ovitiate

Those who wish to become monks, should not be given an easy entry, Saint Benedict tells us. We should, he says, test the spirits to see if they are from God.

For three to six months, the new brother is a postulant. He wears the monastic tunic and attends classes with the novices until he himself is ready to receive the Benedictine habit.

As a novice he is given a new name and is immersed even more into the full round of the daily offices, the ceremonies and customs of the monastery. He learns its history, he gets to know the monks and he gets to know himself in the new environment of the monastic enclosure.

The formation received during this period is a formation of the whole man into the likeness of Christ. This is done primarily by seeking the face of God in prayer and adoration, but also by a certain amount of intellectual formation.

Novices have a daily short conference on the Holy Rule given by Father Abbot. They receive lessons in

• The Religious Life in Canon Law and our Constitutions
• The Holy Rule
• The Psalms
• The History, Spirituality, and Literature of the Patristic Era
• Introduction to Philosophy
• Latin
• French
• Monastic History
• Gregorian Chant

The noviciate is of one year’s duration. At the end of this year the novice may ask for temporary vows. These first vows of Stability, Conversion of Life and Obedience are made for three years at Profession.

For further information or comments please contact info@farnboroughabbey.org