The final weeks of
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
ceeremony, during which she will be
clothed in the Holy Habit of our Order and
reveive her new religious name.
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 has learned into daily 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 of 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:
Our Mother the Church has shown her great
esteem for our vocation by issuing two documents in recent years concerning
women's 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 lengthening 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 to follow in the footsteps
of our Mother St. Clare, will journey through the following stages of
formation:
HOW DO I BECOME A POOR
CLARE?
Following in the
Footsteps of Saint
Clare
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.
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.....
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.
While initial formation
technically concludes
with the SOLEMN
PROFESSION of vows, it is really just the
beginning!
Formation is a life-long process, and we strive to be always open to the
Holy Spirit and His holy way of working in our lives, as He leads us day by
day.
Our Monastery in Belleville, Illinois USA
San Damiano, Assisi Italy. The home of our Mother St. Clare
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
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.
If, at the end of
the 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 cord to symbolize her espousal to
Christ.