CHAPTER SIX

THE PRENOVITIATE

6.1NATURE AND PURPOSE

328.“To anyone who is thinking of becoming a Salesian, an environment and suitable conditions are offered to enable him to discern his own vocation and to mature as a man and a Christian... A period of special preparation is required immediately prior to the novitiate to deepen the candidate’s vocational choice and verify his suitability for beginning the novitiate. This preparation is made through an experience of Salesian community and apostolic life.”¹

In the prenovitiate begins the initial formation of the candidate who asks to enter the Salesian Congregation to dedicate his life to the Lord in the service of youth.

329.In general, the candidates come from a great variety of settings, and their ages, levels of personal maturity, and experiences of life, faith and culture are very different. Some have grown up in long and close contact with the Salesians, while others have learned about Don Bosco’s project of life only very recently.

For this reason, after a serious pastoral work for vocations and in line with it, the Province seriously sets about organizing the prenovitiate as a specific phase which takes account of the family situation, social conditionings, and the level of education and faith of the candidates. To ensure a personalized and inculturated formation, it provides a clear and definite plan, and maintains due flexibility and creativity in the structure and the programme of formation.

330.The candidate is admitted to the prenovitiate only when he “has made his option for the Salesian life”² and shows, in the judgement of those responsible, a corresponding human, Christian and Salesian maturity.³

Even if “it certainly is not required that a candidate for the religious life be able to assume all of the obligations of the religious life immediately,… [he] should be found capable of doing so progressively. The possibility of making such a judgment justifies the time and means employed in reaching it. This is the purpose of the stage preparatory to the novitiate.”⁴

The prenovice therefore is given all the time he needs to reach the level of maturity required to enter the novitiate.

331.The prenovitiate is organized in a way that enables the candidate to attain the following specific objectives:

- maturing as a man and as a Christian;

- getting to know his own vocation and deepening his vocational choice under the guidance of those responsible for formation;

- experiencing community and reflecting seriously on Salesian life;

- verifying whether he has the necessary suitability to begin the novitiate;

- making a decision in the knowledge of what he is doing and free from internal and external pressure;

- adopting a clear attitude of commitment to his own formation.

In the same way, the time of the prenovitiate allows the Congregation to judge the suitability and maturity of the candidate to enter the novitiate.

6.2THE FORMATION EXPERIENCE

332.The nature of the prenovitiate calls for the development of certain fundamental attitudes, and especially of those human and Christian attitudes which guarantee the proper maturity to make a responsible decision.

6.2.1Human formation

The first requirement of formation is to be able to find a human precondition in the candidate, that is, a human grounding that has been adequately prepared.

6.2.1.1 PHYSICAL CONDITION AND HEALTH

333.During the prenovitiate there must be a verification of the physical condition and good state of health needed to enter upon the Salesian life and mission.⁵ Proper medical checks are also carried out before admission to this phase.

The candidate is taught to take proper care of his physical wellbeing and health.

6.2.1.2 KNOWING ONESELF AND MAKING ONESELF KNOWN

334.Assisted by his community and spiritual guide, the prenovice strives to acquire a thorough knowledge of himself and with full awareness takes charge of the course of his life. Drawing on the positive side of himself, he learns to handle his problematic areas and difficulties as well. He becomes conscious of his qualities and limitations, and is serene and grateful for what he is.

Openly and courageously he faces his past, and is not afraid to speak of himself and his family. He learns to reflect on his own conduct, on his experiences, on the reasons for the decisions he takes and on his way of thinking. He receives help to discover his unconscious motives and to distinguish between desires and true motivations.

This sincere and keen insight into himself becomes a first basis for discernment.

6.2.1.3A SERENE AFFECTIVITY

335.The prenovice becomes aware of the human value of his sexuality and discovers the impulses of his own affectivity.

He identifies himself with his own male condition and matures “the acceptance of the other, man or woman, respecting his or her own difference”.⁶

He learns to sincerely appreciate his own feelings, impulses and motivations and to live them in harmony with the values of his celibate vocation.

He is helped to attain sufficient certainty of being loved and of being able to love.

He maintains his bonds of affection with his family through a relationship of gratitude and sincere love; at the same time he matures a sense of belonging to his community. He learns to detach himself from ties that reduce his autonomy and slow down or disturb the realization of his vocation.

6.2.1.4THE CAPACITY FOR RELATIONSHIPS

336.Having understood that a serene interpersonal relationship is fundamental for a Salesian vocation, the prenovice seeks to develop good relations with his own companions and with those responsible for formation in his community, with the lay members of the educative community and with other persons whom he encounters in his pastoral experiences. He is able to accept and to listen; he is well-mannered and cheerful; he treats everyone with kindness, friendship and great openness.

The prenovitiate offers him an experience of life in community together with other prenovices and with the confreres. He takes an active part in it and personally contributes towards creating an environment laden with important values for formation. In it he grows in his self-expression, in his capacity for communication, in shared responsibility for realizing the decisions taken, and in the sense of working together.

6.2.1.5A SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY

337.The prenovice is faithful to his daily duties and learns to work with single-minded dedication. He loves work, studies assiduously, and performs the community chores in a spirit of availability, sacrifice and constancy, considering them practical opportunities for him to express his love for his vocation. He learns to make good use of his time, to turn to account the qualities he has received from God and to make motivated decisions every day that lead him towards a gratuitous gift of himself.

6.2.1.6AN UPRIGHT CONSCIENCE AND OPENNESS TO SITUATIONS

338.The prenovice forms himself to be authentic and upright in his conscience; he fosters the habit of reading situations in the light of the Gospel, strengthening his moral convictions and developing an intelligent and critical attitude towards the cultural models that society proposes.

Open to the social and cultural realities of his milieu and of the world of social communication, he is especially sensitive to the problems of poor and marginalized youth and to situations of poverty, injustice and rejection. He grows in a sense of compassion and solidarity, and shows it in his simple life. He turns these experiences into concrete opportunities for maturing in the realism of life.

6.2.2Spiritual formation

339.Called to embrace a life radically centred on the person of Christ, the prenovice is guided to live in a personal relationship with him and to give a solid foundation to his Christian life, concentrating on some of its typical aspects and experiences as accentuated by Salesian Youth Spirituality. He therefore pays attention to the following:

- a solid catechesis which includes the foundations of a biblical, moral, spiritual and liturgical formation; such a formation is necessary to deepen his faith and to discover the person of Jesus Christ, the mission of the Church, and the divine plan of salvation;

- an initiation to sacramental life and to Marian devotion: he assumes an attitude of listening and responding to the Word of God, nourishes himself at the table of the Eucharist, regularly approaches the sacrament of Reconciliation, and discovers the maternal presence of Mary in his life and in the story of his vocation;

- an initiation to a life of prayer: he takes part in group and community prayer, practises personal prayer and learns to share his faith experiences with others. Little by little he acquires the ability to read the events of his life in the light of the Gospel and to listen to the inner voice of the Spirit.

340.As he studies the project of life of the Salesians of Don Bosco, the candidate comes to understand that the Salesian mission entails the vocation to community life.

Therefore he trains himself to live in community, acquiring a sufficient capacity for interpersonal communication, accepting the others and ensuring that his activity forms part of the community plan. He pardons and rises above antipathies and prejudices. He cultivates friendship, assimilates the elements of the family spirit and contributes to it. He is solicitous and service-minded towards the others.

He has an experience of Church as he involves himself more and more in his community and in the educative community, and opens himself to the wider communities of the Province, the Congregation and the Salesian Family.

341.The prenovice strives to draw inspiration for his life from the demands made by the evangelical counsels and to acquire some practical attitudes such as: a simplicity that does not seek what is superfluous or comfortable, gratuitousness in relationships and motivations, detachment from affective compromises, the practice of self-mastery and fidelity to the duties entrusted to him.

6.2.3Intellectual formation

342.The Salesian vocation and the mission to the young call for a sound intellectual preparation. The prenovitiate is the time to ascertain whether the candidate has the capacity to undertake all the studies required by the curriculum of formation.

Of the prenovice is required “a general cultural foundation which should correspond to what is generally expected of young persons who have achieved the normal education of their country”.⁷

The intellectual formation during this phase can be arranged in very different ways, according to the preparation of the candidates and the concrete situation. In every case, it must ensure that a proper method of study is acquired as well as a habit of study and reflection, and, where necessary, also a mastery of the language used in the novitiate.⁸ Care must be taken to complete and consolidate the education needed by the candidate for the novitiate and for postnovitiate studies. It is also necessary to start a systematic presentation of the Christian mystery, and to offer a general knowledge of the life of Don Bosco and of the Congregation by way of a first approach, keeping in mind the Salesian experience of the candidate.

The studies that are done during the prenovitiate must fit in with the tasks assigned for this phase. The quantity of academic obligations ought not to be such as to take away from its fundamental objectives.

6.2.4Formation to youth pastoral ministry

343.While enriching in different ways his knowledge and love for the Salesian mission in its many forms, the prenovice engages in experiences commensurate with his preparation.

These are significant educative and pastoral experiences with a clear Salesian slant, such as presence and assistance in the midst of the young, collaboration in animating youth groups, catechetical activities and missionary work.

Through these experiences the prenovice comes into contact with the Preventive System and has a taste of collaboration with lay people and other members of the Salesian Family.

6.3SOME REQUIREMENTS FOR FORMATION

344.To effect this programme, some requirements are necessary:

6.3.1An experience of community

The prenovitiate is carried out according to a clearly established plan, which offers a real experience of a Salesian community, living intensely the values of its charism.

It can take the form of an autonomous prenovitiate community or a group within a Salesian community under the responsibility of one or more confreres.

Even in the case of a reduced number of prenovices it is necessary to ensure the conditions for an effective community experience.

6.3.2 Those responsible for formation: a guide

345.The key element of this phase is a competent and systematic experience of personal and community guidance and of spiritual direction.

To perform this task of guiding the prenovices, the Provincial expressly designates the Rector and the team of staff-members of the prenovitiate community, or one or more Salesians.

These Salesians personally follow the prenovices through frequent meetings; they share different experiences with them as well as their rhythm of daily life, and they help the candidates to arrive at the maturity required for taking the proper decisions. They bring the prenovices to assume an active attitude towards their formation, that is, one that is open and communicative and that takes responsibility for the formation process.

Those responsible for formation keep in touch with each other and work in close collaboration with the director of novices; in this way they ensure the indispensable continuity of formation.

6.4DISCERNMENT AND ADMISSION TO THE NOVITIATE

346.The phase of prenovitiate formation attains its objectives when:

- the prenovice brings the search for his vocation to a close and with the help of those responsible for formation arrives at the conviction that the Lord calls him to Salesian life, is ready to embrace it and asks to be admitted to the novitiate; or, alternatively, he reaches the conclusion that he is not called to Salesian life;

- the Salesian Congregation, through the local and the provincial community, carries out its own process of discernment and arrives at a well-founded certainty that the prenovice shows genuine signs of a Salesian vocation and has the basic requirements to begin the novitiate.

347.The admission to the novitiate is made by the Provincial on the basis of positive signs that indicate an aptitude of the prenovice for Salesian life:⁹

- sufficient health and a general basic culture;

- an attitude of comitment to his own formation;

- an ability to take decisions for genuine reasons and a sense of responsibility;

- a right intention;

- an ability to live in community, in obedience and in a spirit of faith;

- a serene and well-balanced affectivity and an adequate development of the art of relationships;

- a positive experience of Christian life and of the apostolate;

- a love for Don Bosco and the Salesian mission, good relations with the young, and a preference for poor youth.

348.“A period of special preparation is required immediately prior to the novitiate to deepen the candidate’s vocational choice and verify his suitability for beginning the novitiate. This preparation is made through an experience of Salesian community and apostolic life.”¹⁰

Normally this preparation is to be made outside the novitiate house itself and in a suitable Salesian community, approved for the purpose by the Provincial with his Council. If the number of candidates will allow and the circumstances suggest it, it will be carried out in a community specifically established for the purpose.¹¹

349.“Under ordinary circumstances the period of immediate preparation for the novitiate should not be less than six months in length.”¹² Given the importance of this period, which often conditions the subsequent phases and especially the novitiate, it is required, in every case, that sufficient time be given for attaining its objectives, extending the formation experience to a year or more, if necessary, and ensuring that the prenovitiate is preceded by a serious pastoral work for vocations.

350. Bearing in mind the general recommendations of this document, the formation section of the Provincial Directory must lay down the concrete details of how the immediate preparation for the novitiate is to be carried out.

351.For admission to the stage of immediate preparation for the novitiate (“the prenovitiate”), the candidate addresses his application to the Provincial, as he is the one to handle the matter. In collaboration with the candidate himself, that information and those documents must be collected that serve to reveal the signs of a true Salesian vocation and its possible counter-indications.

“Only when the candidate has made his option for the Salesian life”¹³ and presents, in the judgment of those responsible, a corresponding human, Christian and Salesian maturity,¹⁴ can he be admitted to begin this formation experience. Both his option and his suitability must be assessed in the light of “Criteria and norms”¹⁵ and with due attention to the degree of maturity of the individual and his possibilities of development.

The beginning of the prenovitiate should be decided in the light of the Code of Canon Law which requires for valid admission to the novitiate that the candidate shall have completed the seventeenth year of age.¹⁶

352.Before or during the prenovitiate it is opportune that there be a medical check-up and a psychological examination to verify if there exists the human foundation for beginning the Salesian formation process, without prejudice to can. 220.

353.With regard to the intellectual formation during the prenovitiate, the Directory must lay down the criteria and basic features, and the Provincial Formation Plan must spell out its general contents. The elements to be ensured are: the completion of the required level of civil studies, the consolidation of the cultural foundation, the verification of the capacity for subsequent studies, a knowledge of the language, a serious introduction to Christian doctrine, and a general knowledge of Don Bosco, the Salesian vocation and the Congregation.¹⁷

Studies done during the prenovitiate, especially to complete the civil curriculum or to embark on the first year of a programme that will be followed in the postnovitiate, must fit in with the specifically formative objectives of this phase and not compromise them.¹⁸

Admission to the novitiate

354.“When the candidate considers himself ready and sufficiently prepared he makes his application to begin the novitiate. To be admitted he must be free from the impediments listed in canon law [CIC can. 643-645 § 1], show the aptitudes and maturity necessary for entering upon the Salesian life, and his health must be such as to enable him to observe all the Constitutions of the Society.”¹⁹

The impediments, from which he must be free, are listed in “Criteria and norms”.²⁰ The same holds true for juridical requirements.

355.Admission to the novitiate is made by the Provincial with the consent of his Council, after hearing the opinion of the Rector of the community with his Council.²¹ The Superiors can seek other information, even under secrecy,²² if this seems necessary to them.

The assessment of suitability is made on the basis of the criteria and guidelines given by the Congregation (cfr. “Criteria and norms”), taking account of the requirements of formation in the novitiate and the situation of the individual who is beginning the process. It is important that he clearly show an attitude of commitment to his formation, that is, a complete willingness to work for the maturing of his vocation in the Salesian community.

The criteria or positive elements indicating the aptitude of the prenovice for Salesian life²³ are:

- sufficient health and a readiness for service and for work;

- an intellectual capacity and an adequate cultural foundation;

- a normal ability to take decisions for genuine reasons;

- a rich and well-balanced emotional life and a good capacity for relationships;

- a knowledge and experience of Christian life required of one who begins the novitiate;

- a sufficient assimilation of the Salesian spirit;²⁴

- the presence of the right intention and an attitude of commitment to his own formation.

356.For the eventual acceptance of candidates who have freely withdrawn or been sent away from a seminary or another religious Institute,²⁵ there is an obligation to ask for adequate information in advance. In particular, besides the documents mentioned in can. 241 § 2,²⁶ one must ask “under grave obligation”²⁷ also for a “declaration of the respective superior, above all regarding the reason for the dismissal or departure”.²⁸

On our part, we have an obligation to furnish similar information to other Institutes or seminaries. Such information must respect the confidentiality of the internal forum, the right of persons to their good name, and the safeguarding of their privacy,²⁹ but at the same time, for the good of the persons concerned and for the good of the Church, it must not hide or dissemble the true state of things.