Prayer Request
We begin with the “Come and See” programme, which is about three months’ time. It gives her the first hand experience of our way of life and to interiorize its spirit. It is the time for the candidate to decide as well as for the community to evaluate her vocation, her aptitudes and intentions to lead a cloistered life. If that goes well, she may apply to enter the Aspirancy.
The Aspirancy, considered as a first knowledge of the monastery by the candidate and of the candidate by the monastery community, involves a series of contacts and times of community experience. This knowledge will help the candidate to complete the human and religious formation at this stage. It is a time to make a personal verification of the authenticity of her call to the contemplative monastic life. It is a time to make the community to assess her real ability and to find out whether she possess natural and psychological gifts, normal openness to others, psychic balance, a spirit of faith, and a firm will that make it possible to spend life in community, in continence, in obedience, in poverty, and in the cloister.
The Aspirancy, has a minimum duration of twelve months. It may be extended but for no longer than two years.
The Postulancy is a necessary stage for proper preparation for the novitiate during which the candidate confirms her determination. It also allows her to reach a certain level of culture, especially religious culture. During this time, the Postulant moves from the present secular mode of her life and is gradually introduced to the elements of contemplative monastic life.
The community, on its part, evaluates whether the candidate has right intention, health, suitable temperament, sufficient human and spiritual maturity which is appropriate for her age, thus giving grounds for hoping she will be able to undertake the obligations of monastic life.
The Postulancy has a minimum duration of twelve months which can be prolonged according to need but it must not exceed two years.
During this period, the Postulant lives in the monastery and follows the life of the community. She is helped to know her capacity for monastic life.
Before beginning the Novitiate, the Postulant will make an eight-day retreat.
The Novitiate is the time of trial, and its objective is to lead the candidate to become more fully aware of the vocation, verifying the real and concrete ability to live it with joy and generosity, particularly in reference to fraternal life in community.
The Novitiate begins with the Rite of Initiation to Religious Life in which the candidate is given the habit of the Order with the white veil.
The Novitiate is for two years, the second being the canonical one.
The purpose of the Novitiate is to help the Novice to interiorize our specific form of contemplative Teresian Carmel. She is instructed on the Rule and the Constitutions and the Marian spirit of the Order. She will be taught how to understand the Bible and is given a theological and spiritual introduction to the Liturgy as well as the mystery of the life of the Church.
The Novice is well formed in theology and is trained in the practice of the Evangelical Counsels. Intimate contact with Christ must necessarily lead her to a strong sacramental life and to personal prayer, to which she is guided and for which adequate time is also granted.
It is a time for the Novice to perfect her gifts of nature and education, and develop her own personality, feeling truly responsible for her own human, Christian, and religious growth.
In this stage, insertion into the life of the community is full, so the goal is to experience the capacity of the Temporarily Professed to find a proper balance between the various dimensions of contemplative monastic life (prayer, work and fraternal relationships.
Temporary Profession is emitted for three years and is renewed annually up to the completion of five years.
If it seems opportune, the time of temporary profession can be prolonged by the Major Superior but making sure that twelve years of initial formation are not exceeded.
At the end of the period of Temporary Vows, the Junior voluntarily requests in writing to be admitted to Solemn Profession. Otherwise she will have to leave the Order.
Solemn Profession may be anticipated for a just cause, but not by more than three months.
It pertains to the Prioress, with the consent of the Chapter to admit to Solemn Profession.
