Why do some priests and religious dress in clerical garb or habits and others don ?
Those who maintain habits or clerical garb today do so for various reasons. One of the primary reasons is that religious dress is a sign. The garb is an instantly recognized symbol of faith in God and commitment to Christianity. Another frequent rationale for religious garb is that it is simple dress and therefore a way to live out the vow of poverty. A sister, brother, or priest who wears religious garb can own just two or three changes of dress and be free of the expense that may be involved in a more extensive contemporary wardrobe. Other communities say the habit is an important sign of penitence for them. Some communities have opted to wear street clothes, saying that the most valid sign of Christian faith is lifestyle, rather than garb. They contend that religious dress creates an undesirable barrier between them and laity with whom they work. Some Catholics and non-Catholics distance themselves from people in traditional religious dress. Furthermore, those who have discontinued
