Vowed Membership

To live the Gospel in the charism
of St. Vincent de Paul is a life commitment.

Permanent vowed membership with the Vincentian Sisters of Charity is open to the women of the Roman Catholic faith who feel the call of God to live the charism of St. Vincent de Paul as a woman religious. There are four stages in becoming a vowed member of our congregation. We refer to this as the formation process. They consist of: affiliate, candidate, novice, and temporary professed.

As an Affiliate you have expressed an interest in our congregation and are willing to explore your vocation seriously.

You will meet frequently with the Sister designated to help you determine if you are being called to the life of a Vincentian Sister of Charity. As part of the discernment process you may be invited to spend time with the Community. During this period you will learn more about yourself and the Vincentian Sisters of Charity through meeting the Sisters at congregational gatherings and by beginning the study of the life and charism of St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise de Marillac.

As a Candidate you make the gradual transition to religious life.

You will be invited to live among us and become involved in the day to day life of the community: praying, sharing stories, working at community ministries, participating in our celebrations and continuing your study of the Vincentian charism. In this way you will be better able to discern with the congregation whether you should become a novice.

As a Novice you will intensitfy your prayer life and deepen your understanding of the essentials of religious life.

The novitiate is a two year structured program of theological education and spiritual development. During this period you will be actively involved in learning about religious life, prayer and spirituality. You will also study the meaning of the vows in relation to your life in preparation for making a free commitment. Later you will be given opportunities to become more involved with the congregation and its various ministries.

As a Temporary Professed Sister you profess the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.

At the end of the novitiate you may make a temporary commitment for one year. These vows are renewable for a period of three to six years. During this time a gradual development of the gift of religious life is integrated with involvement in community life and service. Continued opportunities are provided for apostolic, communal and spiritual growth.

When you make your final vows, you will embark on the challenging, life-long process of becoming an embodiment of Charity.