Initial
formation
Your
life journey can be lived in the joy of serving the Lord and your
brothers and sisters whom you meet along the way. Your inner peace
is very important. It is essential to continue on your journey.
For this
to happen you must come to a point in your relationship with God
where you are able to say like Samuel: "Here I am. Speak,
Lord, your servant is listening..." and also like our
Blessed Mother: "Let it be done to me according to Your
word."
But a life
journey like that of the Franciscans requires preparation. Perhaps
you are interested in learning about the steps involved in beginning
the Franciscan life. The process consists of about five years
of formation before making final and solemn vows. It is divided
into three stages: Postulancy, Novitiate,
and Temporary, Simple Vows.
The Program
of Initial Formation is a gradual process of personal, spiritual,
and ministerial development. During Initial Formation, a candidate
is helped to develop his personal character and theological understanding
so he will be able to live and work effectively with other men
as a Franciscan friar in service to the Church. There are three
areas of Initial Formation.
During the
year(s) of postulancy, a man lives
with a friar community and engages in various aspects of its life
and work. At this stage, the candidate is presented with resources
(e.g. workshops, personal advisors) to help him develop the psychological
and emotional qualities necessary for religious life and ministry.
As a novice,
the candidate's goal is to deepen his relationship with God. He
is introduced more intensely to the Rule of Life of the friars
and to the history and traditions of the Franciscan Order. At
the conclusion of the novitiate year,
the candidate professes his first vows (poverty, chastity, and
obedience) as a Franciscan friar.
The five
years after first profession are spent developing a competence
for service to the Church in programmes of study suitable to the
kind of work the friar aspires to perform. Friars who are candidates
for priesthood are enrolled in a university degree programme in
theology and pastoral studies, preparing them for ministry.
The friar’s
initial formation concludes with the profession
of solemn or final vows, an event which fully incorporates
him into the Province and the Franciscan Order. The total process
takes seven years.
|
