Once a woman has completed all the necessary processes of seeking admission into the Presentation Community, she enters a period known as Initial Formation.
During this time many people offer her support, encouragement, and practical and formal education to assist her into full incorporation into the congregation.
There are many paths you can take in your life. In Alice in Wonderland, one of the characters says, “If you don’t know where you are going, then you can take any path to get there!” We know where we are going...towards God. Now is the time to seriously consider what path you will take to get there. Take time to pray about this, talk it over with family, friends, your pastor, a Sister or a Vocation Director. Don’t be afraid! God wants you to be happy and full of life and joy. Find the path that takes you there and follow it confidently knowing that many have walked it before you and many will follow!
When the woman and the community are ready, we have a Ceremony of Welcome. The Candidate comes with her family and in a simple prayer setting, she declares her desire to seek entrance into the
congregation. The Sisters respond by inviting her to share in our lives. It is at this point that the woman lives with us while remaining in her work situation and being financially responsible for herself. I suppose it might be
likened to an “engagement.” During this 6-12 month period, the woman is called a Postulant, which means a person who is seeking, trying to find if what she is experiencing is a true call to religious life. During
this time she has the guidance of the Postulant Director. A Mentoring Group of 3-5 sisters are selected to assist the woman into full integration into the congregation throughout the initial formation period to Perpetual Vows.
The next phase is that of Novice. When the Postulant and the Congregation determine that she is ready to move on to the next stage of membership, there is a Reception ceremony. It is at this time that the woman
becomes “Sister” and is recognized as a member of the community. While not in religious vows, she lives as if she were. One of the two years of Novitiate is called the Canonical (so called because the canon or law of the Church
requires it.) or Spiritual Year. This year is
At the Reception Ceremony, the novice receives the book of the Constitutions which outlines the way the sisters are to live their
lives of vowed celibacy, poverty, and obedience in community. The novice will study these in depth as she continues to learn what it means to be a Presentation Sister of Fargo following in the footsteps of Nano Nagle.
spent in prayer, study of the vows, religious life, spirituality . The novice is not employed outside the convent during this period. The second year, known as the apostolic year, may be spent in study in preparation for ministry, or in ministry itself, depending on the gifts of the sister and the needs of the community. She is under the guidance of the Novice Director.
After two years as a novice, at a public ceremony, the sister professes her First Vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience for three years. She may be assigned to a ministry or she may complete further education during this period. The Mentoring Group continues to assist her to become more fully incorporated into the community. At the end of three years, she professes Perpetual Vows at a public ceremony. She is then a full-fledged member of the congregation, with the right to vote on congregational matters and in congregational elections and is eligible to hold office. She or the community may also determine that she renew vows for 1, 2, or 3 years before professing Perpetual Vows.
At the ceremony of first Profession of Vows, the sister receives the Presentation pin. The cross continues the letters PBVM:
Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This cross is distinctive and is recognized by Presentation Sisters and Associates all over the world. Sister Mary Anne Duva, PBVM, of Newburgh, NY, designed the pin and she
explains: “The letters on the pin conform to a circular pattern suggesting the continuity of commitment within some structure designated by the square. This is understandable because we live in the shadow of the cross.”
When the sister pronounces her vows of Celibacy, Poverty and Obedience for life at the Perpetual Vow Ceremony, she receives
the ring, symbol of fidelity. In 1855, the Most Reverend Doctor Dixon, Primate of all Ireland, requested permission from Pope Pius IX for the sisters to wear the ring. When the pope gave the
model for the ring, he was asked for a motto to go with it. His reply was: “The Cross will supply for all.”
When the Most Reverend Doctor Dixon gave the ring to the Presentation Sisters of
George’s Hill, Dublin, he also delivered the exhortation: “The cross by which your rings are distinguished from all others denotes that crosses and contradictions are
our portion in this life; but the little effulgence (rays) around it reminds us that the cross brings with it its own sweetness and that by bearing the slight crosses
imposed on us by our Divine Spouse, we merit that bright crown of immortality prepared in heaven for those who instruct others unto justice.” The ring is recognized throughout the world.
1101 32nd Avenue South ~ Fargo, North Dakota 58103
TEL: (701)235-8246 FAX: (701)237-9822
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