I would like to know: (1) whether is it possible to have another novitiate programme outside the designated novitiate house and (ii) whether the novices may live in another house during the novitiate for a certain period.
Before answering your questions, let us first look into who can erect, transfer or suppress a novitiate. According to CIC c. 647 §1 and CCEO c. 521, the superior general—after having obtained the consent of the council—has the power to erect, transfer or suppress a novitiate. It is to be done through a written decree. The reservation given to the superior general is to guarantee that it is conducive to the formation programme. The 1917 Code had restricted the number to only one novitiate. The present Codes do not have such a restriction. For pontifical right institutes, permission from the Holy See is no longer required—unlike what was prescribed in the 1917 Code. Let us now consider your first question.
Is it possible to have another novitiate programme outside the designated novitiate house?
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Sr Licia SMI
