Oceania Province
Faithful to the call of Jesus and inspired by Edmund Rice, we Christian Brothers of Oceania, living in brotherhood with the whole earth community, and walking with those whom society has marginalised, particularly young people, through education and formation, proclaim liberation and justice for all creation.
The Initial Formation Program
Stage One: Initial Contact - Is this for me?
Aim – To explore your own personal ideas while deepening your spirituality
This first stage will consist mainly of meetings with your personal mentor to establish a relationship of support and open communication.
Stage Two: Deepening and Exploring - Journeying Further
Aim – To explore Christian Brother life in a structured, part-time process
This second stage will explore and nurture your personal spirituality during continued regular meetings with your assigned mentor. An exploration of what it means to be a Christian Brother will also commence at this stage.
Stage Three: Pre-Novitiate (1 year)
Aim - To provide full-time, sustained personal ministry and community experience of the Christian Brothers and the Edmund Rice Network
This stage is intensive and will cover the following areas in depth:
- development of personal spirituality,
- immersion experiences,
- testing personal ability to balance spiritual life with ministry and community life.
This stage, is a live-in and lasts for 12 months. During this stage a person may have some part-time study and work commitments.
Stage Four: Novitiate (2 years)
Aims –
- To provide initiation into the Christian Brothers
- To internalise the Edmund Rice and Christian Brother vision
- To discern the call to vowed commitment as a Christian Brother
This stage will be one of intense prayer and study, during which a person will develop skills for community living and ministry. A greater emphasis will be placed on deepening spirituality alongside the development of an ability to cope with interpersonal relationships with those in the community. During this stage, there will also be a greater emphasis placed on learning how to balance the elements of a Christian Brother’s life, namely spirituality, ministry, and community living. Mentor supervision will continue during this final stage. At the conclusion of the novitiate, the novice takes his first vows as a Christian Brother.
Please take note of the following
- The details of the formation program will be tailored to the applicant’s individual qualifications and experience.
- The pre-novitiate stage will be based in your local state/territory capital. Applicants will be expected to enrol in and complete courses run by a tertiary Institute of Theology as part of the initial formation Program requirements.
- During Stage Four, the novitiate years will be conducted in either Africa, Australia, India, or the United States. The are currently five Christian Brothers’ Novitiates in the world.
See Also:
Christian Brothers and the Edmund Rice Nework
Who to contact to express interest in becoming a Brother
Formation and Training as a Christian Brother
Who would be a Christian Brother
