The Noviciate is a time for discernment. It is a time for discovering the will of God in your life. For this reason, much emphasis is put on prayer and spiritual development. The Eucharist is the most important act of each day, which is normally celebrated at 9:30a.m. with the public.

For Redemptorists, the daily Eucharist is recognised as ... the summit and source of their whole apostolic life, and the sign of their missionary solidarity. (Redemptorist Constitutions) On Saturdays the Eucharist is celebrated as a group in the Noviciate Chapel. The Noviciate programme is quite a full one and, outside the Eucharist, we gather five times daily for common prayer.

The day begins at 7:30a.m. for half an hour silent meditation in common. Then at 9:10am, 12:45pm, 5:45pm and 9:45pm the entire Noviciate gathers to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, or the Divine Office.

The Noviciate, or spiritual year, takes place in the 3rd or 4th year of the Redemptorist formation programme. Normally it is located at St. Joseph's Monastery, Dundalk, Co. Louth. During this year the novices will be asked to use the time as a period for serious reflection and discernment for taking vows. The novice will make his profession, taking vows of poverty, chastity and obedience at the end of this spiritual year. These are temporary vows and are initially taken for three years. It is at this point that the novice becomes a member of the Redemptorist family.

The Redemptorist family is truly an international one and regularly come together for the purposes of formation and training. For the past few years the Noviciate has seen students from Dublin, London, Vietnam, Iraq and the Lebanon.

Five days a week, the novices come together for 'conference'. During these meetings, discussions are held about various aspects of human and spiritual development. These discussions are usually facilitated by the Director of Novices, but guest speakers are also invited.

Topics covered include methods of prayer, study of the constitutions (the rules of the Congregation), the history of the Redemptorists, personal development and psychology, amongst others. These sessions last for about one hour. Beyond prayer and conferences, the Noviciate timetable includes time for manual work, usually in the garden and recreation. These are included in order to strike a healthy balance in the day to day life as a Redemptorist novice.

Naturally, as the Noviciate is primarily a time for discernment, much of the time is spent in quiet. Each novice has his own room and during these periods the novice has an opportunity to study, reflect, write and pray.

STAGE 1

DETAILS / STUDY / PRAYER / COMMUNITY/ MINISTRY

STAGE 2

STAGE 3

SKILLS

TRAVEL

WORK

SUMMARY