Sisters, nuns, aspirants, postulants, novices: What does it all mean?

[Sr Mary Catharine OP]

16 hours ago, Sponsa-Christi said:

Just wondering, what's the story behind this?

It was never our custom until the 20 years or so when we used the Roman rite of profession while waiting for ours to be updated and approved. The new rite says, "numquam vero super altare". So, there you go. Perhaps there were some "abuses" where the signing was taking "center stage" and not the profession itself. Up until Vat. II profession was usually in the chapter hall and can still be done there but it is preferable within Mass. 

[NadaTeTurbe]

Speaking of this kind of ceremony... 

I think I once read that there was Vatican directive (in canon law ? or other document ? @Sponsa-Christi  ), that the ceremony of entrance to the novitiate should be discreet, not a "Big" thing. Is that true ? I can't remember where I read it. 

[Sponsa-Christi]

4 hours ago, NadaTeTurbe said:

I think I once read that there was Vatican directive (in canon law ? or other document ? @Sponsa-Christi  ), that the ceremony of entrance to the novitiate should be discreet, not a "Big" thing. Is that true ? I can't remember where I read it. 

Answering off the top of my head without going to look anything up, in volume II of the "Rites" book there is a sort of generic ceremony for reception into the novitiate (though, like profession ceremonies, there is a lot of freedom given to individual communities to incorporate their own traditions and customs). The rubrics suggest that the chapter hall is the most appropriate place for reception into the novitiate, and I believe it does say that it's not supposed to be incorporated into a Mass.  

Also, the rubrics in the generic rite for first profession seem to envision the habit being given at first profession rather than at the beginning of novitiate. 

Going back to reception into the novitiate, the rubrics say that the ceremony is supposed to make clear that the novitiate is a time of continued discernment, and that nothing should be incorporated into the ceremony "which would seem to diminish the freedom of the novices" (I'm quoting that from memory, so that might not be perfectly verbatim, but it's something close.) My thought is that perhaps a big deal, wedding dress-wearing, "wedding"-type ceremony might seem to diminish the novices' freedom, since that might make the prospect of discerning out feel like "divorcing Jesus" instead. 

[truthfinder]

Just a couple random thought popped into my mind when reading Nada and Sponsa's last posts. 

1 Entrances into the novitiate seem to be all over the place when it comes to how much ceremony there is - the community I study had a great ceremony for the reception of their novices

2 For quite some time, the Carmelites who profess their final vows privately in the chapter room and only the veiling was done for the "public" but even then it might only be the family. Veiling might even take place a couple weeks after final vows.

3 Part of the reason we have some cool nun pictures from various places is because authorities wanted to make sure women were not being held against their will in the convent, so they would go out of the convent, get their picture taken and then return, all to prove they wanted to take vows. 

[Pax17]

Point #3 is interesting...never thought of it, but it makes sense.

[Sister Leticia]

Thank you, Nunsuch, for the plug for Monique's book. I have to confess I've never read it, even though I knew Monique (who died very suddenly a couple of years ago). My community doesn't have a copy of it and I don't own a Kindle. But I'll be visiting the noviciate next week, so I'll ask if they have a copy they can lend me.