When the Sisters of Charity in Emmitsburg (on the left) affiliated with the Daughters of Charity in France in 1850, they began wearing the clothing that the Daughters of Charity wore (on the right), which included the iconic white cornette.
I had my first book signing for Battlefield Angels: The Daughters of Charity Work as Civil War Nurses yesterday and I was told something I hadn’t heard before. Maybe someone who is reading this can give me more detail.
The Daughters of Charity in America wore the wide, white cornettes that they became known for 114 years from 1850 to 1964. At that time, they switched to simpler head covering somewhat similar to what they had worn when they were Sisters of Charity in the early 1800’s.
I was told that the reason for the switch was that three sisters were killed in an automobile accident because the cornettes obstructed their peripheral vision and they didn’t see an oncoming car.
So does anyone know anything more about this?
jimrada
I am a Daughter of Charity so I will try to explain the change in a nutshell for you. When we were founded in Paris in 1633 we wore the dress of the peasant women whcih included a simple cap. A kerchief was added over the cap-as was common at the time–to protect from the elements and it was considered immodest for the Sisters to have a bare neck. Our coomunity was dispersed during the French Revolution–as we regrouped and the headwear again wore it took on more style than the original practical use it had. It eventually came to be the “flying nun” version. With Vatican II, the pope called religious communities to re-look at the communities and habits in light of their original foundation. This is when the Daughters of Charity discontinued wearing the cornette and returned to a more simple habit.
Thanks, Sister, I knew everything up to your last line. So does this mean what I was told this weekend is just an urban legend of sorts?