During the novitiate, the novices tour the Province to gain a perspective
that cannot come from words alone. Each January, the novices begin their Southern
tour that allows them to visit the houses of the Western Province in Los Angeles,
Riverside, San Diego, Mexicali (Mexico), Tucson, Tempe, Las Vegas, and Salt Lake
City. In late July, the novices begin their Northern tour that allows them to visit
our houses in Eugene, Portland, Seattle, McKenzie Bridge, Oregon. Through these two
experiences they gain a lived perspective of life in the province. They are able to
meet the friars out there doing the Lord's work, they see the ministries first hand, and
visit with the people of God present throughout the Province.
The tours are a bonding
experience for the novices too. They travel by car from one city to the next, and
the Southern tour takes six weeks! They often find their sleeping bags come in
handy, and they discover what it means to live a truly itinerant life. The rewards
are great, as these experiences help the novice in their discernment. They are able
to ask and answer the questions, "Can I see myself doing these types of ministries in
the future?", "Is this what I thought the ministries would be like?",
"So this is how the priests and brothers really live." There are a lot
more questions that the novices ask and answer, and many of these answers can only come
after visiting and experiencing the actual houses of the Province.
During the tours, the novices also get their first taste of preaching in front of the
public. During Mass, after the homily given by the priest, one novice will preach
his testimony. This means the novice will tell his vocation story, and why he finds
himself in a Dominican habit today. Their preaching often inspires many, and
frequently people are able to recognize their own faith journey with the testimony.
After the novices have completed the tour, each of them can practically tell each
other's stories. They have given their vocation testimonies a dozen times, and their
first taste of preaching is far behind them.
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Br. Augustine Hilander plays with some children of the mission. (2001)
Br. Dominic DeMaio plays with the children in the street. (2001)
Brs. Luan (L) and Charles (R) enjoy the snow at our St. Catherine of
Siena Newman Center in Salt Lake City. (2001)
Explore the 2003 Tour |
