Stages of Formation

Young women between the ages of 18 and 30 who wish to discern a possible vocation with our community are invited to contact us.
A religious vocation is always the work of the Holy Spirit.  It begins with the call of God and the decision of each one to follow…the footsteps of Christ, as His disciple, under the action of the Holy Spirit.  Cor Orans #221

If you feel God may be calling you to a religious vocation with the Poor Clares, please fill out our initial inquiry form here. 

After a period of contact through correspondence and visits, a young woman may ask for application.  Upon completing the application process and her acceptance, she becomes an aspirant and a date is set for her entrance into the enclosure. 

The stage of aspirancy lasts for one to two years, at least eight months of which takes place after the young woman’s entrance.  It is a time for the aspirant to continue to discern her vocation while she is given opportunities to get to know the community and determine if she has the necessary qualities for an enclosed, contemplative vocation as a Poor Clare.  

With guidance, the aspirant builds a solid base of human and Christian formation through growth in virtue, prayer, spiritual reading, and classes as she gradually adjusts to our horarium and customs.  This immersion into our life, particularly through participation in the liturgy, aids her in deepening her self-knowledge and lays a strong spiritual foundation for our Gospel form of enclosed monastic life.  In light of Christ’s personal love for her and her experiences as an aspirant, both she and the formators serenely decide whether she is ready to continue her formation in our community as a postulant.

This stage of initial formation prepares for the novitiate by introducing the postulant to the fundamental elements of our contemplative Poor Clare life.  She comes to experience more of our community life according to our charism while continuing to grow in prayer, virtue, and knowledge of the history and spirituality of our Order.  The postulancy lasts for one to two years.

The two-year noviceship begins at a private ceremony with the reception of the holy habit and religious name. These years are a time for the novice to intensify her love for Christ and to grow in her understanding of Gospel living as she studies our Rule and Constitutions, as well as the vows as lived according to the Poor Clare charism. She continues to experience fraternal life in our community as she deepens her life of prayer, cultivates devotion to Mary, our Queen and Mother, and embraces all other aspects of our monastic life. This stage of formation should verify and confirm her vocation to our community.

After professing her temporary vows, the junior sister begins to enter more fully into the life of the community in a variety of ways.  She considers her ability to integrate and balance the various dimensions of our life—prayer, work, fraternal relationships, study and recreation — as she continues her spiritual, doctrinal and practical formation.  The juniorate lasts at least five years.

At the Mass of solemn profession, the sister vows to live as a Poor Clare for “the whole time of her life,” and receives a silver ring and a crown of thorns, symbolic of her union with Christ Crucified.  This commitment makes her a witness of Christ’s redemptive love for the world. Together with the sisters whom the Lord has given her, she makes of her life a gift of prayer, praise and penance for the glory of God and the salvation of the world.