well the novitiate committe just met, and it is highly likely that there will not be a novitiate due to so few candidates.

Please pray for me and the Augustinians.

SHALOM

You and the Augustinians will be in my prayers. Only a similier note we have very few guys in application for the seminary from my diocese, and we need them, so keep us in your prayers.
God Bless

what does this mean for you? postulancy for you for a longer period or no postulants...no novices at all? How many are there? One would think even if there are a few, the Augustinians would want to have a noviate anyway....but perhaps there are other factors figuring into this...like financial... Prayers here...

It does mean continuing as a postulant, hopefully for just another year.

I can see the reasoning, all though it is not certain, it is just unlikely.

There are two guys from the other provinces i hear.

It could just be that they all got together and get the impression that the postulants may need to continue as postulants.

If i were to hold off another year, i would likely be able to finish up my BA before novitiate, i could imagine there are other practical situations that they face.

There was a rush to join this year, because of other postulants who would have been scheduled to enter novitiate, but have left since then.

But anyways, yeah, there is the frustration of few vocations sure. But the real frustration is encouragement to go to novitiate, then discouragement, then encouragement, and now once again discouragement.

Pray that i may stand firm in my vocation, it feels a little shaky as of last night.

SHALOM

Putting postulants in a holding pattern certainly won't help with their situation. I would imagine that eventually people will start discerning other orders.

well, i guess novitiate is so important. If i am supposed to learn about community life, i should have a community.

But yeah, i am God's punching bag.

Whatever doesnt destroy me will only make me holy.

SHALOM

My cousin is a friar Augustinian, of the recolest.
What they do is to assemble for the novitiate the candidates of several regions in one, for example of Latin America in Spain, with the candidates of the several regions. It is easy to do it for questions of language and cultural factors.
I dont know other congregations Augustinian, so not if yours can make anything similar.
Prayers for you, your vocation and all the Augustinian brothers and friars.

God's punching bag...holy (holey) HAHA! I GET IT! That's funny!


ok...yeah, I'm kind of lame sometimes...

Mark, how are you doing? I am praying for you.

Formation director says to not count on it.

Okay. I deal with it, and yeah.

Then...

Vocation director sounds excited that i am going.

I don't know whos right.

But nonetheless, i have to submit to God's will, and die to myself, to properly prepare myself, whether or not i enter novitiate. I may go this year or not.

I DID NOT GIVE MY LIFE OVER TO GOD TO FOLLOW MY OWN PLANS. SOMETIMES WHEN YOU FOLLOW GOD, HE SURPRISES YOU. AND SOMETIMES THOSE SURPRISES HURT. FAITH AND VOCATION DISCERNMENT ARE VERY RISKY AND REQUIRE GREAT LOVE COURAGE HUMILITY AND GENEROSITY. I just need to learn those the hard way.

SHALOM

Hang in there!!!