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Thursday July 24 2008 12:46:44 CDT
Membership in the Order of Ecumenical Franciscans is attained gradually through a formation process lasting not less than two and a half years after entering the postulancy. The stages of membership and the minimum period one ordinarily would expect to spend at each level of relationship to the Order are as follows:
- Postulant - six months
- Novice - two years
- Professed member - lifetime commitment
Entering the postulancy is not automatic upon request, but takes time, work, and discernment on the part of both the inquirer and the Order. A general outline of the process looks this:
- Inquirers are provided initial information on the Order
and the formation process by mail or over the Internet.
- They will then attend a Discovery Weekend at which they
will meet members of the Order and receive further
information and assistance in discerning their vocation
to Franciscan life. This intensive weekend experience
begins a process of formation which may require more such
weekend encounters as one discerns one's vocation.
- Between participating in weekend gatherings, the inquirer
continues dialogue with the Order.
- When, after appropriate discernment and participation in
one or more weekend encounters, a person desires to enter
into the postulancy, the following requirements must be
met:
- Be an active member of a Christian church/denomination.
- Be in spiritual direction with someone in your area.
- Create an initial draft of your personal rule of life
and work with the DFC to polish it.
- Write a spiritual autobiography according to guidelines provided.
- Provide your area Assistant Director of Formation Counseling (ADFC)
with a biographical sketch and photo.
Inquirers officially relate to an ADFC until they have accomplished the above. Then the inquirer is eligible to be approved to enter postulancy. Once a person has been admitted as a postulant, the Director of Formation Counseling assigns a Formation Counselor within the Order who provides ongoing Franciscan formation. It may take a number of months to become a postulant, depending on the time of year, the schedule of Discovery Weekends, the situation in the Order with regard to our ability to receive postulants at a given time, and the individual's discernment process.
We will be happy to provide guidance for you and help you to understand the requirements if there are any questions. For example, there are often questions about spiritual direction, such as what it is and how to find a local spiritual director. Many of your questions will be answered in the printed material provided you after you make a formal request of an area Assistant Director of Formation Counseling to begin the inquiry process. To learn about that process, click here.
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