The Long Awaited Investiture Ceremony Arrives!

On Friday, May 27th, our postulant brother, Corey Smoot, along with five other postulants from our sister province were vested with the Franciscan habit for the first "official" year of religious life (known as novitiate). It is said that even angels envy a religious novice! Why, you might ask? The novitiate year of religious life is something of a "honeymoon" you might say between the novice and God. One spends a great deal of time in prayer, study, and discernment. As far as the prayer life of a Franciscan T.O.R., novice, one commonly spends 2 or more hours daily in communal and personal prayer. The studies during the novitiate year focus on Franciscan history, Franciscan T.O.R., history, and the spirituality of religious life and the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. The discernment part of the experience mainly consists of meeting with a spiritual director every two weeks to reflect on one's relationship with God and if God is indeed affirming the call to religious life. Knowing Corey, I'm sure he'll make the most of the year ahead of him! May God bless him and his novice brothers (Nathan, Richard, Rick, Jared, and Paul). Pat, TOR