Wedding Gowns
Which of these
dresses is a wedding gown?
The Poor Clare would
answer “Both!”
On the right is pictured the wedding gown worn by the
Grandmother of our Postulant Joscelyn
and which Joscelyn herself will wear
on her investiture day next Sunday. Our
community preserves the ancient tradition of dressing in bridal finery on the
day a Sister receives the habit of our Order in imitation of our Mother St.
Clare, who 800 years ago dressed in her finest gown and left her home the night
of Palm Sunday to consecrate herself to Christ at the hands of St. Francis.
Along with her Grandmother’s dress, Joscelyn
will also wear our own mantilla that for the past 40 years each postulant has
worn, only to exchange it for the white veil of a novice.
Pictured with the white wedding gown is a newly sewn,
grey-brown Poor Clare habit which is our daily reminder that we are Brides of
Christ. Yes, the cross-formed habit is
our wedding dress that we wear every day of our lives. Like the Church, we are Brides that still
await the arrival of the Bridegroom. On
our investiture day we celebrate the solemn engagement, the first step toward
the wedding feast. The next step is the
Profession when we are espoused to Christ.
This espousal is then made firm at Final Profession. Then we live every moment in expectation of
His coming to claim us at the end of our mortal days. Even now, however, we experience foretastes
of that future, heavenly joy.
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| Sister Francis Maria- our ace habit maker |
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