Training and Studies for
Marist Priesthood and Brotherhood

The Society of Mary accepts as candidates for the priesthood men who have had at least two years of college and who are between 18 and 45 years of age. However, exceptions are made in special cases.

Candidates for the brotherhood must have completed at least a high school education or its equivalent and must also be between 18 and 45 years of age.

There are several steps in the formation process:

1) Usually candidates spend six months or more as a live-in candidate in a designated Marist community. This is a period of mutual evaluation wherein the candidate gets to know the congregation and the congregation evaluates the candidate. During this time the candidate may either work for the community in return for his room and board or spend time taking courses in philosophy that he may not have taken in college. Ordinarily, the candidate will cover the expenses of tuition for such courses, which are generally taken at a state college. During this time he will also undergo psychological testing as part of the evaluation process.

2) The second step is called the postulancy, which is an immediate preparation for the novitiate year. It lasts one academic year and its location is in a Marist community in Berkeley, California. During this time the candidates from the two U.S. Marist provinces live together and under the direction of a spiritual director strive to develop a true community spirit. They also take courses in theology, scripture and philosophy in preparation for the novitiate.

3) The third step is the novitiate year. During this year-long period the novices are schooled in the basics of religious and spiritual life, methods of prayer, the obligations incurred by taking the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, and in the spirituality and the history of the Society of Mary. Most candidates remember the novitiate as the best year of their lives. It is intense and full of spiritual insight and graces. At the end of this year the candidate takes temporary vows, lasting usually three years.

4) The fourth step is that of theological training. It lasts 4 years for aspirants to the priesthood and 2 years for brother candidates. It takes place in Washington, D.C., where in consultation with the Marist Staff a seminarian may choose one of three different theological schools. During this time the candidates, now called "theologians," also receive training in apostolic work. Three years after the novitiate, the candidate is usually called to make perpetual vows of chastity, poverty and obedience. One year after making perpetual vows the aspirants to the priesthood receive ordination to the diaconate, and a few months later, they are ordained to the priesthood.

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