September 21, 2005
This brief bit of dialogue is now well familiar to our friars who recently returned from Italy. Through the thoughtfulness of some generous benefactors, many of our friars who attended World Youth Day in Cologne were able to take a “side trip” to Assisi. For Franciscans, besides Jerusalem, Assisi is considered another “Holy Land”. For those of our readers who have been there, you know that Assisi not only feels holy, but is also really beautiful! The garb, or the religious habit of the friars – that is, the cowled tunic, the rope, and sandals – is known throughout the world. Very early on, Saint Francis sent his friars out on missions well beyond the borders of his own Italy – Croatia, Germany, France, Spain, England, and the Middle East. Like the Jesuits and later other communities, Franciscans found themselves in far-flung places like Africa and the Far East. There is hardly a place where I have gone where people have not recognized the holy habit of Saint Francis; yet admittedly, the gray color throws people off! The question people often ask the friars – especially in Europe, particularly Italy – is “why is a Franciscan wearing gray?” Most people are familiar with the brown habit, although there are Franciscans who also wear black, and some in tropical regions wear white. In fact, the order from which our CFR community was born, the Capuchins, are well known because of Saint Padre Pio. In Italy this branch of the Franciscan family is known as iCappuccini, a nickname due to the large cappuccio (capuche or hood). The habit of the Capuchin Franciscans (the habit I wore for nine years before “going gray”) is coffee colored. So when someone had the bright idea of adding some steamed milk to black espresso, it turned the color of a Capuchin’s habit, and together with the frothy white “beard”, they said: “look, cappuccino!” How’s that for a trivia question? Yet, the question remains – why the gray? Well, the habit of Saint Francis and the early friars – including that of Saint Anthony – was made of the most inexpensive cloth available, that is, undyed wool. This is what the very poor and the lepers wore. However, as some of you may already know, wool, if not dyed, in time will turn a gray color. It may be a theory, but one reputable Franciscan scholar thinks the friars dyed their habits brown because when they traveled together as a group, from a distance they looked like a band of lepers! A garb certainly not good for public relations, don’t you agree? Those of you who have had the pleasure of visiting Assisi have probably seen one of the preserved habits worn by Saint Francis. There it is, in a glass case, a very simply cut tunic made of cheap wool and patched – inside and out! Saint Francis designed this simple and poor habit to look like a cross! Because of his holiness and the conformity of his life to Christ, by the time of his death, 5000 men from many nations were wearing this simple cross-shaped tunic. No doubt, among them were as many colors as there were sheep! Recently, Father Grzegorz Wierzba, O.F.M., a native of Poland and a member of the Franciscan Order, went “from brown to gray” in a simple yet moving ceremony. This begins a three-year probationary period required by Church law before any official transfer is made. Father came to New York after spending six years serving a parish in Arezzo, Italy. No doubt, when he returns for a visit, it’s almost guaranteed what will happen. After the tears and hearty embraces, his old friends will all stand back a few feet, stare at his gray habit, throw up their hands and cry out: “Padre! Grigio?” Then he’ll say, “You know, it’s really a long story. Where can we get a cup of cappuccino?” Fr. Glenn Sudano, CFR |
