Record

SCA - Scottish Catholic Archives
- MB - Marist Brothers

Repository	Scottish Catholic Archives
Ref No	SCA/MB/26
Title	Postulants, Novices and Admission to vows
Date	1855 - 2012
Description	Aspiring Marist Brothers were required to spend time at a Novitiate. This would last between 18 months – 2 years and, apart from periods during the War, it was expected that British and Irish postulants would attend Novitiates overseas. They attended the Novitiate usually after completing their secondary school education, with some postulants attending as young as 16. After one year living as a postulant in the Novitiate, postulants would apply for Admission to the Habit whereby they would become a Religious, wearing Religious habit and taking on a Religious Name as a Brother. After this point they would be referred to as novices rather than postulants. Around one year later they would take their first Vows of Obedience, Chastity and Poverty. This was alternatively called Admission to Vows or Profession of Vows. In 1854, an additional Vow of Stability was introduced which was required for any posts of responsibility in the Institute (eg Director of a community, member of Provincial Council, Provincial and beyond). This Vow of Stability is no longer a necessity and is rarely taken in modern times. Master of Novices in each Novitiate would report back on the progress of postulants and novices to the Provincial of the Province from which the postulants and novices came. After the first Profession of Vows, new Brothers would renew their Vows every year. These ‘Annual’ or ‘Temporary’ Vows were called Emissions, with Brothers usually going through five or six Emissions of Vows before they could apply to take Perpetual Vows. At each Emission the Brothers applied to the Provincial and Provincial Council for approval, with more senior Brothers providing reports on the new Brothers’ progress, character and spirituality. If a Brother happened to be rejected for Perpetual Vows, he could apply for another Emission of Temporary Vows and then apply for another attempt to be accepted for Perpetual Vows in a year’s time. Contains: General papers of postulants and novices; Letters to Provincials from Master of Novices and British and Irish novices and postulants; Applications for Vows and reports on postulants; Admissions and Vows register
Physical Description	Photograph; Printed material; Manuscript; Photograph postcard
Related Material	MB/1/1/1/1; MB/1/1/2; MB/1/2/6
AccessConditions	Not all Series/sub-Series are open for Consultation; 50 year rule applies unless GDPR restrictions; at discretion of Archivists
Language	English
	French
	Spanish
	Italian
	Latin

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