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Vocation

A vocation is a call from God. 
At baptism, men and women respond to God's call to be disciples of Jesus and to become active members in his community, the Church, in order to continue Jesus' mission of proclaiming the Good News.

Some people experience the call to live out baptism more fully by entering a religious community. 
They become attracted by a religious congregation's charism and spirit.   They can see themselves undertaking the kinds of ministry in which the congregation is involved.  They feel a desire to live in a particular, concrete way, the universal vocation of Christians as finds expression in a congregation.

The process of discerning God's call is an important one.
It requires a great deal of prayer, serious reflection and conversation, particularly with wise people.  It also demands some form of active participation in the life of the Church, both in liturgy and service. 

• Formation for Marist religious life and ministry.

  The formation program for Marists consists of the following stages:

  • Preliminary contacts and accompaniment:
    • ►initial contact with a member of the Society of Mary;
    • ►vocational discernment with the help of a director or another wise person;
    • ►accompaniment - a program of prayer, spiritual direction, and parish engagement.
  • Formal entry and pre-novitiate:
    • ►a formal relationship with the Society of Mary, living in a Marist community, often engaged in the early years of philosophical and theological studies, particularly for students for the priesthood.
  • Novitiate: 
    • ►one year set aside for prayer, study of the Marist rule and traditions, leading to temporary profession.
  • Preparation for Ministry:
    • ►scholastic, academic and professional formation (for both candidates for the priesthood and brotherhood) in a formation house of the Society and attending a theological institute for studies; 
    • ►pastoral formation – a supervised period of pastoral engagement in a work of the Society.
  • Once a person has completed his time of preparation he is ready for admittance to Perpetual Profession and Holy Orders (for Marist priests and deacons). 
• Requirements for entry to the Marist formation program.

  The criteria for admission to the novitiate are determined by the aims and the spirit of the Society. Besides the requirements of the Church’s Canon Law - good health, a suitable disposition, sufficient maturity to undertake religious life - the candidate should have the following qualities:

  • that he be a man of faith, practicing his Catholic faith, influenced by gospel attitudes, having -
    • ►a desire for prayer and attachment to the persons of Jesus Christ and Mary;
    • ►respect for others and a desire to serve them, particularly the poor;
    • ►a basic knowledge of the Catholic faith;
    • ►a sufficiently wide experience of life to ensure a mature awareness of its realities;
    • ►a desire to live a life of poverty, chastity and obedience and the ability to do so;
    • ►the emotional balance to live a celibate life, to live in community and work with others;
    • ►the intelligence, judgement and physical health necessary to enable him to contribute effectively to the works of the Society of Mary;
    • ►some academic/professional formation;
    • ►freedom from chemical dependency;
    • ►the freedom to enter religious life as regards family and finances.

  To be eligible to enter into the formation program a candidate must be 34 years old or under and should have been living a celibate life for some significant time.

   

  For further information please contact the Marists in your locality.