Good evening Father Angelo,

I wanted to ask you a question: what does the pre-novitiate period consist of? 

Thank you

Priest’s answer

Dear friend 

1. I am quoting what we can read on the website of our northern Italy province.

As a premise, it should be remembered that the first stage of entering the sacred Order consists in a first year in which the person is an “aspirant” and a second year in which the person is a “pre-novitiate”.

Aspirants will continue to live at home to keep up with their own studies or work. 

Periodically, aspirants will meet with each other and with some Dominicans to deepen the discernment for their call to the Order of St. Dominic.

At the end of the first year, following their request, they will become pre-novices.

At this point they will generally start living in the convent, together.

In some special cases (for example, in order not to lose their jobs) they can become pre-novitiate but still remain based somewhere else. This is called non-residential pre-novitiate.

2. The website of our Dominican province in northern Italy states the following:

“The first stage (lasting approximately two years) includes an initial approach to the Order culminating in the pre-novitiate. 

For a year or less, the candidate, in addition to dealing with one of the local officers of vocation ministry, attends about six meetings organized by the provincial officer in different friaries of the province.

At the appropriate time, and upon his “explicit request,” he is introduced into the actual pre-novitiate, which “is ordinarily carried out in residential form [in the friary appointed for this purpose], for a period of, normally, one school year. 

In this case, the pre-novitiates will go through a set of catechesis and will complete, if necessary, their propaedeutic formation for philosophical-theological studies, also attaining a sufficient knowledge of Latin, Greek and one modern language, with preference given to English in function of subsequent institutional studies.”

“The purpose of this period is to prepare the aspirant for the novitiate especially with catechetical instruction and a certain formation to deal adequately with community life, as well as to give the Order the opportunity to evaluate the suitability of aspirants to embrace Dominican life.”

In certain cases, “in order to be protected in their studies and work, pre-novitiates may also reside in other communities.” 

“The pre-novitiate can also be accomplished in a non-residential form, through meetings and interviews with the person in charge of the pre-novitiate itself, regular visits to the communities of the Province, as well as a congruous time of residency before the initiation of the novitiate.””

3. In addition, pre-novices staying in the convent will participate freely in the life of the community: the choral prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours, Holy Mass, meals, classes and other meetings.

It is a preparatory year for the novitiate to implement a gradual transition from lay to religious life, which involves following Christ by pursuing the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience.

It also serves to test the ability to adapt to living together as a community and to further deepen the person’s knowledge of the Order’s charism.

With the hope that this may be your path, I bless you and remember you in prayer. 

Father Angelo

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