10
THE SUMMER SESSION KANSAN
Friday, June 14, 1968
—Kansan Photo by Bill Seymour
OF NUNS AND BROTHERS
Sister Elizabeth Thoman, Marshalltown, Iowa, left, Sister Marie Tucker, Kansas City, Mo., Sister Audrey Martin, Bismarck, N.D., and Brother Robert Castille, Santa Fe, N.M., take a moment to compare their orders during the Publications Advisers Institute now in progress.
For religious orders
No habits replace the old habits
By Charlotte Bell Conley Advisers Institute Reporter
"Is she really a nun?" "And is he a Brother, a member of the order of Christian Brothers?" "Where are their habits, their robes?"
So went the comments made by the other 20 members of the Publications Advisers Institute in session at the William Allen White School of Journalism.
During the class and lunch afterwards, the advisers in the journalism institute soon discovered there were four participants who were members of religious orders. Two nuns were readily identifiable from their veils, but one sister and one brother had no visible symbols of dress or habit. The new order had arrived.
Freedom from ancient restrictions had been achieved. As their lively discussions revealed, these religious order members were devoted to their teaching jobs, their school publications and their deep and abiding faith.
YOUNG, Brother Robert Castille of the order of Christian Brothers teaches sophomore English and religion at St. Michael's High School for boys in Santa Fe, N.M., a private school owned by the Christian Brothers with an enrollment of about 450.
Brother Castille said, "A habit is just a symbol. A symbol may become so unusual that the 'unusual' distorts the symbol. It is like shaking hands with a man whose hand is heavily bandaged. One is conscious of the bandage but not the shaking of hands."
When 1800 Christian Brothers, the largest teaching order in the world, gathered at a world meeting in Rome two years ago, one of the items decided upon at that time was the matter of dress. Since then the Christian Brothers order has not been required to wear a specific habit, Brother Charles Henry, who was elected Superior General at this meeting, is the first American to head the order in the 300 years of its existence.
Sister Elizabeth Thoman, Congregation of the Humility of Mary, is teaching English 11 and journalism at Lenihan High
School in Marshalltown, Iowa. Her order is one of the smaller ones in contrast with Brother Castille's, having just 400 members. The motherhouse is located in Ottumwa, Iowa.
As to the wearing of a special habit, Sister Elizabeth, who dresses much as any young woman on campus, stated, "The habit is not the most important thing in our lives. It is only an external manifestation of openness to contemporary life that is central to those who have been termed the 'new nuns.'"
In her community clothing is now voluntarily restricted by vote of the sisters to contemporary styles in plain colors with no prints or design, in subdued tones of blue, gray, green, black or brown. No veil is worn. The order is in the process of selecting a symbol which they can wear — perhaps a cross on a neck chain.
Another modern sister is Sister Marie T. Tucker, Congregation of St. Joseph. She has been teaching for six years at St. Teresa's Academy, a private academy for girls in Kansas City, Mo. She will return next year to teach English and journalism and will sponsor the school newspaper.
Sister Elizabeth received her B.A. degree in English from Marycrest College, Davenport, Iowa.
Their dress is also contemporary in design and must be blue, black, brown or gray. The skirts must cover the knees and the sleeves may be elbow length or longer. She wears a cross on a chain, but it is not any specific design. They do wear a short modified veil which Sister Marie prefers.
"The veil does become an unmistakable symbol. The symbol sets one off as consecrated to Christ, as a wedding ring is a symbol of marriage," Sister Marie said. She is happy with what the sisters have chosen to wear.
to visit relatives and to travel more in Europe.
Representing yet another order, Sister Audrey Martin, Order of St. Benedict, teaches at a parochial coeducational school, St. Mary's High School in Bismarck, N.D.
IN 1964 she was selected for a grant from the Kansas City, Mo., branch of English Speaking Union to study English literature at Oxford University for six weeks. She two more weeks in London
She teaches English and journalism and is in charge of the literary magazine and the year book. She has been teaching for 20 years and her only contact with sisters in Bismarck where she grew up was with the Benedictines in her schooling.
THE CHANGE in the habit of Sister Audrey's order came about in stages. The modified veil was adopted two years ago and the change in dress came about one year ago.
Sister Audrey definitely prefers
the new clothing. "It makes one more approachable to the lay people. Being free to mingle with the laity makes understanding their problems easier.
She also feels that their outlook is broader than when they were restricted by outmoded rules. They may now travel alone rather than in pairs; they may visit in lay homes and may mingle with others such as residing in the GSP residence hall where all the other Publication Adviser Institute members are housed.
The members of her order are now experimenting with different patterns of dress styles and they have decided to limit their colors to black, blue and gray. They wear a brief modified veil, contemporary shoes and no makeup.
Summer students permitted access to swimming pool
Summer students at KU now have access to the first public swimming facility in the city of Lawrence.
Temporary facilities at the site of the old Firebird Club, 23rd and Iowa Streets, opened to the public last week. The pool facilities are available from 1 to 8.30 p.m.
Jim Tally, assistant director of parks and recreation for the city of Lawrence, said that the permanent facility, a 50 meter pool, will be triple the size of the temporary facility now in use. The new pool will be located in Central Park.
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