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Become a Brother
The 6 Stages of the Formation Process
The goal of a formation process is to enable an individual to deepen his understanding of the vocation and his commitment to that vocation. In the United States, there are generally four initial stages to this process. Click on each step listed below to see more details. |
| Step 1: Contact |
Step 2: Aspirant |
Step 3: Postulant |
Step 4: Novitiate |
Step 5: Temporary Profession |
Step 6: Final Vows |
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Contact
If you wish to explore religious life as a Brother you will need to contact a Vocation Director with whom you will be in regular conversation for a time. Through development of your prayer life and by participation in short term experiences with the Brothers in community and educational settings, you will gain an understanding of how God might be calling you to deepen your relationship with the Brothers. There are occasional activities with the Brothers or with a Brothers community. There might also be summer opportunities to join a group of other Contacts in helping out with a summer school at one of our institutions in the United States.
Aspirant
This is a more serious stage of formation, during which you explore the life of the Brothers by staying in a community or apostolate for some period of time, taking part in one or more retreats with other Aspirants, and working at one of the Brothers’ schools at some point. You will be participating in activities designed to help enhance your knowledge and experience of the Brothers’ life of faith, service and community. Regular participation in prayer and Eucharist and visits to the formation community allows you to better discern whether or not God is calling you to request admission to the Postulancy. Some Aspirants are full time members of a Brothers community.
Postulant
This is a year of preparation for the Novitiate. During this period you will reside in a formation community with the Brothers while learning to integrate faith, service and community. You will develop an active personal, communal and liturgical prayer life, study the Catholic faith, scripture, and the life and vision of St. John Baptist de La Salle, as well as participate in local Lasallian ministries. At the end of this time you will again discern your call to the Brothers’ life to determine if you are ready for the next stage of formation, the Novitiate. It is year of living in community, continuing one’s discernment about the Brothers’ vocation, and taking those classes or doing those activities which prepare you for the Novitiate year.
Novitiate
This is the formal year of preparation for being a Brother. During the novitiate year, held at the Regional novitiate in Napa, California, there are specific classes and activities that develop one’s life of faith, one’s understanding of religious life and the Brothers, and one’s experience of community. You will continue with the studies as in the Postulancy but with an in-depth initiation into the religious life of a Brother. In the communal context, you will grow in your personal relationship with God. Opportunities for input, discussion and reflection will help you to integrate an understanding and experience of the Brothers’ vowed life of poverty, chastity, obedience, stability in community and service of the poor through education. You will discern your call to profess your first annual vows at the end of the year, publicly acknowledging your readiness to enter more deeply into a relationship with God as expressed through service and community in a specific educational ministry.
Temporary Profession
Throughout this period you will be living in a community while serving in an educational ministry. During the years of temporary profession, you will pronounce annual vows and experience at least two different communities and educational ministries of the Brothers. You might pursue additional studies in the evenings and/or during the summer. In support of one another the Brothers in temporary profession gather at least once a semester to share the successes and challenges of their lives as new Brothers. After at least three years in a community and apostolic ministry, you may request perpetual vows if you are 25 years of age or older, have professed annual vows for five years and have attended a pre-profession retreat.
Final Vows
Profession of Final Vows signals the end of initial formation. This public statement in the presence of God, the Brothers and the Church in general tells all who will listen of your desire to continue your participation in educational work and community life style of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. Emboldened by ongoing professional and religious studies, entrusted with responsibilities in community and ministry, and enabled through the support of annual retreats, you will strive to integrate the elements of faith, service, and community in your call as a Brother.
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The formation process is a structured means of deepening one’s vocation to the consecrated life of a Brother. It is an extension of the discernment process. It has a variety of steps and dimensions, some of which are different depending on which part of the country you live.
Each province in the United States has slightly different formation programs.
Click here for details >
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