“By virtue of their dedication lived in fullness and in joy, consecrated women are called in a very special way to be signs of God’s tender love towards the human race and to be special witnesses to the mystery of the Church, Virgin, Bride and Mother” (Vita Consecrata, 57).
Consecrated life expressed in the vocation to religious life shares in Christ’s own life through the vows of poverty, obedience, and chastity. It is a deepening of our baptismal consecration and a sign of heaven and the life to come.
From discernment to entrance to final vows and beyond, we are formed in this way of life, accompanied by the grace of God and witnesses of fidelity. The goal of formation is to lead the young woman to a free and total yes in a happy, holy, and healthy consecrated life as Jesus’ bride.
Through mutual discernment with God and our Sisters, a candidate has been accepted and is preparing to enter our community. She makes regular visits to the Motherhouse and is accompanied by the vocation director as she anticipates this transition from the world into the convent.
A postulant lives at the Motherhouse and participates in our perpetual adoration and community life. She serves in housework and hospitality while taking classes taught by the Sisters. In this time of transition, classes are focused on human formation and self-knowledge. A postulant is led to a deeper understanding of the call to religious life and her free response in love.
Novitiate begins with investiture, when the novice receives her habit and new religious name. Her formation is characterized by study of the vows, the Rule and Constitution, and the charism of our community, and includes an apostolic experience. The ultimate goal is to prepare the novice to begin a commitment to God, the community, and the Church through the profession of temporary vows.
A Sister in temporary vows lives with Sisters of all ages and engages in a full-time apostolate. The Junior Sister is accompanied by a mentor Sister in the community to grow in her capacity for greater self-gift as she nears the lifelong commitment of final vows.
A Sister in perpetual vows has made a lifelong commitment to live the vows of poverty, obedience, and chastity. She wears a ring to signify her espousal to Christ. Her vows are recognized by the Church as a lasting covenant between God and the Sister.
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Trusting in the grace the Lord has given me in Baptism, I am firmly resolved to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the spirit of St. Francis and our foundress Mother Maria Theresia.
Therefore, in the presence of this community, I vow to God to live until death in poverty, obedience, and chastity according to the Rule of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis and the Constitution of the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration.
With all my heart I entrust myself to this religious family, that strengthened by the grace of the Holy Spirit and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, and all the saints and with the support of my sisters I will fulfill my consecration in the service of God and the Church.
You are not alone on your journey of discernment. The joy of being formed to live a life of ceaseless adoration begins with openness to God’s call and is nurtured through prayer, accompaniment, and dialogue.
