What is a habit?
A “habit” is the official garb that identifies a religious man or woman as a member of their individual order or community. The word came into use as it was the habit of religious men and women to daily dress in their respective, distinctive clothing. St. Francis not only wanted to serve the poor; he wanted to be poor. When he devised a habit for his brothers, he chose the clothing typically worn by the poor: a plain brown robe with a hood for protection, a cord fastened around one’s waist, and sandals for one’s feet. It is the habit that Capuchins wear yet to this day. Capuchins received their name because of the long, distinctive hood that is part of their habit, a hood that in Italian is called a “capuche”. One breed of monkeys has been named the “Capuchin Monkey” because of the discolored fur on its back that resembles the hood of a Capuchin friar.
