Aspirancy In the Cloister:
The remaining
months of the
ASPIRANCY
are spent within the enclosure, allowing the aspirant to experience more
fully our communal life as Poor Clares. The aspirant wears a simple
brown jumper and an off-white veil which already indicates her desire to be
set apart from the world and follow our Lord in the footsteps of our Mother
St. Clare.
This time is a vital period of orientation and
gradual "rooting in" as the aspirant learns our monastic customs,
participates in the prayer and fraternal life of the community, and receives
instruction intended to foster her human and spiritual formation.
The transition from the
ASPIRANCY
to the
POSTULANCY
is
marked by a simple, private ceremony
during which the aspirant exchanges her
off-white veil
for the customary veil of the postulant.
The
ASPIRANCY
stage is divided into two phases:
Aspirancy in the World
and
Aspirancy in the Cloister.
The length of each phase is determined
by the individual
needs and circumstances of the
candidate.
The NOVITIATE
or NOVICESHIP is an extended time of
engagement as the young Sister, now affianced to Jesus, prepares to make her
monastic profession. Instruction during this time focuses on our four
vows of obedience, poverty,
chastity and enclosure, our
Holy Rule and our Constitutions. The novice strives to intensify her
personal fidelity to Christ, to deepen her understanding of our form of
Gospel living and to grow in maturity of judgment and all aspects of
womanliness.
The final stage of formation which prepares the young Sister
for solemn profession is the
JUNIORATE.
During these years in temporary vows, the Sister
continues to receive spiritual guidance and instruction, but the emphasis is
on the faithful and fruitful integration of all she had learned into Poor
Clare living.
Entrusted with greater
responsibilities in the community, she also strives to be more responsible
for her own on-going formation as she prepares to proclaim through the
profession of solemn vows the FOREVER which
has long been in her heart.
The
POSTULANCY
is a time of deepening discernment and involvement in the life of the
community. Instruction begun in the
ASPIRANCY
continues, including regular classes
in Catechism, Sacred Scripture, Prayer
and Spirituality, Franciscan Heritage, Monastic Customs, and Gregorian
Chant/Liturgy.
Perhaps her first contact with the
Poor Clares was through a friend or a vocations visit to the monastery with
a school group. Perhaps she happened upon a website and felt drawn to
make contact, arranging for a personal "Come and See" experience with the
community. Perhaps she read about the Poor Clares in a book or
magazine article and simply wrote for more information. Regardless how
the Holy Spirit led her, once a young woman feels the call to follow in the
footsteps of St. Clare, the natural next question is:
Following
in the
Footsteps of
Saint
Clare
Our Mother the Church has shown her great
esteem for our vocation by issuing two document in recent years concerning
womens contemplative life, Vultum Dei Quaerere ("Seeking
the Face of God")and Cor Orans ("The Praying Heart"). These instructions include new
norms regarding initial formation, including the addition of a year of
aspirancy and the lengthing of the time a junior Sister spends in temporary
vows before making her solemn (final) profession. Now, young women who
enter our Poor Clare community, desiring desiring to follow in the footsteps
of our Mother St. Clare, will journey through the following stages of
formation.
Aspirancy In the World:
During these months, the aspirant
completes the necessary forms, medical evaluations and recommendations that
are required as part of the application process. She maintains close
contact with the community, including extended visits in which she resides
in the extern area of the monastery. The aspirant joins the community
for the Divine Office from the public chapel, meets with Mother Abbess and
the Novice Mistress, and attends instruction and recreation with her future
novitiate companions in the parlor.
While remaining in the world, an aspirant deepens her spiritual and
sacramental life, agrees not to date, and gradually weans herself off
of all internet, social media and cell phone use so as to prepare herself for
the next phase of
ASPIRANCY.....
If, at the end of
NOVITIATE,
both
the community and the candidate feel that she has a true vocation to our
life and that she has the capacity to embrace this call whole-heartedly, she
is received to make her
SIMPLE PROFESSION
of vows.
The public ceremony takes place within Holy Mass, during which the new bride
receives the black veil and knotted card to symbolize her espousal to
Christ.
The final weeks of the
POSTULANCY
are spent preparing for the joyess day
of INVESTITURE.
Following in the footsteps of our Holy Mother Clare, the postulant dons a
festive gown for the first part of the private ceremony, during which she
will be clothed in the Holy Habit of our Order and recieve her new religious
name.
