The novitiate is a year that is set aside for prayer,
reflection, and learning about community life and the history and
heritage of Vincent de Paul passed down throughout the ages. The
novice is given time to develop his prayer life and to learn about
various schools of spirituality in the Church. There is also some
ministerial activity built into the novitiate year.
The novitiate is located in Philadelphia, in the Germantown
section of the city. It is the "locus" of community life and
activity. In Germantown, novices interact with confreres from our
three parishes, the retired and infirm in our Motherhouse, and the
Shrine of the Miraculous Medal, where the weekly novena is held on
Mondays. Entrance into the novitiate is usually after completion of
the second year of theology. At the end of the novitiate year, the
novice takes vows, also known as "good purposes".