhee models the cornette habit (used with permission of Daughters of Charity Provincial Archives)

Our upcoming exhibit, Swan Song, opening next week, looks back at the change in the Daughters of Charity’s traditional habit, which occurred 50 years ago this September and the experiences of the Sisters who experienced it. As we look back on the change, an important question to ponder is: why? Why did the habit change at all and why did it change at this particular time?

The change of habit was one of many major changes to religious life that happened in response to the Church’s call to change that began with Pope Pius XII and continued through John XXIII and Paul VI and the work of the Second Vatican Council. As Sr. Kieran Kneaves, D.C. has written, “in June 1962 Sr. Suzanne Guillemin was elected our Superioress General and in October, Pope John XXIII opened the Vatican Council. And so, we were called to begin the journey to renewal. And our lives have never been the same.”

Our library collection holds many editions of the documents from the Second Vatican Council. From these we can see the strong focus on re-examination and renewal which characterized the Council’s work. It wasn’t just the habit that changed. A whole way of life changed, as religious communities, both women and men, were directed to take a fresh look at the spirit and charism of their founders, to cast off practices and traditions which had become outmoded, to rewrite constitutions and common rules, and to simplify their attire. At the same time dramatic changes took place in the liturgy and lay people’s participation in it. Decrees on Ecumenism and on the Church’s Missionary Activity drew religious communities into new ministries and gave a new focus on issues of social justice.

In keeping with these directives, the Daughters of Charity’s Constitutions, Common Rules, and Book of Customs were extensively re-written and updated. And it was in the 1960s that Louise de Marillac’s contributions as a co-founder of the Daughters of Charity first received greater attention and recognition.

A few representative quotations from Vatican II documents are below. The documents of Vatican II are available online; print copies are also available for study in the Provincial Archives.

“[The Church] is preparing to welcome the Fathers of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council … This is a solemn hour for the history of the Church. It involves, therefore, increasing the fervor of its efforts for spiritual renewal, which are always at work, in order to give new impetus to the works and institutions of its millennial life …”
Pope John XXII, Letter to Women Religious
July 2, 1962

The most important work of the General Chapters is the studied accommodation of the rules of their Institute to the changed conditions of the times … Religious Institutes will flourish and prosper so long as the integral spirit of their Founder continues to inspire their rule of life and
apostolic works.”
Pope Paul VI, To All Religious, May 23, 1964

“The religious habit, being a sign of consecration to God, should be simple and modest, poor and at the same time becoming. In addition it should meet the requirements of health and be suited to the circumstances of time and place and to the needs of the ministry. The habit of both men and women Religious which does not conform to these norms is to be changed.”
Pope Paul VI, On the Adaptation and Renewal of the Religious Life (Perfectae Caritatis), October 28, 1965

“You hear rising up, more pressing than ever from their personal distress and collective misery, ‘the cry of the poor’ … It calls for the conversion of hearts, for liberation from all temporal encumbrances. It is a call to love.”
Pope Paul VI, On the Renewal of the Religious Life According to the Teachings of the Second Vatican Council (Evangelica Testificatio), June 29, 1971

“We believe that the day has come when the life of women Religious has to be given greater honor and be made more effective, and that this can be done by perfecting the bonds that unite it to the life of the whole Church … We have given orders that some devout qualified ladies are to attend as auditors several of the solemn ceremonies and several of the General Congregations of the coming third session of the Second Vatican Council; what we have in mind are those Congregations that will discuss matters of particular importance to the lives of women.”
Pope Paul VI, New Horizons for the Women Religious, September 8, 1964

Mother Suzanne Guillemin, D.C., then-Superioress General of the Daughters of Charity, was one of the women chosen to be an auditor at Vatican II. Seen here are Mother Guillemin and the other auditors (Photo credit: Fotografia Pontificia Giordani, Rome)

For more information, see Sr. Doris Gottemoeller, RSM “Vatican II: The Call to Religious Change”, an informative post found on the blog of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

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Filed under Exhibits, Habit, John XXIII, Vatican 2

June 19, 2014 · 12:53 pm

Exhibit to open June 30: “Swan Song”

Our new exhibit, “Swan Song”, opens June 30 in Provincial Archives Gallery 2 (painting by Hartnett, used with permission of Daughters of Charity Provincial Archives)

(Images used with permission of the Daughters of Charity Provincial Archives)

“It won’t make headlines, perhaps, but it will certainly make heart lines. For, on September 20, 1964, the white cornette of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul will disappear from the world. Literally from the world, since on five continents and in sixty-five countries the white starched headdress with its widespread wings will never again be seen … For more than three centuries the cornette has been, as one of our recent Popes remarked, ‘The international symbol of Charity, even as the cross is the international symbol of Faith.’ … ”
–Sister Catherine Sullivan, 1964

The Provincial Archives’ new exhibit, Swan Song: Looking Back at the 1964 Habit Change, will open on June 30 in Provincial Archives Gallery 2, and will run through October 17.

On September 20, 1964, Daughters of Charity all over the world set aside their traditional habit, with its beloved cornette. Through photographs, artwork, oral history, and artifacts Swan Song will look back at the change in the Daughters’ habit and the experiences of the Sisters who went through it.

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Filed under Announcements, Exhibits, Habit

June 19, 2014 · 11:44 am

New Exhibit: Conservation of the American Rule of 1812

The newly-restored 1812 American Rule (front, center), now on display in the Provincial Archives. In the background are images of three of the restored pages

(Images used with permission of Daughters of Charity Provincial Archives)

Our collections are unique and irreplaceable, and preservation measures are an ongoing activity for the Provincial Archives. The Provincial Archives, working with conservator Mary Wootton, has just completed conservation treatments for one of the most historically valuable items in our collection: The Regulations for the Society of Sisters of Charity in the United States of America, commonly known as the American Rule of 1812.

Conserving the American Rule was a labor-intensive process, as each of the book’s 60 leaves received attention. Mary’s treatment plan involved several steps. After removing the binding, she washed all the pages in special solution. She then removed strips of tape that had been used to repair the volume at the beginning of the twentieth century. She then repaired the newly-cleaned leaves and re-bound the book. According to Mary, the American Rule is now in a condition very close to its original condition at the time it was written in 1812.

This is one of the most important pieces in our collection because it is the common link for all members of the Sisters of Charity Federation. It is the first American translation of the Vincentian Rule. For this reason, too, it is important for the Sisters of Charity who descend from St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.

Preserving the legacy of Mother Seton, seen in documents such as the American Rule, is an important part of our stewardship responsibilities. Thanks to Mary’s efforts, the American Rule will be available for many years into the future.

The restored American Rule is now on display in Gallery 2. It is open to the public on Wednesday afternoons; open to Sisters and Associates on the Emmitsburg Campus during our normal hours (8am to 4:30pm Monday through Friday).