Juniorate is a three-year course of philosophy in high school for candidates that are planning to postulate to become a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

. During this time, they will get deeper involved and will decide whether this is the road they are interested in following.

To become a Priest

* Must be

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

follower. * Must be at least 25 years old. * Require to be

baptized Baptism (from ) is a Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by sprinkling or pouring water on the head, or by immersing in water either partially or completely, traditionally three ...

. *

Confirmation In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant (religion), covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. The ceremony typically involves laying on o ...

is necessary. * Must be unmarried. * Must not have gone through a

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganising of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the M ...

or must annul marriage if separated. * Two years must pass after becoming a

widow A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has Death, died and has usually not remarried. The male form, "widower", is first attested in the 14th century, by the 19th century supplanting "widow" with reference to men. The adjecti ...

er to allow time for mourning before making priestly promises. ''(Medina)''

Stages of Formation

Postulancy A postulant (from , "to ask") was originally one who makes a request or demand; hence, a candidate. The use of the term is now generally restricted to those asking for admission into a Christian monastery or a religious order for the period precedi ...

* Seminary *

Novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

* Juniorate *

Religious vows Religious vows are the public vows made by the members of religious communities pertaining to their conduct, practices, and views. In the Buddhist tradition, in particular within the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions, many different kinds of r ...

* Ongoing Formation ''(Medina)''

Seminary

Seminary is where

s and

s are educated or shaped into effective ministers of God to be able to guide a church. It is a higher

theological Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of an ...

study and is required. When applying to the seminary, an individual must obtain recommendations from church members in order to strengthen their resume and personal expertise in various monasteries. The seminar takes three to four years to complete, depending on the classes taken while obtaining a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

. Applied Ministry, Biblical and Educational Studies, Christian Leadership and Management, Cultural Engagement, and Religion are some of the degree programs available. These are only a few professional alternatives, but they are not required; there are many others. When it comes to pursuing the seminary, the requirements recommend studying some form of

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

classes

To become a Nun

* Must be

follower * Must not have any dependent children. * Do not have any

debt Debt is an obligation that requires one party, the debtor, to pay money Loan, borrowed or otherwise withheld from another party, the creditor. Debt may be owed by a sovereign state or country, local government, company, or an individual. Co ...

s. * Must be single. * Must be 18 to 40-ish years old. * Must be physically and psychologically healthy. * A college degree is not required; nevertheless, many religious groups recommend that the applicant must have at least a

before applying. ''(Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara)''

Stages of Formation

* Juniorate *

* Perpetual Profession * Ongoing Formation ''(Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara)''

Catholic Formation

Is the process in which the catholic church prepared an individual entering the priesthood or sisterhood. The main four areas that they must seek to shape after their seminary formation is: * Human * Spiritual *

Intellectual An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and Human self-reflection, reflection about the nature of reality, especially the nature of society and proposed solutions for its normative problems. Coming from the wor ...

* Pastoral

References

*
"Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration"
''benedictinesisters.org''. Retrieved 2023-07-29.

External references

Sisters of the Presentation of Mary

"How To become a Catholic Nun"

Our Lady of Dallas Monastery

Diocese of Kansas City- ST. Joseph

Brown habit black veil white Wimpole Picture
School types {{School-stub