Introduction...

This guide is intended to help any member of the Missionary Cenacle Family to contribute to our vocational efforts. It is divided into four sections, for each of the four branches of the Family.

We want to answer the same basic questions for each branch:

1. What are the personal characteristics or identifying signs of a good candidate?
2. What are the specific requirements for applicants?
3. What is the basic formation process?
4. What should I do once I have identified a possible candidate??

In order to better fulfill our obligation to Article 8 of our Rule of Life, it is important to be informed of the needs and requirements of all the branches of the Cenacle Family. It is our sincere hope that this guide will serve that purpose. Let us always remember to keep one another in prayer, and remember Father Judge's prayer "that your affairs will be so conditioned that you must depend on one another, that you cannot do without one another, that you may realize that you need one another."

Missionary Cenacle Apostolate

The Identifying Signs of a Good Candidate

A potential candidate for the MCA should demonstrate a love of God, a zeal for neighbor, and a spirit of sacrifice. We are looking for candidates who are actively involved in the life of the Church and who are interested in the continued development of their spiritual lives.

A potential candidate should have the ability to share faith in a small group setting. He or she is accepting of the "family" relationship existing among the branches of the Missionary Cenacle Family.

Requirements for Applicants

A candidate to the Missionary Cenacle Apostolate must be a baptized Catholic. A candidate may not already be a member of a religious order, including any third order.

Basic Formation Process

An individual is admitted to candidacy by the local Custodian of the MCA or a representative named by the General or Regional Custodian. The stage of candidacy lasts for one to three years.

The formal formation process usually takes about one year and is undertaken with a sponsor from the Missionary Cenacle Family who is willing to accompany the individual in his/her introduction to the Cenacle way of life. If possible, a portion of the formation process should take place within the context of regular apostolic meetings of a local Missionary Cenacle.

The content of formation includes a study of the Rule of Life and Constitution of the Missionary Cenacle Apostolate. There is also a review of basic Cenacle spirituality, devotions, history, and practices. There are resources available for the purpose of formation, including a booklet of meeting outlines and a videotape.

At the end of the formation process, a candidate who is at least 17 years of age may make an Act of Consecration. This gives him/her full membership as an Associate of the Missionary Cenacle Apostolate.

Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity

The Identifying Signs of a Good Candidate

Our main goal is the preservation of the faith among people who are spiritually neglected or abandoned, especially the poor.

• We are looking for young men who are open to work in a wide variety of locations and conditions: inner city ghettos, Native American reservations, isolated towns of rural America, shanty towns of Mexico City, the hills of rural Mexico and Puerto Rico, and the rainforest of Costa Rica.
• We are looking for young men who are open to working in the context of the Cenacle Family, in collaboration with consecrated and vowed laity and sisters.
• Good candidates are men who show a desire to visit the sick and elderly, feed the poor and homeless, reach out to the abandoned in prisons, hospitals and institutions.

Requirements for Applicants

The first and most essential requirement is a great love for God and a willingness to live among and serve the poor and abandoned out of that love. A qualified applicant

• is actively involved in his parish or campus Catholic student community
• has normal intelligence
• relates well to people
• is not afraid of taking risks
• enjoys good psychological and physical health
• is between 18 and (normally) 35 years of age has finished high school
• is debt-free (except for student loans).


Basic Formation Process
 

• CANDIDACY:

This is a time for an individual to come to know the community better and experience first-hand what it means to be a missionary through active involvement in the apostolate. There is a regular schedule of spiritual development and guidance, retreats and days of recollection, as well different programs dealing with issues of human development. Candidates are encouraged to become actively involved in both the local community and their school community.

Priesthood candidates must complete their undergraduate degree as well as eighteen credit hours of philosophy before going to the novitiate.

Missionary brother candidates must finish their initial program of studies or training arranged by the director of the program in consultation with the candidate and the community.
 

• NOVITIATE

Phase One: The first six months are spent learning about the community, its history and spirit. There are classes and workshops on prayer, the spiritual life, the vows, and the place of religious life in the Church.

Phase Tivo. For the next two months the novice is involved in one of our missions. He actively participates in missionary work while leaming how to incorporate the active apostolic life with a dynamic life of prayer.

Phase Three: Also known as the reflective phase, these are the final four months before first profession of vows. There is much time for quiet, prayer, and spiritual direction, attempting to integrate the new knowledge and experiences of the year.

Novitiate ends when the novice makes his first vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience for one year. These vows are renewed annually until final profession.
 

• POST-NOVITIATE

Priesthood students study theology in a four-year program leading to a Master's degree in divinity. They may also pursue a M.A. in a specific theological discipline. Their preparation also includes a variety of supervised pastoral experiences.

Missionary brothers enter a variety of programs of education, depending on their own talents and interests and the needs of the community. Some pursue academic degrees in theology while others receive specialized training in professional and technical fields.

In either case, an intense program of spiritual development and active involvement are key. This final phase of formation lasts three to four years.
 

Missionary Servants of the Most Blessed Trinity

The Identifying Signs of a Good Candidates

A potential candidate is a woman who is healthy and mature, free to choose our life, and able to live in community and do our ministries. Our vocation formation handbook lists these qualities:

• potential to live religious life
• a personal, inner call to religious life
• the ability to discern and struggle with issues
• evidence of Christian qualities
• charity, selflessness, tolerance, and availability
• a desire to serve the Lord and the People of God
• a missionary spirit, a willingness to go anywhere

The following qualities were offered by our sisters at various regional meetings in 1997:

• flexible, adjustable, able to be spontaneous
• available, generous, hard-working
• light-hearted, with a sense of humor
• appreciative of our Family approach
• takes initiative, is creative
• has a missionary spirituality, is prayerful
• able to work well with others, likes collaborative style
• sees God in others, has an incarnational spirituality able to live happily in community

Requirements for Applicants

These policies were approved by Sr. Siena Marie Wahl and the General Council on 12/12/95.
 

• Religious affiliation and knowledge

must be a practicing Roman Catholic for the past three years, have a knowledge of basic Catholic faith, and be open to further faith development.
 

• Physical and psychological capacity

must have the health necessary to be in community, carry out ministry, participate in spiritual life activities, and enter into the give and take of life as an MSBT. Physical examinations and psychological testing are required. There must be willingness and ability to work in a multicultural environment.
 

• Education

High school or GED is minimum requirement. Must be capable of comprehending and delivering the Gospel message. Must have the capacity for continued education.
 

• Age

preferably between the ages of 18 to 35. We do not accept applicants over age 45.
 

• Marital status

single with no living children or grandchildren. If the applicant was married, the marriage must have been annulled for at least three years.
 

• Other

must be willing to live the vowed life, has been living celibately for at least three years, is free of debt, has no felony convictions, has worked successfully.
 

Basic Formation Process

There are five stages of formation. There is an evaluation and recoi-nmendatioii involved in each stage. It is the decision of the General Custodian whether or not to accept a woman into each stage.
 

• INITIAL CONTACT

The woman meets with the vocation director over a period of time. If both are agreeable, formal application begins. This includes a complete physical exam and a psychological evaluation. The woman submits academic transcripts, letters of recommendation, baptismal certificate, etc.
 

• VOCATION PLACEMENT

After an applicant is accepted, she lives for about a year in a local cenacle of two or more MSBTS, preferably in her own culture when feasible. She works full time, usually in ministry with the sisters. She is responsible for her own finances unless other arrangements are made. This is an introduction to the lifestyle and spirituality of the MSBTS, and a time for mutual discernment.
 

• CANDIDACY

This stage lasts 5 months to a year. The candidates live together with their candidate director in a cenacle set aside for formation. It may be in a culture different from their own. There is a curriculum and formal instruction, as well as part-time ministry experiences. There may be short mission experiences in other cenacles as well. There is time for prayer, study, and reflection.
 

• NOVITIATE

This stage lasts 18 months. Novices are members, and the community assumes full financial responsibility. The novices live together in a cenacle specifically set aside for formation. There are short-term i-nission experiences away from the novitiate cenacle as well. Each novice meets regularly with the novice director. There is an extensive curriculum which includes study of our Rule and Constitution, the vows, spirituality, and human development. She has one day of ministry a week. There is time for study, prayer, and reflection.
 

•  TEMPORARY VOWS

This stage may last from 4 to 6 years. A sister in temporary vows is missioned and serves as any other sister. In addition to her full-time ministry, there are expectations of continued education in religious life, scripture, and theology. There is an annual evaluation to aid in discernment for a request for final vows.
 

Blessed Trinity Missionary Institute

The Identifying Signs of a Good Candidate

A potential candidate is one who is mature, free to choose a vowed life, and is able to participate in the mission of the BTMI. We look for candidates who manifest a love of God, a zeal for neighbor, and a spirit of sacrifice. A potential candidate
 

• is sincere in the desire to serve the Lord and the people of God
• has a missionary spirit
• is apostolic
• is celibate
• feels a personal inner call to a vowed life
• has a desire to live a life of consecration to God
• shows evidence of Christian values
• is prayerful
• is generous and diligent
• is mature
• is unselfish and compassionate
• is responsible
• has a love of neighbor
• is able to work well with others
• is emotionally and psychologically stable

Requirements for Applicants

Any Catholic who has no canonical impediment, who is animated by the right intention, and who is able to carry out the obligations of the institute may be admitted. Other requirements are:
 

•  
  • Religion

  must be a practicing Roman Catholic, have a basic knowledge of Catholicism, and be open to further faith development; must recognize the authority of the Church, have a reverence and obedience to the Holy Father; must recognize the authority of the bishops and their special role; must have a missionary spirituality.
   

  • Physical and Ministerial

  must be able to carry out ministry and participate in spiritual life activities; must have a willingness and ability to work independently as well as collaboratively; must have the proper regard for personal health and show care witliout anxiety for its maintenance.
   

  • Age

  must have completed 24 years of age.
   

  • Marital Status

  Must be single; if previously married, the marriage must have been annulled.
   

  • Other

  must be willing to live the vowed life; must be able to adequately provide for oneself-, must be able to embrace and foster the family concept in ministry and spirituality.
   

  Basic Formation Process

  ASPIRANCY

  Individuals seeking admission to the Institute must submit appropriate paper work and credentials, and undergo required testing and interviews. Aspirancy lasts at least six months.

  Training of aspirants is under the supervision of the Director of Aspirants or under the special care of a proven member appointed for the purpose by the General Custodian. Training is devoted to study, to spiritual exercises, and in general to whatsoever may in any way help to qualify the aspirant for the functions of the Institute.
   

  • CANDIDACY

  The period of candidacy is two years. It begins when the Aspirant makes the Act of Commitment. The Candidate is introduced to the nature and practice of the vows according to our charism. The Candidacy is spent in laying the foundations of life in the Institute and in study of the Constitution. The candidate is given instruction in Christian Doctrine, meditation and various forms of prayer, and suitable exercises toward personal and spiritual growth.

  Upon completion of the Candidacy, the candidate makes profession of temporary vows according to the Constitution.
   

  • PROFESSION OF VOWS

  Temporary vows are taken annually for a period of five years. At that time, the member may choose to take definitive vows with annual renewal, or perpetual vows with annual reaffirmation.
   

  Where to Refer Qualified Candidates

  Missionary Cenacle Apostolate

  Interested persons should be connected to the Custodian of the local Missionary Cenacle, or the General Custodian of the MCA through the central MCA office:

  3501 Solly Ave.
  Philadelphia, PA 19136 USA
  Phone: (215) 708-8225
  Fax: (215) 708-8226
  e-mail: mcaalma@yahoo.com

  Missionary Servants of the Most Blessed Trinity

  Interested women should contact:

  Sr. Beth Henkin, MSBT
  3501 Solly Ave.
  Philadelphia, PA 19136
  Phone: (215) 335-7534
  Fax: (215) 335-7511
  e-mail: voc@msbt.org  

  Blessed Trinity Missionary institute

  Interested persons should contact:

  BTMI General Custodian
  1050 Long Hill Road
  Stirling, NJ 07980
  (908) 647-5311
  mgmhayes@gateway.net
   

  Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity

  Interested men should contact:

  in the United States of America:

  Mark McGuthrie
  US Vocation Director
  9001 New Hampshire Avenue
  Silver Spring, MD 20903
  e-mail: Vocations@TrinityMissions.org

  in Mexico:

  Fr. Jesus Palomares Vega ST
  Apartado Postal 69-623
  Mexico D.F. 04610
  Phone: (011) 525-617-9654
  Fax: (011) 525-617-9654

  in South and Central America and the Carribean:

  Fr. Carlos Gordon ST
  Apartado Postal 191-3 1 00
  Santo Domingo de Heredia
  Costa Rica C.A.
  Phone: (011) 506-244-05 5 7
  Fax: (011) 244-0266

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  Prayer for Vocations

  God our Father, we pray that you would bless our church, and especially the Cenacle Family, with many members who are filled with a missionary spirit.

  Extend your call to our youth, and instill in them the desire to devote themselves to you and to the service of your people, especially in the abandoned areas of your vineyard.

  Strengthen us in the vocation we have received. May our lives give witness to others of the joy of serving you.

  We ask this through Christ your son, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

  Amen.