THE POSTULANCY

Once the Contact program has been successfully completed the candidate who wishes to continue exploring his vocation is invited into a residential stage called the Postulancy, which usually lasts from one to two years. The aim of the Postulancy is to accompany the candidate as he matures and develops in the different aspects of his personality. It provides an environment in which his faith can continue to grow through the cultivation of a personal relationship with Jesus. At the same time, it enables the candidate to deepen his understanding of the Lasallian vocation as he begins to study the life and some of the writings of St John Baptist de La Salle in the context of a religious community. The Postulancy is a time during which the candidate (or Postulant) continues to explore the fit between his gifts and desires on one hand, and the mission of the Institute and the Brothers' life style on the other.

FINAL PROFESSION

A request to be admitted to Final Profession indicates the Brother's desire to permanently commit himself to the Brother's vocation. To be admitted to Final Profession a Brother has to be at least 25 years of age with at least five years of temporary vows in the Institute. He also has to have lived for three years in a community from which he has been actively engaged in an educational work of the Institute.

THE NOVITIATE

The decision to enter the Novitiate indicates a desire to move more deeply into the religious life of the Brother. The Church describes the Novitiate as an initiation into religious life and, in a Lasallian Novitiate, this process involves a progressive identification with Jesus and a gradual understanding and commitment to the spiritual legacy that St John Baptist de la Salle left to the Church. The Novitiate normally lasts from one to two years. It is a time of deep reflection which culminates in the request of the Novice to make his first vowed commitment with the Brothers for a period of one year. This is called First Profession.

TEMPORARY PROFESSION

Once the Novice has pronounced his First Vows he is ready to move on to the next stage of his formation. In some parts of the Institute there is a special formation community for those who have recently completed the Novitiate while in other parts these Brothers are assimilated into one of the regular communities. Given the inevitable difficulties in adjusting to this new stage, every effort is made to ensure that the Brother is adequately mentored or accompanied during this period. During this stage a Brother will renew his annual commitment, first made at the end of the Novitiate, for at least five years before being admitted to Final Profession.