Novice

The novice receives the habit of the community and is given a religious name. Now a Sister, the novice fixes her attention on developing a more intimate union with Christ, which is nurtured by silence, solitude, prayer, and a joyful, sacrificial love for her Sisters and all God’s people. She studies and learns to live the Constitutions, customs, and charism of the community; the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty, and obedience; and the requirements of religious life. Typically during the second year of her novitiate, the Sister engages in apostolic activity, which gradually prepares her for mission living and teaching in Catholic schools.

Postulant

During this stage of continued discernment, a postulant spends her time deepening in a life of prayer and loving service while learning about the community’s charism and particular way of life. This stage often includes opportunity for observation and service at schools where the Sisters teach. The postulancy is an important time for the young woman’s gradual adjustment to the religious state, which she begins upon entrance into the novitiate.

Discerner

The pre-entrance program at the Discernment House provides opportunity for greater clarity on a young woman’s call to religious life and to the community specifically. The discerner witnesses the Sisters’ life more directly, joining them in prayer, support of the apostolate, and common life; she also undertakes a program of human and spiritual formation to aid in her growth and readiness for possible entrance to the postulancy. The young woman maintains her connections with family and friends while living at the Discernment House.

 

"Love your community as Christ loves the Church
and gave Himself up for Her...
live by this love and long to die in it.
Your community is your family."

Bishop Flavin

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