After several meetings, those who feel called to be either a priest or
religious brother in the Society spend an aspirancy year in either
Belize or
Belcourt, North Dakota. This is a year when the aspirants experience living simply and without many material comforts, enabling them to better understand the work of the Society. Those who remain interested begin the
novitiate year. Until 2011, this year was conducted in Capulin,
Colorado; now the novices spend the time at the Society's house in Corpus Christi, Texas. This year is crucial, for it is then that the novices better understand their divine vocation, and indeed one which is proper to the institute, experience the manner of living of the institute, and form their mind and heart in its spirit, and so that their intention and suitability are tested. Thus, the novices are given the opportunity for longer periods of prayer and spiritual reading as well as silence in order to reflect on the vocation
God is offering and nature of their response. The spiritual development of the novice is of particular focus, especially through
spiritual direction. At the end the year the novices receive the
religious habit (robes) of the Society and take the
simple vows of
poverty, chastity and obedience. It is then that the person officially becomes a member of the Society: By religious profession, members assume the observance of the three
evangelical counsels by public vow, are consecrated to God through the ministry of the Church, and are incorporated into the institute with the rights and duties defined by law. Following the novitiate, religious formation continues in one of two directions.
Priests Those called to the
priesthood pursue their academic studies. Prior to 2011, the Society sent its students without any
philosophy for a two-year course at
Our Lady of Corpus Christi College in
Texas, and those with philosophy for a four-year
theology degree at the
Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas,
Angelicum, in Rome. Beginning with the 2011-12 academic year, all students were sent to
Sacred Heart Major Seminary in
Detroit,
Michigan, which provides both philosophy and theology courses. The students live in a house of studies and commute to the seminary proper. After completing courses in theology, the candidates for
ordination participate in a pastoral year, six months of which is in a Spanish-speaking country and six months going through the Society's Ecclesial Team programme. This is followed by perpetual promises, ordination to the
diaconate, and then priesthood between six and twelve months later. For most newly ordained priests, ordination is followed by an assignment to one of the Society's various communities, either in the US or abroad. However, some may be asked to attend the Angelicum in Rome for further studies.
Sisters The Sisters affirm that:A vocation is a call from God. We have existed in the mind of God from all eternity and God has chosen this time in history to place us on this earth. He has a particular mission for each one of us and it is up to us to discover this wonderful plan. Some people are called to the single life, some people are called to the vocation of marriage and others to the vocation of religious life. When we find our vocation, we find our mission and we find the fullness of happiness. After spending some time, normally a week, living with the Sisters, women who believe that they may be called to the
religious life undergo what is called "aspirancy" during which they discern whether or not to begin the process. This is followed by a year-long
postulancy period of living with the community, during which time the women learn more about the practicalities of living the life of a sister as well as deepening their relationship with God. The postulancy is followed by a two-year novitiate, at the beginning of which the women are clothed with the Society's religious habit. The first year is devoted to living in one of the various apostolates. The second year is that required by
Canon Law during which the focus is on learning more about the
evangelical counsels,
prayer, spirituality, and the Constitutions of the Society. At the end of the novitiate, simple promises are made; these are renewed annually for five years after which perpetual promises are made. The Sisters serve alongside the other members of the Society in a variety of areas such as health care,
education,
evangelisation, drug rehabilitation, homeless people, foster care, orphaned children, and parish work. They also operate a bookstore which provides Catholic reading and
devotional materials.
Brothers Those called to be
lay brothers begin what the Society terms an "intellectual year" during which time is spent studying such things as the
Bible,
Church history, and
Catholic doctrine. This is followed by a pastoral year, the first six months of which takes place in a country other than the brother's native land. The remainder of the year is spent at the Society's headquarters in
Corpus Christi, Texas, where they learn how to operate within the framework of the Society's ecclesial team structure. Brothers of the Society are currently receiving their subsequent formation in Detroit, Michigan. While they are not ordained and thus do not celebrate the
sacraments, they serve in a variety of important apostolates according to the talents of each brother. These include such areas as prison ministry, people with
HIV, administration, counseling, and parish work. A brother ministers not by preaching with words, but in the example of the great St Francis who said, "Preach the Gospel always, and use words when necessary.
Lay faithful Those who feel called to this ministry undergo a period of prayerful reflection, discussion, and formation under the guidance of one of the Society's priests and, preferably, with others of the same disposition. They also participate in the ecclesial team training program. The purpose of the program is to develop the lay missionaries'
faith,
Christian spirituality, and sense of
vocation as well as foster a deeper understanding of what it means to be a missionary, understanding and respecting the culture where they will serve. ==Missions==