Who we are ...

Our novices, who come from a diverse set of cultural backgrounds, have already completed an enquiry and pre-novitiate time. In the enquiry period the candidate has a mentor and gets to know a local Josephite community, joining them on a regular basis for celebrations, prayer and hospitality.

The pre-novitiate time involves living within a Josephite community, while continuing with current employment and meeting with a mentor for spiritual accompaniment and discernment of personal calling.

The Novitiate is a focused time which enables those who feel called to take a closer look at their desire for this way of life within this particular religious community. Novitiate is a dynamic process which facilitates the woman's discernment towards a consecration of herself to God, in the following of Jesus, according to the Josephite Charism.  This 'time apart' provides the woman with an opportunity for deepening her knowledge and understanding of the Josephite story, traditions and spirituality.

The Novitiate process is composed of two sections:

• Canonical Year: one year's duration

This acts as a 'rite of passage'which initiates the woman into the meaning and purpose of Religious Life, and provides her with on-going opportunities for vocations discernment.  During the Canonical Year, which takes place in the House of Novitiate/Centre for Josephite Formation, the emphasis is on the woman's relationship with Jesus and her awareness of God's presence/action in her life and in the world. 

• Apostolic 'Year'

The emphasis is on the apostolic expression of Josephite spirituality and provides opportunity for ministry and community experiences. Through all of this, the novice has opportunities to integrate her theoretical understanding of Religious Life with her personal experiences of Josephite Religious Life.The length of this period is dependent on the readiness of the novice and her previous experience in ministry.

 

Sydney Novitiate Programme

Peru Novitiate Programme