Novitiate
Novitiate is the canonical initiation into life in a religious institute, centered on discernment, prayer, formation, and practical experience of the institute's charism.[1]
Overview
The novitiate, also called the noviciate,[2] 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 they are called to vowed religious life. It often includes times of intense study, prayer, living in community, studying the vowed life, deepening one's relationship with God, and deepening one's self-awareness.[3][4] In the Catholic Church, the canonical time of the novitiate is one year; in case of additional length, it must not be extended beyond two years.[5] In religious communities belonging to the Evangelical-Lutheran Churches, the duration of the novitiate depends on the specific Evangelical-Lutheran monastery or convent; for example, for the Sisters of St. Francis at Klaradals Convent, the time spent as a novice is typically two to three years.[6] In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the novitiate is officially set at three years before one may be tonsured a monk or nun, though this requirement may be waived. The novitiate is in any case a time both for the novice to get to know the community and the community to get to know the novice. The novice should aspire to deepening their relationship to God and discovering the community's charism. The novitiate in many communities includes a concentrated program of prayer, study, reflection and limited ministerial engagement.[7]
The novitiate, through which life in an institute is begun, is arranged so that the novices better understand their divine vocation, and indeed one which is proper to the institute, experience the manner of living of the institute, and form their mind and heart in its spirit, and so that their intention and suitability are tested.
- —CIC, can. 646
In some novitiate communities, mostly monastic, the novice wears clothing that is distinct from secular dress but is not the full habit worn by professed members of the community. The novices' day normally includes participation in the canonical hours, manual labor, and classes about the religious life. Spiritual exercises and tests of humility are common features.[7][8]
A superior should ideally appoint an experienced member of the community to serve as novice master or mistress.[9]
Different religious communities have varying requirements for the duration of the novitiate. The novice must complete a postulancy before being admitted to the novitiate, the duration of which can be short or extend up to three years.[10]
A novice is free to leave the novitiate at any time and in most communities, the superiors are free to dismiss them with or without cause. At the end of the novitiate, the novices are either admitted to temporary vows or asked to leave. The binding, life-long commitment to consecrated life comes at a later point.[11]
The term novitiate also refers to the building, house, or complex devoted to the novices' cells or dormitory and other needs, such as study and education.[12]
Canonical formation
The novitiate begins life in the institute and enables novice and community to test vocation. In the Latin Church, validity requires twelve months spent in the novitiate community, within a period that proper law may extend but not beyond two years. Absence rules and the competent erection of the novitiate house matter for validity.[13]
Formation includes prayer, the evangelical counsels, the institute's history and patrimony, human maturity, and participation in its life. Work or academic study must remain subordinate to this purpose.
Toward profession
At its end, a suitable novice may be admitted freely to temporary profession; otherwise the novice departs or may receive a limited extension where law permits. Completion creates no automatic right to profession.
References
- Back to citation Code of Canon Law, canons 607–709 — Latin Church norms on religious institutes, formation, profession, and governance.
- Back to citation "Dictionary: NOVITIATE". www.catholicculture.org. Retrieved 2026-04-08; "noviciate", The Free Dictionary, retrieved 2026-04-08; "Novitiate - Etymology, Origin & Meaning". etymonline. Retrieved 2026-04-08; "novitiate noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com". www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com. Retrieved 2026-04-08.
- Back to citation "Constitutions: Identity, Memory and Prophecy" (PDF).
- Back to citation "Novitiate Formation". www.svdvocations.org. Retrieved 2026-04-08.
- Back to citation CIC, canon 648
- Back to citation "Systraskapet" (in Swedish). Klaradals Kloster. 2025. Retrieved 21 October 2025. “Så småningom kan hon komma som postulant, för att ungefär ett år leva och arbeta tillsammans med systrarna. Nästa steg är att träda in i systraskapet som novis för två till tre år. Sedan kan hon avlägga löftena om fattigdom, kyskhet och lydnad för tre år, och efter det kan hon avlägga dem för livet. Vid varje steg sker en prövning, för att både hon själv och systraskapet skall kunna urskilja vad som är Guds vilja för fortsättning. När alla är ense om det, kan ett nytt steg tas.”
- Back to citation occurrence 7.0 Back to citation occurrence 7.1 Kallistos (1993). The Orthodox Church (2nd ed.). London, England; New York, N.Y: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-014656-1.
- Back to citation "The Orthodox Faith - Volume II - Worship - The Sacraments - Monasticism". www.oca.org. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
- Back to citation Anderson, Natalie (2018-02-12). "The Novice-master in the Cistercian Order". Medievalists.net. Retrieved 2026-04-08.
- Back to citation "Difference between sisters and nuns". Aleteia — Catholic Spirituality, Lifestyle, World News, and Culture. Retrieved 2026-04-08.
- Back to citation "The Code of Canon Law" (PDF). January 25, 1983. pp. 132–135.
- Back to citation "Definition of NOVITIATE". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2026-04-08.
- Back to citation Directives on Formation in Religious Institutes — Holy See guidance on novitiate and formation.