Vocation Letters: Novitiate Studies
Our fictional novice Sister Mary Rosaria writes to her little sister Tessa, squeezing in a letter before Lent begins in order to share about an important aspect of life in formation to become a Dominican nun: novitiate studies! Read more of our Vocation Letters series here.
Ave + Maria
Dear Tessa,Prayerful greetings from Marbury as we begin this month dedicated to St. Joseph! This is also my last letter before Lent begins. We are finishing up the Parce Days of reparation for the abuses of Mardi Gras . . . and we know how many offenses there are to make reparation for right now in the Church and the world!How are your classes coming this spring? Do you have any favorites--maybe history or literature? I remember how you exclaimed, when I mentioned I was working on a paper on the Rule of St. Augustine, "Wait--novices GET to write papers!?!?" Maybe you are a budding Dominican, just champing to "share with others the fruits of your contemplation!"We do write papers here in the novitiate, when our Novice Mistress assigns them to us. But our classes are not like college classes. I heard a friar Novice Master once describe the novitiate at "homeschooling for adults" and (depending on what your homeschooling was like!) I think that description might work. We have classes with our Novice Mistress, time to spend studying, and the opportunity to share what we are learning with the other Sisters at recreation. One main point is that our studies here in the novitiate are integrated into our life: whether we are studying the spiritual life, the Rule and Constitutions, monastic or Dominican history, or theological topics such as the liturgy or sacraments, everything we study bears directly on living out this vocation in our daily life. Daily life too, with its round of liturgical and private prayer, community and solitude, helps us understand what we are studying by our own experience.The goal of our studies is to form us into Dominican nuns whose thirst for Truth leads us to God, and whose love of God increases our thirst for Him. "Sweet First Truth!" as St. Catherine of Siena loved to call Our Lord. So you see how the study of sacred truth is one of the central elements of our Dominican monastic life. Our Constitutions places Study after with Lectio Divina in the chapter entitled "Hearing, Studying and Keeping the Word of God." Study in our life is not about getting degrees, but about nourishing contemplation and being an aid to human maturity. We certainly find this true in the novitiate!I should close now, but know of my prayers for you during this holy season ahead. Please pray for us too, that we may really be open to all the graces Our Lord wants to give us to conform us to Himself in His Passion.With love and prayers in Our Lady,Sister Mary Rosaria
You May Also Like:
- March is dedicated to devotion to St. Joseph!
- What are the Parce Days?
- More about Lent in the monastery.
- Learn more about our daily life, arranging a discernment visit, or contacting our Vocation Directress.