The stages for the formation of candidates as an Apostle of the Sacred Heart of Jesus are intended to accompany them in the discovery and response to their baptismal call to become disciples in the Kingdom of God. Conscious of being the bearers of the Charism received by the Foundress, Mother Clelia Merloni.
The young woman who feels Jesus' invitation to say "YES" as an Apostle of His Sacred Heart begins her path as a pre-postulant. This initial period is called the "pre-postulate" because it precedes the official acceptance into the postulate, which is the first period of initial formation prescribed by the Constitutions. It is a time for the candidate and the community to learn more about each other. The Congregation welcomes with joy the young women who express the desire to discern the possibility of a call to religious life. Spiritual accompaniment is offered to these young women whom the Congregation feels are prepared to begin this journey.
The Postulate is the first stage of formation prescribed by the Constitutions. It is a period of human and spiritual growth in which the candidate, drawn by the love of Jesus and the beauty of the total gift of herself to follow the Gospel, seeks to grow in her vocation and friendship with the Lord. It is a time when both the candidate and the Congregation can verify the authenticity of the vocation to religious life in the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The main objective of this stage of formation is to lead the candidate to a growing and balanced maturity, which will enable her to make a free and responsible choice for Christ, according to the charism of Mother Clelia Merloni.
The novitiate is a time of initiation to the formation of life that Jesus embraced and proposed in the Gospel. It is organized in such a way that the novices are better able to become aware of their religious vocation, to experience the lifestyle proposed by the Congregation and to be formed in the charism. This stage of formation aims to give the novice the opportunity to know and experience the beauty and the demands of consecrated life through the interiorizing the Evangelical Councils of Chastity, Poverty and Obedience. This time also seeks to help the young woman on her journey towards an ever deeper experience of God in order to be a visible sign of the loving presence of Christ in the world.
The juniorate, the last stage of initial formation of the Apostle, coincides with the period of temporary vows and normally lasts between five and nine years. The junior sister continues to internalize the values already learned and to integrate her human and spiritual formation with cultural and professional preparation and apostolic experience. This formative period aims to prepare the sister in temporary vows for the total gift of herself to God in the perpetual profession of vows as an Apostle of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She is called to be:
While the first stages of formation are usually done in the candidate’s own country, the Juniorate program can be done at the Generalate in Rome, Italy.
Ongoing formation is an important part of the life of a consecrated religious. Each Sister is called to use the resources available from the Church and the Congregation to grow spiritually, intellectually, personally and to grow in a deeper understanding of the charism.
