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The Education Process
What is the training process for becoming an Augustinian
Recollect?
After being accepted by the community's admission
board, you would pass through the following stages of preparation ("formation")
to become a full member of the Augustinian Recollect Order. These stages
take into account the growth of the whole person - physical, emotional,
intellectual, and spiritual - with the ultimate goal of forming a fully
mature and committed disciple of Jesus Christ.
1. Pre-Novitiate (Postulancy)
• Length of time: (6 months
to 2 years).
• Place: St. Augustine Priory, Oxnard, California.
• Goal: To introduce and familiarize you with the
realities of living in a religious community, which is a life of
prayer, study, manual labor, ministry and socializing or recreation.
• Studies: Introduction (or continuation) of college
level courses with emphasis on liberal arts, including languages
(English/Spanish), and philosophy.
• Psychological testing and workshops are part
of the program.
• Acceptance into novitiate would require positive
vote by the community (formation chapter) as well as your own expressed
desire to continue in the program.
2. Novitiate
• Length of time: (1
year).
• Place: Augustinian Recollect Monastery,
Monteagudo, Spain.
• Goal: To develop your interior life (prayer) and sense
of living in community, and help you (and the community) decide whether
you should make a commitment as an Augustinian Recollect priest, brother,
or deacon.
• Studies: History and Nature of Religious Life; Rule
of St. Augustine; Constitutions and History of the Order.
• Profession of Temporary Vows (click
here for more information).
3. Post-Novitiate
• Length of Time: (3
to 6 years).
• Place: Tagaste Monastery, Suffern, New York.
• Goal: To equip you intellectually and spiritually to
live and work as an Augustinian Recollect.
• Studies:
A. Priest: Philosophy and Theology.
B. Brother: Specialized studies depending on projected career: i.e.,
teacher, chaplain, administrator, etc.
C. Deacons: Specialized studies centered on Theology.
• Profession of Final Vows
Whether a person chooses to be a priest,
brother, or deacon, he must make temporary vows for at least three
years before being called to final or solemn vows. With the approval
of the community he is then free to profess these vows and embrace
this way of life permanently, or "until death."
• Ministries and Orders - Priesthood Candidates
only (click here for more information).
4. Ongoing Formation
• The Augustinian Recollect
is assigned a mentor (a senior religious) to guide him in his first
years of ministry ("Transition Program").
• The Augustinian Recollect throughout his religious life
commits himself to cooperate with God's grace in deepening his religious
vocation, his vows and his personal and professional abilities through
a life of good works (bene vivere), study (bene studere),
and prayer (bene orare).
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