The Next Step

So many people have been wondering what the next step is for me.  How long does it take to be a Sister?  When do I receive the habit and new name?  Do you go to nun school?  So I figured I could answer some of these questions.

There are three or four Sisters who make up the formation team that will help me learn about the Scriptures, Franciscan writings and tradition, the charism of the Mother Foundress, the lives of the saints, and the documents of the Church and of the Order. The Evangelical Counsels, Mariology, writings of the spiritual masters, Church History, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, prayer, and the Theology of the Body are also a part of formation.

I will first be a ...

• Candidate-this means that I will be allowed to enter and live in the community.  I will begin learning about religious life, the charism of the community, and St. Francis
• Postulant: I will prepare for and make a simple consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mother. I will continue learning about the Holy Rule, the documents of the Congregation, elements of prayer life, the Catechism, and Scripture. 
• Novice: I will receive the habit!!!! At this point I would wear a white veil instead of a black one. My cincture, like a belt sort of, has no knots to show that she is not yet subject to vows. She receives her new religious name. I will continue to learn and try to live out what I am learning.
• Juniorate: At this point it will be around 3 years since my entrance.  At this time I would be professing the temporary vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience according to the Rule and Constitutions. I will repeat these vows annually twice more and then make vows for a final two year period before formally requesting her final vows for a total for four years!