Formation Process

Inquirer

The inquirer is an individual who has entered a process of discernment and is looking to search for an appropriate method of articulating his vision of life in a religious context with a community or as a diocesan candidate.  It is a process of communication through conversations with those designated by a community or diocese to help an individual gain perspective regarding a vocation.

The usual procedure entails contact with a vocation director of either a diocese or a community of religious.  It would entail getting to know the members of the community and the various men who would be charged with a person’s future vocation.  This would mean a telephone call or a letter of interest to the community or diocese.

The Norbertine Community welcomes men who are interested in a vocation to our way of life.  Contacting the Prior or the vocation director would be the first step in beginning the process.  We also would welcome a prospective candidate to join us for prayer, dinner and a conversation as a way of getting to know each other on a personal level. 

If you are interested in the Norbertine Community please call Fr. Joel Garner or Fr. John Tourangeau at 505-873-4399.  Leave a message with the secretary or via voice mail.  We will return your call immediately upon receiving it.  You may also use this web-site to send a message to either Fr. John or Fr. Joel.

We welcome your interest and we pray you may find your way of life in our way of life. 

Affiliate

When a person in discernment feels drawn to the Norbertine way of life, he will further his conversation and process of discernment within the community by formally requesting status as an affiliate.  This is a way of communication with specific members of the community who are charged with instruction regarding Norbertine history, philosophy, prayer, and spirituality. 

The affiliate process requires a commitment in conjunction with a particular member of the community.  This Norbertine priest or brother will meet regularly on a monthly basis to discuss Norbertine life and ministry with affiliated men.  Affiliates of the Norbertine Community take these opportunities to discuss their vocation and discernment not only with the affiliate director, but with one another as they journey through this stage of discernment together. 

There is the opportunity in this process to live with the Norbertine Community to directly become familiar with our rhythm of life and ministry.  This in other communities would be similar to becoming a postulant.  Living in community promotes a deeper understanding of our way of life.  We encourage men to enter into this form of dialogue so they may be able to make a fully informed decision.   

After a period of time, usually two years, the community would eventually ask the affiliate to make a decision of becoming a Norbertine candidate or to choose another means of expressing his life in Christ.    

Entering the Order

The formation program of Santa Maria de la Vid Priory is conducted in cooperation with St. Norbert Abbey, the parent abbey of the Priory. This program officially begins with a two year novitiate.   After the novitiate, a novice professes simple vows of poverty, chastity and obedience for a period of three to six years.  After three years of Simple Vows, the “junior” may profess Solemn Vows which is a lifetime commitment to Norbertine religious life and concludes the initial formation program.

The purpose and direction of the Formation Program is:

• To foster continued discernment as to the nature and direction of each novice’s and junior’s vocation;
• To move them toward a clearer understanding of Norbertine charisms, spirituality, way of living, history and vision;
• To foster an experiential as well as intellectual meaning of the vows;
• To provide a setting wherein each individual can move into greater incorporation and participation in the greater Norbertine Community.

The means by which these aims are achieved include:

• Familiarity with documents and literature foundational to Norbertine life: viz., The Constitutions, The Rule of Augustine, Community Mission Statement; Canonary Book of Customs;
• Sharing in daily life and living in the context of a Norbertine Community, especially shared liturgical prayer and table;
• Familiarity with the “living history’ of present day Norbertines;
• Deepening the individual’s spiritual life by continued study of theology and prayer and reflection on Sacred Scripture.

Adaptation and individualization are key elements of the Formation Program.  The local community acts as the environments for teaching and learning the meaning of community and communal living.  At the same time, the wide range of age and background experiences of those entering the novitiate necessitates adapting the formation process to the diverse backgrounds and experiences of the individual and to varying degrees to individualizing rather than standardizing especially the academic and apostolic aspects of the formation program.  

The implementation of the formation program is made manifest in the following ways:

Novitiate

First Year Novitiate

The first element of the formation process involves a lengthy period of withdrawal, prayer, and deliberate effort to live a communal, consecrated life.  This period is primarily a time of deepening discernment, exploring the landscape of Norbertine communal life, and evaluating the kind of call one has received.

As such, it requires a withdrawal from one’s former life.  The point of the first year experience is to slow down, to make time for prayer and reflection, to begin a process of determining the “fit” of one’s calling with the vision and reality of Norbertine life.  To accomplish this, the novice will be asked to temporarily minimize ties, curtail some relationships and to re-orient his life around a communal and, in particular, Norbertine center.

During the Novitiate, the novice will have extended periods of quiet and seclusion in which to pray and reflect. Classes will also be offered in Norbertine and Christian spirituality and history, prayer and prayer forms, and, in particular will focus on foundational documents in Norbertine life. Special focus will be placed on liturgical prayer in the Norbertine tradition.

Finally, each novice will prayerfully complete and follow a “personal Growth Plan” as a means of developing and integrating the spiritual, emotional, physical and intellectual dimensions of their person.  These will be discussed as spiritual direction and at the regular meetings with the Norbertine Director of Formation and his associate director.

Second Semester and the Year in General

In the period from New Year’s until the start of his second year, the novice will continue to be shaped and formed in the values of simplicity, chastity, self-control, and common life. During this period there will be a certain “relaxing” of hermitage expectations and routines.  However, the unique quality and character of the hermitage should not be lost.  Throughout the year regular attendance at prayer, Eucharist, meals and recreation, classes and gatherings is expected.  

During the second part of the first year, novices may engage in a limited apostolic activity, e.g., ministry in a Norbertine parish, educational institution or an area hospital.  The kind of activity will depend upon the individual’s background and experience but it should neither interfere with nor offset the tone set during the hermitage period.

Each novice will make a retreat at some point during his first year.  An annual retreat is required of all people in every stage of the Formation process.

Second Year Novitiate

The same values and goals apply to the second year as to the first.  Discernment continues as primary interest but with an even tighter focus on one’s calling to Norbertine Community and way of life.  The second year Novitiate directs the novice into a fuller participation and understanding of the Norbertine Community and its Mission .

This may be done by arranging for an apostolic assignment at one of the Norbertine Apostolates.  However, this assignment will not be more than half-time.  The second year novice must  continue to fully participate in common prayer and table as well as other Novitiate activities.  Any apostolate is secondary to this.

During the second year attention will also focus on appropriate theological or pre-theological studies either at Saint Norbert College , at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago , or some other suitable location.  As such, the second year may be a time for taking classes in philosophy or to complete one’s undergraduate work in preparation for theological studies.  More specific plans for applying to do advanced study will be made toward the end of the first semester and early on the second semester of the second year.

Throughout the second year each novice will continue to attend novitiate and house prayer times, to met regularly with one’s spiritual direction and with the Formation Director.  At regular times throughout the year, both first and second year novices will join with other juniors for reflection days either at the Abbey or at the House of Studies in Chicago .

During the summer of the second year, the novices will make a retreat focusing on vows in preparation for profession of simple vows.

In initial formation, due to the nature of the formation goals and vision of incorporation into communal life, no distinction is made between candidates for priesthood or brotherhood.

The Theologate

The Norbertine Community is comprised of men who embody a variety of different talents, personalities and cultures.  A diversity in education is also embedded within the Order.  Norbertines of St. Norbert Abbey and its associated priories such as that of Santa Maria de la Vid have received graduate degrees from Notre Dame University , Marquette University , St. Louis University, Harvard University, the University of Wisconsin, the University of Chicago, the University of San Francisco, Syracuse University, the University of New Mexico, Columbia University, Catholic University of America, and a variety of European institutions just to name a few.   While the Community is open to the desires and needs of its individuals, Catholic Theological Union in Chicago remains the official theologate for Norbertines pursuing Holy Orders.

Catholic Theological Union is now the largest Roman Catholic school of theology in the United States , serving thirty provinces and abbeys of religious men as an official theologate.  It also serves other students, lay and religious, women and men, in the preparation for ministry.  A large portion of the student body in attendance at CTU come from abroad.  One out of every six religious priesthood candidates in the United States is trained at Catholic Theological Union.

There is a living sense of purpose which guides a school more effectively than any written statement.  From the very beginning, it was understood that Catholic Theological Union would be a school of ministry.  Theology would be directed to practice.  The by-laws concisely stated this objective: to train and teach aspirants to the Roman Catholic priesthood so that they may be fully qualified to meet the requirements of such priesthood.

As a school grows, a periodic review of its purposes is necessary. In 1980, Catholic Theological Union reviewed its goals and adopted a new Mission Statement:

Catholic Theological Union at Chicago is a school of ministry in the Roman Catholic tradition, begun in 1968 by a number of religious communities of men who combined resources in order to educate more creatively for priesthood. Today that founding vision embraces preparation for many forms of public ministry in the Church from ordained priesthood to lay ministries.  Catholic Theological Union accepts qualified men and women who show vocational commitment and seek graduate ministerial education.

The community life of the school reflects the influence of the religious institutes which founded and sponsor the school.  Thus inclusion, mutuality and participation mark the ecclesial context of the entire educational program.  Within this context students live, grow and experience formation in faith and ministry. It also provides the impetus for the school’s strong emphasis on mission, justice, and the cross-cultural dynamics of ministry in the modern world and in a global church.  Membership in the Association of Chicago Theological Schools and cooperation with the Divinity School of the University of Chicago offer opportunities for ecumenical participation in the preparation for ministry and for academic research in theology.

Permanent Commitment

After solemn profession and as one approaches the conclusion of theological studies, the Norbertine Brother will deliberate with the Prior and Community Personnel Committee to determine where the Norbertine will minister given his gifts and the Order’s needs.  If the solemnly professed is a priesthood candidate, the junior may apply for Holy Orders including deaconate and priesthood.  After ordination to the deaconate, the newly ordained will be engaged in a deaconate internship, usually in a parish setting, to achieve greater experience in pastoral and liturgical ministry.  After the six month to one year internship, the deacon will be ordained to the priesthood.  In preparation for priestly ministry, the newly ordained will engage in deliberation with the priory and Personnel Committee to determine where the Norbertine will best minister.  At this point, the formal formational training is completed.  Now the Norbertine will engage in a life-long process of ongoing formation in Norbertine life.