Anisha is a smart and hardworking novice. She was in our community for her community experience. She was very enthusiastic to go to the villages with the Sisters and teach catechism. She was good with kids and engaged them with various activities. I liked her behaviour and I gave a good report about her to the provincial. To my surprise, she was not accepted to make her profession and was asked to continue the novitiate for another six months. On enquiry, I learnt that she had failed twice in the examination on our Constitutions. But she fared well on other subjects. Could they not give an exception to her, as she did well for all the other subjects?
They could not.
Let us discuss Anisha’s case in detail. A thorough knowledge of the Constitutions is of paramount importance to every religious, and novitiate is the period set apart for its study. The Eastern Code (c. 459 §2) presents this requirement in detail. “During the novitiate, the novices are to strive continuously so that, under the guidance of the director, their hearts are formed by the study of the typicon [Constitutions], by pious meditations and assiduous payer, by thoroughly learning what pertains to the vows and the virtues, and by suitable exercises to root out vices, to curb passions and to acquire virtues.” CIC (c. 646) deals with the purpose of the novitiate. It “is to give the novices a greater understanding of their divine vocation, and of their vocation to that institute. During the novitiate the novices are to experience the manner of life of the institute and form their minds and hearts in its spirit. At the same time, their resolution and suitability are to be checked.” While CCEO assigns more responsibility to the novices, CIC gives it to the formator.
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Sr Licia SMI
