INCORPORATION: THE JOURNEY CONTINUES |
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Our Constitutions tell us, "In the process of incorporation
we
provide the new member with the opportunity to learn the |
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aspects of religious life;introduce her to the charism, heritage
and mission of the Sisters of Mercy; facilitate her reflection
on the meaning of her experience, discern with her the authenticity
of her call to Mercy; foster in her a free response
to God's love." (Constitutions
#33) |
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Incorporation into the Sisters of Mercy is a process in which
the woman and Community engage in a dialogue and respond
to God's call. The goal is to deepen the commitment that she
and the Community share. The process takes place in
progressive phases as she and the Community work together
to discern her ability to integrate prayer, community living and
ministry as a vowed Sister of Mercy.
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Candidacy
During this two-year phase of
incorporation, the woman and
the members of the Community
engage in a dialogue to determine
her ability to integrate prayer and
ministry, to live in community and
to live the vows of Poverty, Celibacy,
Obedience and the Service
of the Poor, Sick and Uneducate |
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Novitiate
If
the woman and the Community decide that she is ready for
the Novitiate, the Candidate enters a formal agreement with
her spiritual director, her sister mentor and the incorporation
minister.
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Canonical Year is a time to intensify her call from
God with other novices from across the country in the Collaborative
Novitiate. The goal is to live in solidarity with the ideals
of our founder, Catherine McAuley, by serving those in need.
The Apostolic Year is is a time for her to deepen
her call to religious life and her call to ministry as a Sister
of Mercy. |
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Temporary Commitment
Temporary Commitment or First Vows precedes the making
of Final Vows. First vows may be from three to six years and
is marked by a ceremony as the woman commits herself fully
to the ideals of Mercy by making vows of Poverty, Celibacy,
Obedience and the Service of the Poor, Sick and Uneducated
for a specific period of time.
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Perpetual Vows
The ceremony of Perpetual Vows
marks the end of the Incorporation
Process; the woman becomes a
full member of the Sisters of Mercy
when she proclaims her vowed
commitment for life. |
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