1 Introduction When two people sit down to play chess, the question usually asked is: Which color would you like to play? Their choice between white and black usually comes down to personal taste or sometimes even superstition. Occasionally, the decision might also be influenced by current trends or the players’ mood at the moment. Someone used to prefer black, but with white being in vogue now, they’ll opt for the white pieces and pawns. That’s how it can be, and it likely happens in chess. The same may apply to fashion in clothing and home decor. Yet, the choice to embrace or decline the white habit, which was restored for the Marians by the 2023 General Chapter, should not be driven by personal taste, fashion trends, or even individual piety. The wearing of a religious habit, or choosing not to, has always carried significant meaning,1 and it continues to do so even in today’s largely secularized world, which nonetheless remains able to recognize Christian values and symbols. St. John Paul II addressed this topic almost thirty 1 It primarily concerns the outward manifestation of a complete dedication to God, affiliation with a particular religious order, the embrace of evangelical poverty, and the public testimony to Christ, a role to which those in consecrated life are uniquely called within the Church and the broader world. See: P. Naumowicz, Mariański strój, Rzym-Warszawa 2010, pp. 7-10, in <http://(MarianskiStroj.pdf)>, February 14, 2025.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjI2Mw==