Sally McGrath, age 16, of Helena, Mont., for her question:

WHY DO SOME MONKS WEAR STRANGE HAIRCUTS?

A special type of haircut is required of clergymen and monks in some churches. The cut is called a tonsure.

Roman Catholic priests receive the tonsure from their bishops before taking Holy Orders. They do not renew the tonsure. Monks receive the tonsure from their abbots and must keep it constantly renewed.

Scholars are not sure how the tonsure for Christian priests and  monks originated. Some think it was intended to show that the person was a servant of Christ, because closely cropped hair was a sign of servitude in early days.

There are two basic styles of tonsure, with variations from order to order. The Roman or St. Peter's tonsure, first used by Christian priests in Rome, leaves a ring of hair around the head to represent the crown of thorns worn by Jesus. The entire head is shaved or clipped close in the Eastern or St. Paul's tonsure, practiced in the Eastern Orthodox Churches.

Some Hindu priests have their heads completely shaved before taking orders.