1
1

Formation

Formation is a process of personal development which requires accompaniment because the person being formed needs to be guided, directed and helped.

It is a personalized accompaniment, is adapted to suit each person so as to promote her growth,

It is also a holistic accompaniment which facilitates a balanced integration of the different dimensions of the vocation of each person and of all that she is called to become. It nourishes her growth on the human, spiritual, apostolic and community levels.

The initial formation consists of the early stages of introduction for religious life. This includes the stages of Postulancy, Novitiate and Temporary Commitment.

Postulancy

Postulancy is a stage of discernment of the call to Consecrated life within the Congregation. It is a stage of growth in human maturity as well as a deepening of Christian living. During this time the Postulant is prepared for the transition towards the noviciate.

The Postulant follows the inter-Postulate courses wherever possible especially if they are of Ignatian Spirituality.

Postulancy is done in an apostolic or a formative community within the Congregation and it generally lasts a year. It can be lengthened to adjust to the growth and development of the person.

Noviciate

This is the central stage of Initial Formation.
The Novice gets to know and to experiment the new life style that the Congregation offers her, to enable her to live a deep experience of God, to become integrated in the community and to participate in its mission.

This stage guarantees that the novice continues to discern her vocation and it prepares her to give herself fully to God by following Christ, poor, chaste and obedient, according to the spirit of the Congregation.
The Novitiate lasts two years and it is preferably held in the country of origin or in the cultural setting of the novice. the noviciate community is set in a simple environment and it remains attentive to the realities of the world and the Church today.

Juniorate

This is the last stage of the Initial Formation and it ends with the profession of Final Vows in the Congregation.

This is the time to consolidate, deepen and unify through a solid and integrated formation, all that the junior sister has received during her Novitiate, so that she may become an apostle, a Sister of St Joseph of the Apparition.

This time provides the junior sister with the opportunity to live the Charism of the Congregation in an apostolic community and to deepen her sense of belonging to the Congregation