THE “PLAN” FOR VOCATION DISCERNMENT & FORMATION
The following is a broad outline of how a man moves forward from initial inquiry towards application to the Province and finally onto the path of formation.
I. ASPIRANCY
After you have gathered sufficient information about the Dominican Order and the Province of St. Joseph (such as attending a Vocation Weekend or visiting another house or priory), that is, enough to begin thinking seriously about applying to enter the novitiate, you must indicate to the Director of Vocations that you wish to become an “aspirant”—one who “aspires” to join the Order. (If you’ve never contacted the Director of Vocations, click Requirements!)
Any young man eager to join the Order and get on with his life’s vocation quite naturally desires to make the process unfold as quickly as possible. A sufficient period of aspirancy helps to ensure that haste does not make waste. A hasty entrance into a religious order could lead to a hasty exit.
Pope John Paul II taught in his Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo vobis (PDV) that 4 aspects of a young man must be developed simultaneously in any program of priestly formation. The four areas needing development are: the human, the spiritual, the intellectual and the pastoral. PDV no, 43 states: “The whole work of priestly formation would be deprived of its necessary foundation if it lacked a suitable human formation.” In other words, the lack of a suitable human formation will hinder spiritual, intellectual and pastoral development. The document goes on to expound what a suitable human formation is.
Even though PDV is addressing the formation of future priests, these four areas of development can be applied fruitfully to formation in a religious order. During aspirancy the aspirant works with the Director of Vocations and his Dominican mentor to explore where he stands in relation to his own human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral development. If an aspirant is to apply to the Order, there will need to be signs that these four areas of development are initially underway–even though it belongs to the Province’s program of formation to bring them to mature development.
Put simply, aspirancy assists you and us to determine if you have, more or less, the “right stuff” to become a Dominican preacher. Aspirancy is a new step of commitment which invites you to consider even more seriously just what the shift from your current way of life into the life of a consecrated religious will entail and whether this is truly a realistic option for you. Typically, if he hasn’t done so already, during aspirancy a man begins to share his desire to enter the Order of Preachers with those closest to him (family, relatives, friends, etc.).
The length of aspirancy depends on where an aspirant is in his discernment. Its duration is up to the discretion of the Director of Vocations in consultation with the aspirant, his Dominican mentor and anyone else the Director wishes to consult. A typical period of aspirancy is a year. Some men need more time than that and some need less. For instance, a freshman in college who hopes to enter the Order upon graduation would need to be an aspirant for at least four years.
The Bottom Line: The final goal of aspirancy is that you and the Director of Vocations observe sufficient evidence to show that application is a realistic option for which you are well-suited and truly ready.
Some Further Details of Aspirancy:
If distance is no problem, an aspirant is assigned a Dominican friar who will act as a mentor for him in his discernment of a Dominican vocation. Where possible, this mentor is chosen from the Dominican community which is closest to where the aspirant lives. The aspirant stays in touch with this Dominican friar on a regular basis (i.e. every 5 to 6 weeks by telephone, Email or in person). If it seems appropriate to the aspirant and the Director of Vocations, this Dominican mentor might also act as a spiritual director and/or confessor for the aspirant. From time to time, the mentor will invite the candidate to join the rest of the Dominican community for prayer and a meal or perhaps even an overnight stay. Overnight stays are always coordinated through the Director of Vocations. Throughout the entire period of aspirancy, the aspirant is responsible for maintaining contact with the Director of Vocations.
(If you think you might ask to apply to the Province’s novitiate for the Summer of 2008 you will need to become an aspirant by September 15, 2007 and preferably earlier. While exceptions to this date can be made, the point of declaring aspirancy is to give you time to clarify and solidify your desire to enter the Dominican Order. The decision to become an aspirant is your initial commitment to focus your discernment entirely upon the Dominicans of the Province of St. Joseph before actually applying. As long as you are still investigating other religious communities, provinces of Domincans or dioceses, you are not ready to become an aspirant to the Province of St. Joseph.)
II. APPLICATION
When an aspirant believes he is ready to apply, he informs the Director of Vocations that he would like to apply to the novitiate. At this time (if it hasn’t happened earlier in the aspirancy), the aspirant is given an assessment interview by the Director of Vocations. If there are no impediments, and it seems prudent to do so, the Director of Vocations may supply the application.
Application will involve the following: writing an autobiography, obtaining sacramental documents, college transcripts, a medical, eyes and dental examination, letters of reference, a criminal background check, a psychological evaluation, interviews with the Vocation Council and financial records.
At any time during aspirancy or application, the Director of Vocations may choose to consult with the aspirant’s Dominican mentor for his opinion and advice. Once all the steps of application are completed, the aspirant’s petition is voted on by the Vocation Council who then passes along the result to the Prior Provincial. Acceptance by the Prior Provincial admits an aspirant to the postulancy and the novitiate.
Applications for the next novitiate class are not given out after March 15 each year.
III. THE POSTULANCY
The Postulancy runs about 4 weeks–usually from July 5 till July 31. This 4 week period of postulancy gives men the chance to get to know their classmates in a more informal atmosphere while also providing them with a number of introductory talks that will enable them to ease into the life of the novitiate. Currently the postulancy is held at Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island. Visit postulancy for more information.
IV. THE NOVITIATE
Upon completion of the postulancy, the entire postulant class moves to the novitiate at St. Gertrude Priory in Cincinnati, Ohio. After a brief orientation and a week long retreat, the postulant is clothed in the full habit of our Holy Father Dominic on the Founder’s feast day, August 8, and thus begins his canonical year of novitiate. During this intense year of prayer and discernment, the novice is instructed in elements of religious life by the Novice Master and learns how to live as a Dominican friar among brothers. At the same time, the solemnly professed members of the novitiate community are discerning whether the novice truly has a call to the Dominican religious life. To read up more on the novitiate go to the novitiate website. The novitiate year concludes with the profession of simple (temporary) vows, usually made for a period of three years. Only one vow, obedience, is verbally professed. The other two, poverty and chastity, are included under the vow of obedience according to the Constitutions of the Order of Friars Preachers.
V. THE STUDIUM
After the novice completes his year of novitiate, the simply professed brother moves to the Dominican House of Studies (DHS) in Washington, D.C.. If he is a “clerical” brother, he begins philosophical and theological studies toward priesthood. If he is a “cooperator” brother he receives ministerial formation specific to his identity as a cooperator brother (see tab above for “Cooperator”) which may include various courses offered at the House of Studies or elsewhere. Visit the studentate and DHS for more information.
VI. STUDIUM IN MORE DETAIL
Formation at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C. focuses primarily on three different aspects: academic, ministerial and spiritual. Upon simple profession the novice becomes a student brother (clerical or cooperator). He continues his spiritual growth and discernment at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C.. If he is a clerical student brother, he begins his studies for priesthood and prepares for active ministry. The cooperator student brother also prepares for active ministry but with a plan of formation suited to his particular skills and interests and the needs of the Province.
A) Spiritual Formation
On the spiritual level, the Student Master oversees the process of spiritual formation for both the clerical and the cooperator student brother while the Master of Cooperator Brothers specifically oversees the ministerial formation of the cooperator brother and ensures that he develops his unique identity as a cooperator brother within the common brotherhood of all the friars. Besides the normal schedule of the Divine Office, Mass, meals and classes, the Student Master offers weekly “chapter” talks on religious life. He conducts private interviews with each student to mutually assess progress and note areas that need to be worked on. In addition to the Master of Cooperator Brothers, the Student Master is assisted by the “Formation Council” with whom he meets monthly. This council consists of the Assistant Student Master, the President of the Pontifical Faculty, the Dean of the Pontifical Faculty, the Director of Pastoral Ministry and the Prior of the House of Studies.
When the three years of simple vows is completed, the student brother professes solemn vows for life or renews his temporary vows for another year. He can renew his vows a year at a time up to three more years after which he must make a final decision to stay or leave. Upon solemn profession, the clerical student brother prepares for ordination to the diaconate within the year and priestly ordination about 1.5 years later.
Intellectual Formation
The academic program for clerical student brothers comprises philosophical and theological studies over 6 years. Studies begin with two years of philosophy followed by three years of theology, at the end of which the clerical student will have completed requirements for both the pontifical degree (called the Bachelor in Sacred Theology or S.T.B.) and the Master of Divinity (M. Div.) degree. Dominican clerical student brothers are required to take 5 years of theology. After completing the three years of theology for the STB/M. Div, there is the possibility of doing a two-year program to obtain the Licentiate in Sacred Theology (STL). A student is admitted to this degree program upon the approval of the Pontifical Faculty. Since priestly Ordination comes after the 4th year of theology, those who are on the “STL track” will remain at the Dominican House of Studies for another year beyond Ordination. Those not on the STL track will round out their 4th year of theology before Ordination with elective courses in theology and practicums for priestly ministry before receiving their first pastoral assignment somewhere in the Province. Their 5th year of theology then becomes a year of “complementary studies” which must be begun within 5 years of priestly ordination.
The course of studies at the Dominican House of Studies places particular emphasis on acquiring a solid foundation in the theological method of St. Thomas Aquinas (whose approach has been highly recommended by popes through the centuries and who was the only theologian singled out by the Second Vatican Council in its decree on priestly ministry as a sure guide in theological studies). The students can avail themselves of courses and resources outside the House of Studies through our membership in the Consortium of Theological Schools.
C) Ministerial Formation
From the ministerial aspect, academic courses and various apostolates are arranged to give both clerical and cooperator students the opportunity to prepare for Orders and ministry respectively in a supervised setting. These programs help the individual discover his particular strengths and weaknesses. Courses in pastoral ministry aim to assist the student to reflect on and develop prudent ways to apply sound principles of theology to concrete pastoral situations. Apostolates vary from catechetical work, RCIA programs, helping in nursing homes, classroom teaching, parish and campus ministry, etc.. These apostolates are set up in the metropolitan area during the school year whereas summers allow students to take up apostolates in other locations where the Province has communities. Such placements afford student brothers a unique opportunity to experience life in another community of friars outside a house of formation.
