Ours is a life of vowed Poverty, Chastity and obedience lived in simplicity and humility in a... •  Joyful community life, •  witnessed by a simple, traditional habit, •  deep prayer life together, •  and a community life of loving service, •  in the gentle spirit of St. Francis de Sales Women who feel they have been called by Christ to offer their lives to him in service to the Church are encouraged to pursue and nurture this desire so that it may mature and bear the fruit that God destines it to bear. Before entering the Congregation as a postulant, a person who aspires to the consecrated life will meet with a Sister to begin a mutual time of discernment. During this time, young women are introduced to the spirituality of the Oblate Sisters through the Spiritual Directory of Saint Francis de Sales and the lived experience of the Sisters. Once a young woman makes a commitment to this faith journey, she joins our Novitiate and begins the time of formal formation, a process that lasts from eight to ten years and t he time of the postulancy generally lasts one year during which the Sister is introduced to the spirituality of the Congregation, the prayer life, community living with its ups and downs, and the apostolic life. Sisters spend a week or two in another house of our Congregation in order to have a full, though brief, apostolic experience.

Sisters who desire to continue the path toward total consecration are accepted into the Congregation as novices. The novice receives the religious habit and a religious name. These symbolize the new life that she is taking on from that day forward. During the first year of the novitiate, the Sisters study the Constitutions and customs of the Congregation. They continue religious studies based on Church documents, theology and the spirituality of Saint Francis de Sales. Most importantly, the Sisters dedicate this first year as a novice to developing a profound life of contemplative prayer. They lay the foundation of their lifelong relationship with Jesus as his spouse. The second year novices continue this formation with a strong emphasis on the vows of Chastity, Poverty and Obedience. They spend a few months in another house of the Congregation actively involved in apostolic and community life. They taste briefly the experience of integrating a rich, full spiritual life with one of our apostolates. Sure of their call to 'leave all to follow Christ,' Sisters profess the evangelical counsels of Chastity, Poverty and Obedience for one year. These vows are renewed each year for at least five years. During the early years of profession, the Sisters continue their theological formation while actively involved in the apostolate. Formation classes help the Sisters continue to grow and mature spiritually. They may also continue to pursue University studies at this time. Perpetual consecration to Christ and his Church seals the Sister's desire to make the commitment a permanent one. On-going formation supports the Sister throughout her religious life. Days of recollection, annual retreats, spiritual conferences, along with a strong life of prayer and service, strengthen the Sister as she leads an active life of loving service that springs from a compassionate heart, formed in prayer and contemplation, in the tradition of St. Francis de Sales. If you feel a whisper of the Lord's call to live out the Gospel values in this lifestyle, then come and learn more and see where the Lord is leading you. For more information contact us at: 410.398.3699.