Formation - Augustinians of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Formation: Walking the Journey Together

"Our pilgrimage on earth is a school in which God is the only teacher..."

St. Augustine, Sermon 16A, 1

Novices receiving the Rule of Our Holy Father, St. Augustine

The AIHM Formation Program

Hopefully the below information may be helpful to those looking at our way of life.

A Candidate is one who has expressed interest in learning more about our community and our way of life. This is an informal period of getting to know one another via email, telephone and personal visits. During this period, a Candidate is invited to share in community events without any obligation to advance in the formation program. Should the candidate desire to go forward, an application to the Postulancy is submitted to the Order.

The Postulancy is generally a six-month period of preparation for formal application to the Order. A weekly telephone meeting is conducted at a mutually convenient time, and the postulant begins to enter more deeply into the life of the Augustinians of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

When a postulant desires to advance to the Novitiate, a formal petition is submitted with sacramental records and letters of recommendation. Before admission as a Novice, all applicants complete the necessary background checks and formal evaluation.

The Novitiate lasts for one canonical year beginning at the Annual Chapter each August. Each novice is clothed with the novice habit (alb and cincture) at the beginning of the year, and continues to deepen his or her relationship with the Order through prayer, study, and participation in the life of the community.

During this year, the novice is more fully introduced to the Rule, the vows, and the statues of the AIHM Order. This is accomplished through study and discussion of The Rule of St. Augustine with Introduction and Commentary by Tarcisius van Bavel, OSA, St. Augustine, Man, Pastor, Mystic by Agostino Trape, OSA, and Augustine on Prayer by Thomas Hand, OSA.

Toward the end of the year, each novice is asked to formulate a plan to live the vows within his or her current state of life.

Because we are a self-supporting Order, each novice bears some of the costs of formation. These include the cost of participating in the yearly Retreat, which includes lodging and all meals (approximately $175), background checks and evaluation ($50), and books ($25).

At the Annual Chapter, the Prior General receives the vows of those who have successfully completed the novitiate. Vows are professed for a period of one year, newly professed are clothed with the traditional habit and every member of the Order is invited to renew vows. The cost of the habit, borne by the member is about $100.

Professed members of the community are strongly encouraged to pursue advanced education in the Augustinian spirit of study so that they may become ever more proficient in serving the People of God. Members also maintain formal contact with the Prior General through an annual report on one's life and ministry in the Order.

For those who feel called to ordained ministry, arrangements are made with the bishop to begin studies following profession at the end of novitiate.