Only A One-year Novitiate?

[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.

[Digitaldame]

[quote name='VeniteAdoremus' date='23 August 2009 - 10:35 PM' timestamp='1251059727' post='1955095']
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.
[/quote]

Can't speak for the men (though one does notice that some male Benedictines, for example, seem to zip through from postulancy to First Vows remarkably quickly and some communities of monks seem fairly relaxed about people leaving during First Vows). We have a two year novitiate (one year canonical), not because women are less well-educated (most are very well educated!) but simply because a cloistered life does take some getting used to (and women are "more" cloistered than most of their male counterparts). We want people to be able to make a really infomed decision about vows. We'd much rather people left before making vows than during, because vows mean something and it is always sad if someone decides after the first year as a Junior that monastic life is not for her. Having said that, people are individuals, and if it becomes apparent it isn't right for someone to be in community, the community must do everything it can to help the person concerned.

[Jennifer G.]

[quote name='DominicanPhilosophy' date='02 August 2009 - 06:45 PM' timestamp='1249249516' post='1939132']
<!--quoteo(post=1938904:date=Aug 2 2009, 11:46 AM:name=VeniteAdoremus)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (VeniteAdoremus @ Aug 2 2009, 11:46 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1938904"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->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 <img src="http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ninja.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="ninja.gif" /><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->[/quote]

So if the order wore a black cinture belt, would that be their "black belt"?