Sisters of the Presentation of Mary

Formation – Novitiate of women religious

Sisters of the Presentation of Mary invite you to come and join them in living out their call to religious life. To bring hope to our families, church and our world; especially, the people who are deprived and hopeless. Together we can fulfill our Foundress' dream!

How do you begin this adventure?

DECLARE YOUR INTENTION...

E-mail, Facebook, phone us or knock on our door and contact us!

Learn about our inspiring foundress Marie Rivier.

Read about a Sister's journey of profession.

Go to a discernment retreat.

But especially call on the Spirit to guide your footsteps.

Marie River's dream for the novitiate: Would that I had a thousand bodies to be able to go work all over the world to make Jesus Christ known. -Marie Rivier

Stages in the Formation Process

Formation Process:

A time of intimacy with God 
A time of education in the ways of religious life and in our charism 
A time of human and spiritual growth

1. Come and See (Matt. 19:21)
This is a time of inquiry and discernment: Am I called?

Discernment involves mutual listening and conversation. During this time you will make initial contact with the community as you take a closer look at religious life as a life choice. You will spend time with a community of sisters and journey with a spiritual director throughout all the stages in the formation process.

2. Pre-Postulancy
This is a time for you to live with the sisters in a community and to experience life with members of the Congregation. Together, we continue discerning your call to this particular Congregation. It is a time of mutual ‘getting to know each other’ (candidate and congregation).

3. Postulancy
As you live with the sisters for six months to one year, you will pray with them, receive some formal teachings & you will gain a deeper knowledge of the spirit of the Congregation and its mission. It is a time for exploring the question: “Do I have a personal call from God? Do I have the aptitude to live the PM life? Am I happy and fulfilled with this lifestyle choice? This is a time for building community, which includes living and working with the sisters.

4. As a Novice in the Novitiate (2 year experience)
During your first year (canonical year) you are separated from the world by living in a Novitiate house with the Sisters for the sake of deeper prayer and integration of religious identity. You will study scripture, our Rule of Life, religious life and the vows, the history and traditions of the Congregation. It is a time to confirm your vocation as a Sister of the Presentation of Mary.

“I am going to seduce her, lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her heart.” (Hosea 2,16)

During the second year you will be involved in ministry experiences for six months while living in a community outside the novitiate. You get to test yourself within a more active type of life. It is a time which favours the process of harmonizing the active and contemplative parts of our lives as apostolic religious. Then you return to the novitiate for 4-6 months to prepare for your first profession.

5. Initial Commitment– Temporary Vows
You profess your temporary vows and now you are called, “Sister” and you are a consecrated woman. You receive a special PM cross at your celebration as a sign of this commitment. These vows are renewed annually for a 4 to 6 year period.   You continue human, religious and professional development while participating in ministry. Communal and personal development continue as you prepare for a permanent commitment as a Sister of the Presentation of Mary.

6. Permanent Commitment
You pronounce your vows of chastity, poverty and obedience for a lifetime commitment to dedicate your entire being to God. This is preceded by a year of spiritual & human formation; an international experience.

Want to know more?
Talk to a Sister of the Presentation of Mary... We are here for YOU. Contact: S. Chantelle Bonk (Novice Director)   e-mail: newhorizon.counselling@sasktel.net

Sr. Lise Paquette (Provincial Superior) ph: (306)764-3445  e-mail: srlise@hotmail.com