• Initial Formation: Before First Profession, Profession and Solemn Profession

Stages of formation, how long it takes to be professed and ordained, what are the stages about, where are they undertaken?

The first stage is discernment, which was covered in the earlier section

Second stage is letting the vocations director about your interest in the order

Third stage is postulancy

Fourth stage is novitiate

Then comes first profession

Profession

Solemn profession

Ordination to diaconate

Ordination to priesthood

Pre-novitiate is a period where the postulant (Latin for to ask) is where the candidate spends four to six months residence in community with the Dominicans. Within the pre-novitiate programme, it may include pastoral work at a parish or school, regular meetings with the postulant master, helping around the Dominican house or priory as well as some introductory study. During this period, the postulant is assessing for suitability to religious life, especially in regards to communal life. It gives an opportunity for the candidate to try the order, and for the order to try the candidate in some sense.

After the pre-novitiate and the vote on whether to accept the postulant to the next stage is the novitiate. This is where the novice receives the habit, which signifies his entry into religious life, and into the order. This is normally 1 year of living out in a strict sense communal life, with a lot of formation, learning about the order, the rule of St Augustine, the constitutions , and basic church doctrines. The communal life is particularly emphasises here with communal recreation, communal eating, and communal prayers.

Simple profession (temporary) – After the novitiate, the admission board meets again and votes upon the novice, whether or not that person is ready for first profession. First profession is also known as simple vows; and can be for a period of 1, or 3 years, with the option of being renewed further. This stage is where the novice becomes fully part of the community. Normally a simply professed brother will be a student, in the studiam studying in Melbourne (currently at CTC- Catholic Theological College) and will at the end possible end up with a bachelor of theology. During the studentate they will learn things such as philosophy, theology, church law , moral law etc. Current studies take 6 years, with 1 year in pastoral work.

Solemn Profession- This is where the brother becomes part of the order perpetually. The brother has chosen to give his life to the order, from this moment on. For co-operative brothers, this signals the completion of their journey to enter the order, and they will be assigned to a posting which relates to their speciality and expertise, which may include accounting, teaching, cooking, cleaning etc.

Diaconate- the diaconate is for 1 year, and incorporates ministry and pastoral placement. A Deacon is capable of administering the sacraments of Baptism, and Marriage, as well as being able to preach, read the gospel, give out blessings, as well as administer the Holy Eucharist at mass and to the sick.

Priesthood- after the diaconate if the community feels that the applicant is ready for the priesthood he will be ordained a priest. For those studying for the priesthood, this is the moment where they can celebrate mass, administer all the sacraments (confirmation with permission of the local bishop).

Ongoing formation-we never stop trying to progress our selves, in our faith, knowledge. To better equip ourselves for our ministry, the salvation of souls. This may include further studies, either here in Australia or overseas, a further education or vocational training in the field assigned to us, for example, a friar assigned to a school, may study for a DIPed(diploma of education), a bursar (finance officer) may enrol in more accounting, a cooperative brother may enrol in cooking classes, or general techniques’.

There is no real time frame for any of the stages above. The formation will continue or proceed as the community sees fit, or whether or not the applicant feels ready to move to the next stage. Generally it may take 7-8 years to be ordained and to have studies completed.

• A Day in the Postula ncy

This might sound funny asking a postulant to describe a novitiate day, but you can do it in general terms from your own postulant day: Divine Office, Mass, meals, community recreation time, chores you might do...

My Average Day with no classes, or obligations

6:30 Rise and Shine

6:30-6:45 Dress for Morning Prayer

6:45-7:15 Adoration in the church before morning prayer

7:15 Communal Morning Prayer

8:00 Daily Mass @ Blackfriars School Chapel

8:30 Walk back to priory from chapel

9:00 Breakfast

9:30 Chores

10:30 Browse the net , check emails.

11:00 Rosary, Daily Prayer, contemplation

12:00 Mass / or Midday Prayer

1:00 Lunch

2:00 Study, assignments

5:30 Evening Prayer

6:00 Dinner

7:00 Wash-up

7:30 : Walk or Jog

8:30 Night Prayer

9:30 Study

10:30 Sleep

There are variations to this, for example if there are classes , then it would take up a few hours in the day, or I might choose to do 2 runs. Sometimes I will make 2 masses in a day if time permits, but the Lord made the sacraments available to us through his church, we might as well get as much grace as we can.

A variety of sources of books and knowledge can be found, from the priories collection, the college of divinity that we study at, and a local Lutheran library, have a good selection of books on theology, history and philosophy, which are good reading either for leisure, curiosity, or for use in assignments.

Chores can include, vacuuming, cleaning toilets, bathrooms, mopping floors, washing and ironing our own clothes, preparing lunch or dinner one day of the week, just general; things like that nothing too major.

It is a community, so after every meal, someone out of charity and love for thy neighbor will scrub the dishes, another will wash them another rinse, and one on drying duties. This forms a very efficient dish washing machine!

Meals are had in common, especially the main, meal of the day, where most of us Dominicans, try and make. It starts with grace, then the meal, and a thanksgiving prayer. We don’t eat in silence, so there’s a lot of conversation, on anything from theology, to the latest news, sports and current affairs, to mass sermons, and interesting experiences during the past few days.

If there’s one thing I enjoy most about the communal life, its having older friars, who have much life experiences, wisdom and insight, which they so lovingly share with us over a meal, or when we are sitting in a common room, or the library.

The favorite pass times seems to be taking long extended walks, jogs, or just chilling out on the couch in the common room watching Foxtel.

On Fridays we have an hour of adoration, where the Blessed Sacrament is exposed in our chapel, and we have night prayers followed by benediction. It is something us postulants look forward to at the end of the week, to praise the lord for the blessings he has bestowed on us.