September 14, 2010
vows
Our community meets 11 months of the year from August to June. Our ceremonials are in June. Therefore, I would like to know if the year required for any member to discern her desire to make vows which the Statutes require would mean 11 months in our Community's case or would he/she have to go from June to June to make sure he/she discerned for exactly 12 months. We have a member who would like to make her vows in June of 2011 which would mean she would be discerning from August to June (11 months). Would she have to wait till June 2011 to make her request and be approved by council and then make her vows in June 2012?
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There is more than just the member's discernment that is involved here. There is the discernment of the Community’s council, and prayer and study / formation on the part of the member that is involved. The member should have the assistance of their own confessor or spiritual director through this period of discernment. There is much to be considered during the process. If all of the requirements and preparation needed have been sufficient and met to the satisfaction of the council and member, and assuming all of this could be completed in the shorter period of time allowed, perhaps one more month wouldn’t accomplish a whole lot more. But obedience (part of our Promise) might take precedence. which would mean waiting the extra few months. God values obedience highly and growth in the virtue of patience which He might bestow during the interim might be worth the time invested.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, in certain situations, where a member has shown a strong and consistent OCDS vocation over the years, the twelve months'preparation for vows can certainly be shortened by two months. In such cases, it would not be right to make the person wait a whole year more.