Stages of Formation

ASPIRANTATE
  • This is the first step of the itinerary for those who wish to join the Order of Preachers and enjoy the necessary motivations to become a Dominican religious in our province.
  • This period is essential for the candidate to introduce himself to the Dominican way of life, and for the Order to have the opportunity to know and evaluate each candidate as well as their personal talents and intentions.
  • Those who decide to begin this process will have to go through a number of encounters with the Provincial Promoter of Vocations in the country of origin of the candidate for a period of 6 to 12 months.
  • At the end of this period, there will be an evaluation on the performance of the candidate and whether he enjoys the necessary talents and requirements to pass to the next stage on the process o the vocational discernment.
PRE-NOVITIATE
    • At this stage, the Master of Prenovices, together with his socius and the formation community, will guide the candidates to get acquainted with our way of life and help them to develop the human and the spiritual maturity. The candidate must come to know himself better as a person and discover his gifts and limitations. Likewise, candidates should assume responsibility for their life of prayer, faith, and Christian attitudes.
    • This stage helps the candidate to discover if he can continue or not in the process of formation and embrace our way of life. On their part, Dominican formators enjoy the opportunity to know and evaluate if the candidate is suitable for admission to the Order of Preachers.
    • This period is divided into two stages, the first takes place in the country of origin of the candidate and last for no more than a year. For the second stage candidates are moved to Hong Kong where besides giving a special emphasis to the study of English language as the official medium of formation as long as the studies and formation last, candidates have their first contact and exposure to the international and multicultural reality of the Province for a period of nine months.
NOVITIATE
    • The novitiate is a time of trial during which novices discover the authenticity of their specific call to the Dominican vocation, and they are gradually introduced to the regular observances. In the process of discernment a Dominican friar must come to know the essence and substance of what the evangelical counsels of obedience, poverty and chastity imply since we must observe them for life.
    • Considering that the Province of Our Lady of the Rosary maintains presences in eleven different countries with linguistic and cultural diversity, the novices must assume this reality and the commitment to be sent to the mission "ad gentes" and have to expressly declare their willingness to be assigned by the Superior to any of these presences and that in obedience they are prepare to accept such assignment.
    • At the end of this stage, the Novice Master, his socius and the formation community, will evaluate the suitability and right intentions of the novices before they can be admitted to the first simple profession in the Province of Our Lady of the Rosary of the Order of Preachers. Those accepted, may pronounce the first profession for one, two or three years. The novitiate extends for one canonical year.
STUDENTATE
    • The Studentate is the longest stage of initial formation. During this period, friars enrol in the five years of institutional studies of philosophy and theology.
    • The Master of Students, together with his socius and the formation community help in the formation and the discernment of the professed friars and their suitability to embrace priestly life or that proper to a co-operator brother.
    • At this stage, studies and reading emphasize familiarization with the documents of the Order of Preachers and of the Magisterium of the Church on consecrated and priestly life, without neglecting other current issues that enable a friar to prepare for his future ministry, but, without neglecting the specific charism of the Order and the Province. At the same time, according to the capacities and possibilities, the student friars will engage in multiple pastoral activities.

VOCATIONAL STORIES

Br. Cesar Lino, OP.
Br. Cesar Lino, OP.StudentEast Timor
Bro. Mark, OP.
Bro. Mark, OP.StudentKorean
Bro. Andre Pereira, OP.
Bro. Andre Pereira, OP.StudentEast Timor
Bro. Richardger Ávila, OP.
Bro. Richardger Ávila, OP.StudentVenezuela