nos•tal•gia | a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.
Last night, I had the honor of attending an anniversary for my aunt who celebrated 40 years of committed life as a Roman Cathlic nun. She has lived in Italy for over 30 years where she has spent her adult life on a sprawling compound in Rome's Monteverde Vecchio disctrict.
(Villa Salvator Mundi, Monteverde Vecchio, Roma)
As I sat through the mass that was said for my dear aunt, I couldn't help but reflect on my many years in Catholic school (13 including kindergarten). I observed from the back of the chapel while the Polish and American priests said the mass and there stood dozens of nuns in their navy blue habit, white blouse, and navy blue skirts. Some of the younger nuns were wearing a small jumper, a collarless sleeveless dress worn over the blouse.
*I will say this, a nun wouldn't be a nun without the essential "comfortable" shoes. If you've spent time with nuns or spent years in Catholic school, you'll know what I mean.
I recalled the hours I had spent attending mass with hundreds of other children all dressed in blue and white uniforms. 9 years in parochial school wearing blue or gray corduroy pants, white polos and navy v-neck pullover or cardigan sweaters we spent.
(Cardigan and Corduroys by A.P.C.)
And when my mother gave me the freedom of picking out my own footwear, I always chose the classic canvas Vans -- usually, blue, white, or black.
Fast forward to today and I still have an affinity for the same exact look. Navy blues, white and blue shirts, and cardigan or v-neck sweaters. I still have a love for the classic Vans but have also grown into a taste for leather lace-ups as well. And even when I'm picking out jackets and coats, I often narrow my choices down to shades of gray, black, navy and brown.
One could say my fondness for this classic look stems from my years spent with priests, nuns, and brothers dressed in shades of black, blue, gray, and white and my affinity for shoes and Wallabees by Clarks Originals comes from those same years staring at the nuns (coincidentally my teachers) with "comfortable" shoes.
(Nuns in "Comfortable" Shoes)
(Comfortable Shoe by Clarks Originals)
Then I graduated and continued on to an all boys Catholic preparatory school. We were given a little bit more freedom in our choice of dress as long as we were wearing slacks (no denim) and a collared shirt (no prints or profanity), no piercings or tattoos (God forbid the thought) and our hair shorn short.
To this day, I still find myself as preppy as ever. My favorite finds often come from the offerings of Polo by Ralph Lauren , A.P.C. , J. Crew, Brooks Brothers or any of the preppy pieces curated by BEAMS and United Arrows . My shoes, more often than not, are made by Heutchy or Clarks Originals and trainers by Vans or Adidas Originals .
So the question remains: Am I a preppy Protestant or am I parochial (denoting affiliation with a Catholic parish)...
...and after 13 years attending Catholic schools and a small stint living in a convent in Montevecchio -- I have come to the conclusion that I am more preppy than parochial. Surely, you'll never find me wearing whale print pants or speaking with a mid-Atlantic American accent but I am preppy to the core.
"Mea Culpa," to my friends at the Roman convent ("and to all the saints..."). "Pray for us." I will always think upon my days in parochial school with great nostalgia but these days my choice in clothing has little to do with a man (or woman) of the cloth.
To Your Commitment to Religious Life
And Your 40th Jubilee, Dear Sister C.
TANTI AUGURI!
No comments:
Post a Comment