Only A One-year Novitiate?

[DameAgnes]

Am I reading this correctly? The Nashville Dominicans have just a one year novitiate? I thought it was a two-year?

[url="http://nashvilledominican.org/Vocations/The_Formation_Process"]http://nashvilledominican.org/Vocations/Th...rmation_Process[/url]

[VeniteAdoremus]

I saw that as well - maybe they changed it?

The Dominican friars have a three-week postulancy and one-year novitiate. That means that my friend who's joining a year after me will still beat me to first vows! Not fair!

[stlmom]

From their formation page: The two years following initial vows are spent within the novitiate, interestingly enough.

[VeniteAdoremus]

Many monastic communities do this as well (or, at least, some time of it).

[DominicanPhilosophy]

Sisters in Ann Arbor spend two years after postulant year as novices; Nashville has the required one-year notiviate (ie, a sister is a novice for one year after postulant year). However, the first four years of religious formation in the community are referred to as the "Novitiate."

Postulant - 1 yr
Novice - 1 yr
First-year black veil (profess temporary, "First" vows for 3 yrs)
Second-year black veil
- leave Novitiate to live in Professed community (now referred to as "Professed" sisters) -
Third-year black veil
Renew First Vows for 2 more yrs
Profess Final Vows at 7 yrs religious formation



+JMJD

Edited August 2, 2009 by DominicanPhilosophy

[VeniteAdoremus]

Hm... interesting! I also thought they had just the three years of temporary vows (like my future community).

Is this to make sure they all have some experience "in the field" before they make final vows? (Because the sisters without a teaching qualification spend four years getting that, plus the novitiate year?)

By the way, I love referring to them as "first year black veil" or "second year black veil". Sounds like martial arts ranks

[DominicanPhilosophy]

[quote name='VeniteAdoremus' post='1938904' date='Aug 2 2009, 11:46 AM']Hm... interesting! I also thought they had just the three years of temporary vows (like my future community).

Is this to make sure they all have some experience "in the field" before they make final vows? (Because the sisters without a teaching qualification spend four years getting that, plus the novitiate year?)

By the way, I love referring to them as "first year black veil" or "second year black veil". Sounds like martial arts ranks [/quote]

Yes, they do have a neat formation "layout." Three years under temporary vows, then renewal of the vows for two years. I'm not sure the exact reason for this, but I would presume that you are correct. That makes sense.

Haha! I love it, too! One of my sister-teachers was talking to us about the novitiate and formation and everything, and our class got a kick out of the martial-arts-sounding terms.

+JMJD

[DameAgnes]

I know it is not uncommon for an order to refer to all sisters who are not solemnly professed as part of the "novitiate," in a broad sense, but I do think it's interesting that Nashville only has the one year in a white veil, before even simple vows. I don't think I know of any other community that doesn't require at least 18months as a "white veiled" novice before simple vows are taken, although there may perhaps be some monastic communities who do that. Interesting.

Now, a question to you gals who have discerned with both the Nashville and the Ann Arbor communities - did the "one year-as-novice-before-simple-vows" bit influence you at all?

[MithLuin]

They may have only one year that is officially the novice year, but they are very strict throughout the entire novitiate (regarding visits and letters and e-mail and such). My cousin takes final vows next summer, and she's *still* not allowed to receive personal e-mails from me. Both of her sisters got married (not during her 1 year novitiate), and she was not allowed to attend either wedding.

So, they might not need 2 years of being a novice when the entire novitiate is structured in that way.

[DominicanPhilosophy]

[quote name='MithLuin' post='1939171' date='Aug 2 2009, 06:50 PM']They may have only one year that is officially the novice year, but they are very strict throughout the entire novitiate (regarding visits and letters and e-mail and such). My cousin takes final vows next summer, and she's *still* not allowed to receive personal e-mails from me. Both of her sisters got married (not during her 1 year novitiate), and she was not allowed to attend either wedding.

So, they might not need 2 years of being a novice when the entire novitiate is structured in that way.[/quote]

Regarding discernment: Yes, it is a difference that I've considered; like MithLuin described, I feel that - just from the little I know about the formation process as an "outsider" - a one-year novitiate is sufficient. It is also prescribed by Canon Law, so I feel good about that. Maybe it's just that Nashville is "stricter" in one year than many other communities, and therefore the other communities feel that there is a need for more than one year as a novice. Also (and I don't know about how things work in other communities, Ann Arbor included), since Nashville is the "hub" for the [St. Cecilia] Dominicans, and many of their schools and Aquinas College are nearby, the postulants and even novices (albeit only inside convent walls for them) are able to be immersed fully in the apostolate and heritage of the congregation.

Oh and MithLuin, if I may ask, who is your cousin? How exciting! I went to Final Vows this year and last ... how BEAUTIFUL!

+JMJD

Edited August 3, 2009 by DominicanPhilosophy

[DameAgnes]

Let me hasten to add, I was not criticizing the practice. I have zero opinion on whether one year or two year novitiates are essential, and think it's up to each community to make that decision as they know what their formation most requires.

I am a little surprised to hear that your cousin was not allowed to go to her sisters weddings after first vows, but as they say, "Religious life is not for wimps." And perhaps her sacrifice and discipline (and prayers) brought extra blessings to both marriages!

[the lords sheep]

The Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara also only have a 1 year novitiate. It is not as common among women's communities, but almost every male community has only 1 year of novitiate. In fact, none immediately come to mind that have a 2 year novitiate... anyway, as someone stated, 1 year is all that is mandated by cannon law.

Communities can choose to go beyond it if they wish, but either way, formation is a life-long process, whether there is only one year or two years in the novitiate.

[VeniteAdoremus]

The SSVM have only one year of novitiate before first vows - enter in September one year, profess in October the next. This is so short because they have a strong missionary spirit and they want to be able to pull a sister [i]temporarily[/i] out of studies if she's needed somewhere (at least, that's how it works in the European novitiate).

Many "male" orders (for instance, the Dominican friars of the English province) also profess vows a year after entrance. I've heard two explanations for this:

-it used to be that many vocations came from either junior seminary or Catholic secondary schools, where they already got a good religious education, whereas girls often went to a school that was more focussed on household tasks and didn't have a strong catechism program, so sisters needed more initial formation before vows.

-the friars often attend university (usually in the shape of a Dominican House of Studies). These aren't formation houses in the traditional sense, because they're originally intended to be open to other students as well. Novices are supposed to receive the biggest chunk of their formation from an appointed novice master, and sending them to a House of Studies while already in vows makes it easier on the teachers and director to decide what formation a brother needs.

My community used to have a six-month postulancy and (way back when) a one-year noviciate, but it's 1-2-3 now.

[DameAgnes]

SSVM is which, again? Sometimes all the letters confuse me! :-)

[InHisLove726]

[quote name='DameAgnes' post='1939529' date='Aug 3 2009, 01:11 AM']SSVM is which, again? Sometimes all the letters confuse me! :-)[/quote]

Servants of the Lord and Virgin of Matara

[laetitia crucis]

[quote name='VeniteAdoremus' date='02 August 2009 - 10:15 PM' timestamp='1249265717' post='1939348']
The SSVM have only one year of novitiate before first vows - enter in September one year, profess in October the next. This is so short because they have a strong missionary spirit and they want to be able to pull a sister <i>temporarily</i> out of studies if she's needed somewhere (at least, that's how it works in the European novitiate).

[/quote]


Also, the SSVM have less than one year in the white novice veil -- usually about eight to nine months. They start their canonical novitiate before being invested in the habit. (In the U.S. the investiture is usually on or around December 8th with First Vows ranging within September or October of the following year.)

To say the least, I am in awe of those that can keep their white veils so immaculately white. The day of investiture we had Italian pasta at the reception and somehow I managed to get red spaghetti sauce on the brim (?? -- the part that's closest to one's face) of my veil... so sad. Haha! The blue veil seemed to hide stains a bit better...

[HisChild]

[quote name='VeniteAdoremus' date='02 August 2009 - 03:35 AM' timestamp='1249209357' post='1938814']
I saw that as well - maybe they changed it?

The Dominican friars have a three-week postulancy and one-year novitiate. That means that my friend who's joining a year after me will still beat me to first vows! Not fair!
[/quote]

I know! I know of many Dominicans on the West Coast. Some of the more progressive orders in Northern California revised their own formation programs to match the friars, so there are several communities out there that only have a few weeks' postulancy and one year novitiate.

[VeniteAdoremus]

I checked - the English Province of the friars has [i]one week[/i]. That must be a record. They go from entrance to solemn professed in the absolute minimum of four years (but after that they do take a full year as a deacon before ordination).

My community switched from six months postulancy to one year, so they went the other way around Apparently postulants hate that...

[cmaD2006]

[quote name='the lords sheep' date='02 August 2009 - 11:03 PM' timestamp='1249265036' post='1939329']
The Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara also only have a 1 year novitiate. It is not as common among women's communities, but almost every male community has only 1 year of novitiate. In fact, none immediately come to mind that have a 2 year novitiate... anyway, as someone stated, 1 year is all that is mandated by cannon law.

Communities can choose to go beyond it if they wish, but either way, formation is a life-long process, whether there is only one year or two years in the novitiate.
[/quote]

Actually that is something I've questioned alot -- why is it that most male communities have a short novitiate and most women communities have a longer one? (especially if there are brothers in the community that do not continue on to the seminary).

Although I do see the value of a longer novitiate ... for both men and women.

Just thinking out loud ...

Edited August 23, 2009 by cmariadiaz

[VeniteAdoremus]

[quote name='cmariadiaz' date='23 August 2009 - 10:55 AM' timestamp='1251014149' post='1954803']
Actually that is something I've questioned alot -- why is it that most male communities have a short novitiate and most women communities have a longer one? (especially if there are brothers in the community that do not continue on to the seminary).

Although I do see the value of a longer novitiate ... for both men and women.

Just thinking out loud ...
[/quote]

I also like the longer novitiate... I know I can use it!

I asked a Dominican friar this over the summer, and his answer was that boys tended to be much better educated than women, so they needed more formation to make up for their limited catechism knowledge.

Another possible explanation is that novices should be under the care of the novice master, and if you want to send your brothers to a university or house of studies as soon as possible, it's better to have them in vows.