Novitiate – Intentions for Prayerful Reflection

Compiled by Agata Pająk

Technical notes concerning the concept and the construction of intention statements.
Article: “800 Intentions for Clearing” Link
“Building Extensive Intentions and Prayers. A Skype Conversation About the Technique” Link 
“The One-Sentence Structure for Intentions” Link

The word “not–” added while working with intentions before a given word means that it is worthwhile to mention that word together with its opposite, or even to find and speak aloud any synonyms that come to mind along with their opposites.

For example: instead of only saying — being poor, sick — it is good also to include the opposite:
— being poor, sick; not being poor, sick

This allows the pattern to be addressed as broadly as possible, including its opposite aspects. It is also worth knowing that Souls often think or claim that they do not possess the opposite patterns—for example, that they have never been idolaters in a given case.

Another example:
A woman’s Soul denies ever having been a bad mother. Therefore, adding the negation—not having been a bad mother—may help her understand the state in which she finds herself.

Being a bad mother; not being a bad mother

“Oh, certainly not! Never in my life! Those are not my patterns. What I do is my private matter.” — This is what a Soul very often says or thinks about itself

1. Our own, and through us other people’s, making decisions and choices concerning the beginning of a new stage in our/other people’s lives, a new life path, including those made under pressure, without pressure, consciously, knowingly, including, among others, our own, and through us other people’s, beginning life in monasteries, convents, religious orders, brotherhoods, circles, becoming monks, nuns, religious brothers, religious sisters, (including witches) and not only that, as well as choosing every kind of life path for ourselves or for others that begins with, requires, or makes necessary a novitiate, apprenticeship, internship, initiation, and the like, including those governed by various regulations, standards, laws, codes, traditions, requirements, and not only these, together with our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences thereof
2. Our own, and through us other people’s, entering a religious order, monastery, other community, circle, or brotherhood where a novitiate is practiced, that is, a period not exceeding, among others, two years, marking the beginning of life in the religious community or similar communities, taking place in houses, places, and facilities specially designated for this purpose, including in isolation from the outside world, family, others, and not only these, together with our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences thereof
3. Our own, and through us other people’s, being aware of, accepting, believing, and promoting that the purpose of the novitiate, among others in religious orders, monasteries, and elsewhere, is to gain a deeper understanding of, among others, God’s calling appropriate to a given community, as well as the various rules, knowledge, rights, and principles governing that community, order, brotherhood, or circle, together with experiencing the way of life of that community and not only that, together with our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences thereof
4. Our own, and through us other people’s, believing and promoting that, among others, canon law states that novices in religious orders and monasteries should be led to acquire human and Christian virtues and not only these, together with our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences thereof
5. Our own, and through us other people’s, believing that the novitiate is a special period during which candidates for, among others, religious life, priesthood, and other vocations receive a fourfold foundation, including human, Christian, religious, and other foundations, programs, and bases upon which they will continue building and shaping themselves as members of the community they have chosen or otherwise, together with our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences thereof
6. Our own, and through us other people’s, being novices, male or female, and as such undergoing a novitiate in houses and places specially designated for this purpose for a period of, among others, twelve months, shorter or longer, and not only these, together with our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences thereof
7. Our own, and through us other people’s, living as novices in special houses and places where, during a stay of, among others, one year, we prepare ourselves, or others prepare us or others, for life in a religious order, monastery, or elsewhere, as well as for making the first religious profession, first vows, receiving the first initiations, and not only these, together with our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences thereof
8. Our own, and through us other people’s, as novices living in houses and places specially prepared for this purpose, learning and becoming accustomed to religious life and not only that, including according to the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty, obedience, and not only these, as well as experiencing prayer and acquiring knowledge concerning future work, charism, and not only that, even deepening our acquaintance with God, Jesus, the saints, and not only them, under the guidance of the novice master, novice mistress, other teachers, and not only these, together with our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences thereof
9. Our own, and through us other people’s, as novices in various religious orders, monasteries, and communities, having various masters, teachers, novice masters, and mentors who support us or others, like us or others, direct us or others, lead us or others in the direction appropriate for the community, program us, condition us, and not only these, together with our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences thereof
10. Our own, and through us other people’s, completing the novitiate period, referred to, among others, in the case of a one-year novitiate as “annual formation,” and after this period making the first religious profession or another form of vows, including, among others, within the framework of the first religious formation, making the three vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, as well as other vows, whether required or not, necessary or unnecessary depending on the community, congregation, or circle, and making these vows before provincial superiors, mother superiors, bishops, cardinals, and all other persons, in the presence or absence of other novices, priests, colleagues, family members, relatives, friends, strangers, loved ones, and not only these, together with our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences thereof
11. Our own, and through us other people’s, after making the first vows upon completing the designated period of novitiate, apprenticeship, or otherwise, receiving religious habits or other various diplomas, insignia, and symbols indicating that we are no longer novices but true monks, nuns, religious brothers, religious sisters, or otherwise, together with our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences thereof
12. Our own, and through us other people’s, during the three-part rite of first profession following the completion of the novitiate, expressing our willingness to accept the vows required for the next stage, expressing our willingness to live within a religious community and to practice according to the rule of the order, community, circle, or brotherhood, as well as speaking or reading aloud the text of the vow in which, by name, with our or another person’s date of birth and affiliation to a particular diocese, we voluntarily and wholeheartedly vow to Almighty God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and not only to Them, chastity, poverty, obedience, and not only these, specifying the duration of the vow, whether for one year, two years, permanently, forever, or without any specified term, and also confirming and signing the vow in writing, together with our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences thereof
13. Our own, and through us other people’s, becoming full members of a religious order, monastery, community, congregation, brotherhood, or circle after completing the novitiate, apprenticeship, making the first vows, carrying out the first assignments, and by then being properly trained, conditioned, programmed, directed, convinced, and indoctrinated to act for and according to the rules and requirements of the order, monastery, congregation, brotherhood, or circle, together with our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences thereof

Intentions based on: General Religious Law » Novitiate and the Formation of Novices / Admission of Candidates and Formation of Members / Article 2 / Novitiate and the Formation of Novices

14. Our own, and through us other people’s, believing, promoting, and experiencing that the novitiate, by which life in the institute begins, aims at enabling novices to recognize more fully God’s calling and the calling proper to a given institute, religious order, brotherhood, or otherwise, to experience the institute’s or community’s way of life, to form their minds and hearts according to its spirit, and to confirm their intention and suitability, together with our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences thereof
15. Our own, and through us other people’s, believing, promoting, and experiencing that the erection, transfer, and suppression of a novitiate house should be carried out by written decree of the supreme superior of the institute, religious order, or brotherhood, issued with or without the consent of the council, together with our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences thereof
16. Our own, and through us other people’s, believing, promoting, and experiencing that for the validity of the novitiate it is required that it be carried out in a house lawfully designated for this purpose, although in particular cases, by way of exception, the supreme superior, with the consent of the council, may permit a candidate to complete the novitiate in another house of the institute under the direction of an experienced religious who serves as the substitute novice master, together with our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences thereof
17. Our own, and through us other people’s, believing, promoting, and experiencing that the major superior may permit a group of novices to reside for certain periods in another house of the institute designated by him, together with our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences thereof
18. Our own, and through us other people’s, believing, promoting, and experiencing that, for the novitiate to be valid, it should last twelve months spent within the novitiate community in accordance with, among others, the prescriptions of canon law and not only these, together with our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences thereof

19. Our own, and through us other people’s, believing, promoting, experiencing that, for the formation of novices, the constitutions and regulations of the order, institute, brotherhood may provide for one or several periods of apostolic practice undertaken outside the novitiate community and not only, as well as our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences of this
20. Our own, and through us other people’s, believing, promoting, experiencing that the novitiate should not be extended beyond two years and not only, as well as our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences of this
21. Our own, and through us other people’s, believing, promoting, experiencing that our/other people’s absence from the novitiate house for more than three months, whether continuous or interrupted, renders the novitiate invalid, while an absence exceeding fifteen days should be made up and not only, as well as our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences of this
22. Our own, and through us other people’s, believing, promoting, experiencing that, with the permission of the competent major superior, the first profession may be anticipated, but by no more than fifteen days and not only, as well as our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences of this
23. Our own, and through us other people’s, believing, promoting, experiencing that the purpose of the novitiate requires novices to be formed under the direction of a master, in accordance with the formation program defined by the institute’s own law and not only, as well as our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences of this
24. Our own, and through us other people’s, believing, promoting, experiencing that, under the authority of the major superiors, the direction of novices is reserved solely to the master and not only, as well as our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences of this
25. Our own, and through us other people’s, believing, promoting, experiencing that the master of novices should be a member of the institute, order, brotherhood, circle who has already made perpetual vows, possesses various initiations and authorizations, and has been lawfully appointed and not only, as well as our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences of this
26. Our own, and through us other people’s, believing, promoting, experiencing that, when necessary, assistants may be assigned to the master, who are subject to him in matters concerning the direction of the novitiate and the formation program and not only, as well as our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences of this
27. Our own, and through us other people’s, believing, promoting, experiencing that the formation of novices should be entrusted to members carefully prepared for this purpose who, not burdened with other duties, could fruitfully and consistently fulfill their task and not only, as well as our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences of this
28. Our own, and through us other people’s, believing, promoting, experiencing that the task of the master and his collaborators is to discern and confirm the vocation of novices, as well as gradually to form them for the life of perfection proper to the institute, order, brotherhood and not only, as well as our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences of this
29. Our own, and through us other people’s, believing, promoting, experiencing that novices should be led to acquire human and Christian virtues; through prayer and self-denial they are to be introduced onto the path of fuller perfection and not only, and they should be trained in contemplating the mystery of salvation, in reading and meditating upon Holy Scripture; prepared for Divine worship celebrated in the sacred liturgy; taught the manner of practicing a life consecrated to God and people in Christ through the practice of the evangelical counsels, and also made familiar with the character and spirit, purpose and discipline, history and life of their own/another institute, order, as well as imbued with love for the Church and its shepherds and not only, as well as our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences of this
30. Our own, and through us other people’s, believing, promoting, experiencing that, aware of their own responsibility, novices should actively cooperate with their master so as faithfully to respond to the grace of vocation and not only, as well as our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences of this
31. Our own, and through us other people’s, believing, promoting, experiencing that members of the institute, order, brotherhood should take care, within their own sphere, to support the work of forming novices through the example of their lives and through prayer and not only, as well as our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences of this
32. Our own, and through us other people’s, believing, promoting, experiencing that the period of novitiate should be devoted to the work of formation in the strict sense, and therefore novices should not undertake studies or other activities that do not directly serve this formation and not only, as well as our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences of this
33. Our own, and through us other people’s, believing, promoting, experiencing that a novice may freely leave the institute; likewise, the competent authority of the institute may dismiss them and not only, as well as our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences of this
34. Our own, and through us other people’s, believing, promoting, experiencing that if, after the completion of the novitiate, the novice is judged suitable, they should be admitted to temporary profession, otherwise dismissed, and if there is doubt concerning their suitability, the major superior may extend the probationary period in accordance with the institute’s own law, but never beyond six months and not only, as well as our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences of this
35. Our own, and through us other people’s, being masters of novices, novice mistresses, novitiate directors, superiors of every kind and gender, under whose direction candidates for an order, monastery, community, brotherhood, circle and not only develop, are formed and reside, and being those who, among others, are good at what they do, form others skillfully and respectively do not care, neglect them, perform their duties improperly and not only, as well as our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences of this
36. Our own, and through us other people’s, being trusting, naive beings who, in various states of elation and emotion, allowed and allow ourselves/others to be programmed and blocked in such a way that, after completing the novitiate, apprenticeship, after/before making the first vows, we no longer possess our own emotions, feelings, thoughts, but act in accordance with programs encoded within us/others for the benefit of, on behalf of, among others, an order, community, institute, circle, brotherhood, with/without conviction and believing that this is the only right path, the only right direction, and are unable to determine or notice whether it leads us/others toward destruction or toward creating for the highest good, nor to assess whether it leads toward God or in the opposite direction and not only, as well as our own, and through us other people’s, experiencing all the consequences of this

Opublikowano: 14/08/2026
Autor: Sławomir Majda
Kateogrie: Religions, priests, sects, idolatry, vows.

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