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Novitiate – Overview
It’s been a while since I wrote about the stages of formation in my series, “Decoding Formation” (see the sidebar on my blog for the previous posts). But now it is time to look at novitiate. I’m going to write this in several parts because there are a number of things I’d like to address. As in the previous stages, there is some variance across communities in terms of what exactly happens during novitiate. And know that I come from a community of active women religious, not a community of contemplative nuns. So there may be things that are particular to contemplatives that I am totally missing — contemplative nuns: please feel free to comment with your experiences!
After Candidacy/Postulancy, a person is ready for the big step of entering the novitiate. ” Novitiate” is the stage at which a person is a novice (meaning “new”) in the community. The community and the person have discerned that the fit is a good one. The “dating” is over (so to speak) and now comes the official engagement period. Just as a couple is committed to one another during an engagement, so the woman and the community are committed to one another. She is now ready to become a member of the community — not a full member for she is not yet under vows, but a novice member. As a novice she is still learning about religious life and the ways of the community, and at the same time she participates in the day to day life and mission of the community. Whereas in the previous stage the Candidate/Postulant usually supports herself and continues with her “former” life, now she is part of the community – what was once “mine” is now “ours”. During novitiate (and for the rest of her religious life), the novice receives what she needs from the community. As mentioned above, she is not yet under vows, though she lives as if she is — the vows of povery, celibacy, and obedience become not just something she knows about but something she lives.
During novitiate, a novice has a novice director – a professed sister who is responsible for the formation of the novice. The novice typically lives with the novice director and any other novices in the same convent/house. Other professed sisters may live in this community.
When a woman is preparing for novitiate, she and the congregation must be attentive to both the congregation’s Rule of Life (or Constitutions) and to Canon Law which provides guidelines and safeguards for the novitiate. I’ll develop this a bit more in my next post on novitiate: Novitiate – Canon Law.
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{ 6 comments }
Dear Sr Julie,
I’m currently a “pre-novice” (aka. postulant) and am preparing to request acceptance as a novice. I think it’s great that your “decoding formation” series is there and is always a bit ahead of where I’m at!
Thanks for your blog. It really helped me, especially in the early stages. May you be blessed with God’s deep peace, Sarah
Wonderful, Sarah! Thank you for writing. Know that you are in my prayers as you prepare for novitiate. Sister J
Hi Julie. Me again! I’m approaching novitiate and am still feeling very positive about this journey and sure in the knowledge that God is here with me. My congregation is Benedictine and was formed to work in apostolic ministries (teaching, social work etc.) Most of the congregation gave up the habit after the second vatican council and there is no suggestion that I should, or would want to wear a habit (which I’m happy with).
As I learn more about the traditions of the order I sometimes feel sad at all that was ‘given up’ and wonder about the traditions we have still and those we don’t. Sorry, I’m rambling! As I’m preparing to enter novitiate I keep wondering is maybe I’d like to shave my head when I do that. In some ways that’s very not-me but I think that I have a lot to learn about humility. I have shoulder length blond hair which I think is maybe a little too important to me…
Anyway, I’m not sure why I think it might be part of making that step, it’s just one of those ideas that seems to have stuck! Any thoughts on the matter?
Thanks again for this wonderful resource!
with love, Sarah
Hello, Sarah … What you are saying makes a lot of sense. Sometimes I wondered about traditions that my congregation no longer observes and was saddened by them. For those of us who have never experienced those traditions (like shaving one’s head, “grand silence”, chapter of faults, etc.) there may be a certain novelty or even romanticism about such things. In reality, I know shaving one’s hair was really hard and traumatic for some sisters. And sometimes an old custom appeals to us because we personally want a heightened sense of discipline, prayer, whatever. I know because I had some of those.
The insight that I came to is that if some communal practices are no longer the custom of the congregation, then that’s something I accept because I am a member. For example, it would be odd of me to want to wear a veil when the custom in my congregation is generally not to (unless you came to the congregation when wearing the veil was still the custom). It’s more important to me to be of one mind and heart with my sisters than to do something that is edifying only to me. This is where we have to balance what is important to “me” with what is important to “us”. It’s a really tough call, Sarah. But I can tell you that you’re not the only one who has felt this way. Hang in there and keep taking your desires to God. Your desire to want to grow in humility is a beautiful one. Trust me when I say that there will be ample opportunities in life for you to practice this! God will lead you through this and perhaps open a door where you didn’t see one at first. My prayers are with you, Sarah. Sister J
Hi Sister Julie, it’s Jana again (from Tony ‘n Tina’s wedding). I don’t know if you aware that a meal is included in the show that we, as actors, also have to eat. Since this show is performing all thru lent I am trying to figure out how it works. The meal includes meat balls and I am a little confused about things. There is so much material on the subject, it is hard to weed thru it and to apply it to someone who is suppose to be a novice. Is it only fridays that you cannot eat meat or is it the whole 40 days?
Hi Jana — As a novice, you’d be following what all other Catholics would be doing. Catholics (age 14 and older) in the U.S. must refrain from eating meat from warm-blooded animals on Ash Wednesday (the beginning of the season of Lent) and on the Fridays of Lent. Under the current discipline, fish, eggs, milk products, and condiments or foods made using animal fat are permitted in the Western Rite of the Church, though not in the Eastern Rite.
This year, the season of Lent ends on March 23. So if the wedding is anytime from now until March 23, 2008, I’d recommend skipping the meat dishes to remain true to character. Although if the wedding is during Lent, the bride and groom may have asked for a dispensation (temporary exemption from a Church law) which means the party might have been given permission to eat meat on a Friday of Lent just for the wedding meal. But as a novice, you could play up the scrupulosity of a young sister and stick to the tradition of not eating meat on Friday of Lent. Blessings, Jana! Sister J