Our
Offering
to
You
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Initial
Formation, which can take up to ten
years, is a long
period. That's
important, since one of the
purposes of initial
formation is growing into
your ability to live as a
Salvatorian. Just as a
healthy, happy, “forever”
marriage requires much
learning, growing, and
mutual change, so too does
the initial formation
process. Initial Formation
has five parts.
Affiliate:
As an
affiliate, you
participate in a
pre-entrance program that
allows you to check more
deeply into religious life.
You have a chance to find
some answers to your
questions about “What does
it mean to live as a sister
in today’s world?”
You are
partnered with a
“sponsor-Sister,” who helps
you learn more about the
Salvatorians and helps you
find answers. As an
affiliate, you spend time
with Salvatorian Sisters,
but you continue in your
everyday, regular life of
work or study. You
continue to earn your
living, live in your home or
apartment, etc. But, now,
you choose to spend time
with Salvatorians and with
your sponsor Sister in order
to discover more about the
Salvatorian family.
Most
women remain
affiliates for about a year
or so, then they either
decide “God isn’t calling me
to the next step on this
Salvatorian journey,” or
“God IS calling me, and I am
ready to move on to a
slightly more formal
commitment.”
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Candidate:
As a
candidate, you’ve
officially said “Yes, I
think I am seriously
interested in checking this
out . . . I want to find out if
God’s calling me to become a
Sister of the Divine Savior
and I am willing to take on
some new experiences to find
out.”
As a
candidate, you generally
continue in a ministry or
job similar to what you’ve
been doing,
but you move
into a local Salvatorian
living group to see what it
is like to live in
community. |
You typically
keep your same circle of
friends and you get to know
our friends and other
Salvatorians. You remain
financially independent, and
contribute to the living
expenses of your local
living group.
You
participate actively in
activities, programs, and
experiences that are
designed with you as the
focus to deepen your
spirituality, to broaden
your personal development,
and to begin learning how to
live well in our
cross-cultural,
cross-generational local
living groups, community.
The bottom line?
The
experiences of Candidature
help you to recognize and
respond to God's call with
conviction, freedom, and
joy. Most women spend one
year as a Candidate.
Novice:
A "novice" is a newcomer,
one who is beginning a new
way of life. Novitiate
is the point at which you
make a formal entrance into
the Congregation of the
Sisters of the Divine
Savior. By this time,
you have
become familiar with our
life style, have made many
friends who are Salvatorians, and have had
some solid spiritual growth
related to your response to
God’s call. You’ll have
developed new skills in
living community life - and
as a novice, you’ll develop
even more.
Your
first year as a novice
focuses on intense spiritual
formation. In fact, during
this time, you will not be
involved in active ministry
(“apostolic work”) as you
were before, and will be
after, novitiate.
You will
live in community with
several other sisters, and
you will work closely with a
director, who partners with
you for this part of your
journey. You will also
formally use the title
“Sister” in your name.
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first year of novitiate will
probably feel intense.
You’ll read, study, reflect,
pray, share, dialogue, and
contemplate- and you’ll
delve deeply into the
meaning of our Vows, our
Rule of Life, and our
history. You’ll spend time
with other Salvatorians and
also novices from other
groups, participating in
inter-community novitiate
activities. |
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You’ll continue
to deepen your relationship
with God and with Community.
During
the second year as a novice,
which we call the “apostolic
year,” you’ll continue your
spiritual journey and will
become more directly
involved in the mission of
the Sisters of the Divine
Savior. You’ll learn how we
integrate our lives- prayer,
apostolic service, community
- and you will
continue to discover your
personal ability to live
Salvatorian apostolic life
fully, freely, and with joy.
As you approach the end of
your novitiate, you, in
dialogue with the Community,
discern whether you are able
to move to the next phase of
this special journey:
temporary vows as a vowed
member of the Sisters of the
Divine Savior. The
discernment process is
mutual, and engages you and
the Sisters in dialogue,
prayer, and examination of
your experiences and your
response to God’s call in
your life.
Profession of Vows
Profession of Vows is
a solemn step, with a public
meaning for the Church as
well as for the Sister.
Typically, a Sister makes an
initial commitment, called
"temporary vows," and
follows it, later, with
Perpetual Profession.
Temporary Vows:
When we celebrate your
temporary vows, we are
celebrating your ability to
respond to God’s call in a
new and deeper way. You will
commit to the vows of
evangelical poverty,
evangelical chastity, and
evangelical obedience as a
Sister of the Divine Savior.
Your time in novitiate will
have helped you understand
these vows and their
implications.
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As a
Sister in temporary vows,
you will be involved in
ministry. You will continue to study,
pray, and listen to God’s
word - both in Scripture, and
in the voices of the
Community and the world.
You’ll be directly involved
in daily community life.
You’ll now be a “full
member,” with almost all the
responsibilities and
privileges of such
membership.
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Generally, the period of
temporary profession is five
years, but this can be
extended if needed. As you approach the end of
your time in temporary vows,
you will know - in your mind,
heart, and entire self - that
you are ready to commit
yourself “forever” to life
as a Sister of the Divine
Savior with great freedom
and great joy.
Now that you've had a chance
to step through a lot of
information, why not take a
moment to "meet" some women
like yourself?
Click here for
some REAL STORIES.
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Sisters
of the Divine Savior
