Forming a Missionary Servant of the Cross
1. Pre-Novitiate (Postulant) Period
The pre-novitiate is an introduction to the Missionary Servants of the Cross way of life. It is an opportunity for the candidate to experience our life as it is lived. It is also a time of discernment when both the community and the candidate determine whether the candidate has a vocation to the Missionary Servants of the Cross.
Duration: 6 months to 1 year
01
Pre-Novitiate (Postulant) Period
2. Novitiate
Purpose: The novitiate introduces the MSC novice to the religious life where he may experience with us the call to conversion, simplicity, faith and love. The purpose of this year is two-fold. First, it enables the novice to embrace the following of Jesus Christ through living the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience according to the particular spirit of our Carmelite Spirituality and Charism. Second, it prepares the novice to make a decision in faith about the future direction of his life. It is in living a life of faith in prayer, community and ministry that the novice discovers the value and meaning of the vows and the particular spirit of our Community. This life experience raises the questions and provides the challenges that make it possible for the novice through prayer and the support of others to make a decision about his vocation. At the completion of the novitiate year, novices profess temporary vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience as a Missionary Servant of the Cross.
Duration: A year and a day
02
Novitiate
The process of forming a man in the traditions and skills necessary to be a Missionary Servant of the Cross brother takes several years. Prayer, patience and hard work are needed to fully integrate a person into the Order. Here you will find an overview of the various stages of formation that candidates travel through on the journey to becoming a brother.
(Click Images for More Info)
3. Temporary Vows
Purpose: This level of formation prepares the student for ministry as a brother. During this time, students grow into a mature relationship with God through prayer and living God’s word in a contemplative fraternity in the midst of God’s people. The student learns to integrate the initial formation experience within a different life setting. Students perceive how the tradition of the Church and our Carmelite charism shed light on community living and on contemporary pastoral situations.
03
Temporary Vows
4. Perpetual Vows
Purpose: During this time, students continue to grow into a mature relationship with God. He continues to become incorporated into the community, growing in identification with it. During this time, the student takes final vows and.
Duration: Life-time