FORMATION God the Father, through the unceasing gift of Christ and the Spirit, is the formator par excellence for us.
It is a path of gradual identification with the attitude of Christ towards the Father. This formation covers every aspect of our life and demands our personal response for the whole life. It enables us to deepen our commitment and acquire a balanced personality. In this process, prayer and ministry harmonize and sustain each other, leading us to be true evangelizers and witnesses of Jesus Christ.
The aim of our formation is the maturing of the whole person through our complete self-surrender for the total consecration tot the Father in Christ Jesus, to share in the mission of the Church according to the spirit of our institute. Our model and guide in this fundamental task is our Blessed Mother Mary Immaculate. She helps us to develop our feminine being to be like her, and directs our loves to Christ, making our personal relations with him ever more intimate. Through our constant effort we respond faithfully to our vocation placing ourselves entirely in the hands of our heavenly Father to be his as he wills. This demands a life of prayer, sincerity, confidence in our superiors, genuine love of our congregation and a zeal for our prime apostolate of evangelization and catechesis. At various stages we learn by experience the meaning of our vocation as SMI, and we accept the demands it makes on us. Each stage has its own syllabus.
Stages of Formation
Pre-Novitiate has the stages as visitors, candidates and postulants. Visitors are those who join our institute after completing their High School, whereas candidates are those who have finished their Class XII or higher qualifications. Conditions for acceptance are:
1. A determined will to become a religious, founded on supernatural motives
2. Sound health with freedom from hereditary diseases and weaknesses
3. Minimum academic qualification: completion of High School for Visitors, and Class XII for Candidates with eligibility for higher studies
4. A simple and sincere disposition, together with an inclination for the mission of our institute
5. Normal intelligence and sound common sense
6. Pleasant, friendly and kindly behaviour towards all, and ability to live in community
7. A cheerful readiness to do any type of work in a true spirit of service
8. A spirit of sacrifice and hard work
9. A sense of responsibility, initiative and self-confidence
10. Ability to fulfil the obligations of the institute
The period of candidacy can be varied according to the specific needs of each one.
Postulancy lasts for one year as a rule, for just reasons it may be extended.
The Novitiate lasts for two years, at the end of which the novice makes her first profession of vows. Each year she attends a renewal course of two weeks. After six years of juniorate, and having completed a six-month preparation, she pronounces her final vows. '
The next stage is called Ongoing Formation, which means the continued growth in one’s commitment to Christ throughout one’s life. Renewal courses and special retreats, etc. are arranged for the purpose.
