On May 5th, we celebrated Sr. Maggie, Sr. Jen, and Sr. Mia receiving the habit and beginning the two-year period of formation known as novitiate. During this time, the new sisters will focus on deepening their prayer lives and learning more about religious life in preparation for professing temporary vows. Please enjoy the highlights below and keep our new novices in your prayers!
New veils, habits, and cords for our soon-to-be-novices all lined up and waiting in the chapel 
Maggie before Morning Prayer begins 
Nervous, excited energy waiting for Morning Prayer to begin! 
The Novitiate Entrance ceremony takes place in the context of Morning Prayer. When the time comes, Bishop Bob comes up front and leads the postulants in a series of questions that affirm their commitment to beginning this next step of formation. 
Bishop Bob then blesses the habits. Each new novice will now receive three parts of our habit (the veil, cord, and habit). 
Maggie receiving the habit 
Jen receiving the habit 
Mia receiving the cord. In our community, novices wear a cord without knots, while those in vows wear a cord with three knots to represent the three vows. 
Jen receiving the veil – our novices wear white veils. Sisters receive black veils when they profess First Vows. 
After the habit has been received, each new novice has her hair cut by Bishop Bob. This is a sign of renunciation of the things of the world in obedience to God’s call and in remembrance of St. Francis cutting St. Clare’s hair on the night that she left home to become the first female follower of Jesus. 
Maggie having her hair cut 
Jen having her hair cut 
Mia having her hair cut 
The new novices then exit the chapel to change into their new habits. The rest of the community prays and anxiously awaits seeing the new novices in their habits for the first time. 
Even the dogs join in on the waiting-game 
Finally, at an unexpected moment, the new sisters come back to the chapel, bringing GREAT joy and delight to the rest of the community. 
Then morning prayer resumes in the normal way. 
Afterwards, we have a special breakfast and there is plenty of time for passing along hard-earned habit tips and tricks to the new novices. 
Our new novices smiling with Sr. Kate, who served as their postulant director over the past 8 months 
Congratulations Sr. Maggie, Sr. Jen, and Sr. Mia!
You can learn more about all of our stages of formation by visiting the page here!