Being an RMI
step by step…
1. Previous stage
Understanding life as a calling to holiness whether in religious life or other circumstances, involves clarifying motivations
The young woman with vocational concerns is guided to understand life as a calling to holiness, which can be fully realized in religious life or any state of life, helping her discern God’s personal call and clarify her motivations for her vocation.
Verify the vocation and determine if it meets the necessary conditions
If the young woman feels drawn to religious life, she is supported in discerning her call to follow Jesus Christ and in assessing whether the necessary conditions are present to proceed with the process and begin the next stages. .
2 Prenovitiate
The prenovitiate aims to affirm the young woman’s decision to pursue a life of consecration.
and adequately prepare herself to begin the novitiate.
fostering the human maturity needed to fully engage in this experience,
including the challenges and commitments it involves
mutual knowledge…
It also aims to enhance the young woman’s understanding of the life and mission of the Congregation,
meanwhile, the Congregation has the opportunity to gain deeper insight into the young woman’s vocation, abilities and level of maturity.
Novitiate
“Forge of the future apostles.”
It is the initiation into Religious Life where the novice examines whether God is genuinely calling her to the Congregation, if her desires and aspirations align with that call, and if she is truly free to follow Jesus Christ within our Institute.
At the same time, the Congregation assesses her intentions and aptitude.
During this two- year stage, a balance is sought between theoretical learning and practical experience and reflection.
4. Juniorate
The juniorate focuses on strengthening one’s commitment to religious life;
Consolidating, deepening and reflecting on reality
the formative experiences and all that was lived as an initiation to consecrated life in the previous stages are now examined through the lens of realism and the challenges of daily life.
Commitment, community, training.
During this period, the junior sister is expected to affirm her commitment and dedication to Jesus Christ while experiencing community and apostolic life as a foundation for growth and formation.
It is a time to gain both theoretical and practical formation that will equip her to fulfill the tasks of the Congregation (internalizing what she has learned, appreciating the gift of experience, and igniting the desire to learn more) as she prepares for perpetual consecration.
5. Tertainship
It is a period of intense retreat and prayer that directly precedes perpetual profession, centered around the experience of the month- long Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.
6. Ongoing formation
Ongoing Formation is an inner attitude...
of continually reviewing societal changes to discover “new ways” for the “new times”, as we are called to reach out to a youth that is always “new”.
In other words, it involves the continual renewal of the personal, communal and apostolic life of the RMI.
The main objective of this stage is to...
“to integrate all dimensions of a religious life as she journeys toward the experiential understanding of being an apostle, continually navigating the process of maturation until she achieves the fulness of her encounter with Christ”.
