Vocation
If you believe that God may be calling you to monastic life, we suggest you first get to know the community and see for yourself how we live. A small community does not have all the human and material resources available to a larger one, but against that, small communities do have opportunities not so readily available to larger or longer established groups.Some important considerations
It is important to keep praying, and to embrace the demands and opportunities of the life you are currently living. God cannot speak easily to a closed mind, still less to a closed heart! At some stage, it would be wise to ask to stay for two or three weeks inside the enclosure of the monastery, to experience at first hand something of the joys and difficulties of community life. Only then can a mature decision be made about whether to seek admission. In general, we urge candidates to take a sabbatical from work if they can, so that they are able to take up their career again if they find that monastic life is not for them. It is necessary to be Roman Catholic and free of marriage ties or dependent children. Reasonable health is also required as our kind of life is definitely not a soft option.
Becoming a nun
It takes a minimum of five and a half years' training or "formation" before one can make final or lifelong vows as a nun. There are three distinct stages, all of which are meant to lead to a deeper appreciation of what monastic life is, the demands it makes, and whether an individual is called to it or not. First comes postulancy, which lasts at least six months, during which the postulant lives with the community and follows the monastic timetable but without all the obligations of the Rule. Next comes novitiate which usually lasts two years. The novice receives the monastic habit at her Clothing and follows a more intense course of formation. All being well, she then makes vows for three years of juniorate; only after that can she make vows for life.
Throughout the whole period both candidate and community will work together to try to discern what God is asking. The novice mistress is instructed by St Benedict to tell the candidate about all the difficulties through which we make our way to God, but the joy of serving Him outweighs everything else. At Hendred we certainly believe that monastic life should be lived joyfully and with gratitude. For more information, or to arrange a visit, please or write. (It is difficult to deal with enquiries over the telephone as community diaries have to be co-ordinated, etc.)