A Reflection on Novitiate
By Cody Hill
Everyone talks about their novitiate experience from their own perspective. Traditionally, it is a year of quiet solitude away from the world, fully devoted to prayer and learning about the Congregation to discern a religious vocation. Our novitiate experience broke that tradition. Living in Mexico for a year and experiencing a new way of life is a challenge, but I served in the military for 10 years and am quite used to living comfortably in an uncomfortable situation. What I was not prepared for was being immersed in such an intense pastoral experience.
When we arrived a year ago, we were immediately thrust into a wide variety of pastoral activities. One of the first was accompanying the Diaz family in their time of grief over the death of a brother. We participated in a monthly rosary with the family, as is the custom in Mexico. I also was assigned to work with the extraordinary ministers and educate them on their roles and the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM). The language barrier was difficult to overcome; with help from Fr. Javier’s brother-in-law, we eventually became more confident in our abilities to communicate. And the parties! The people are incredibly festive and want to celebrate everything with us!
A main focus of novitiate is learning everything about our Congregation and the aspects and rules of religious life. Fr. Matthew Allman educated us thoroughly on all subjects of St. Alphonsus, the other Redemptorist saints and Blesseds, and the history of the Congregation, as well as understanding religious life and its inherent expectations. Monday through Friday we sat through classes with him as we attempted to absorb everything he could teach us. There was also the daily schedule and routines of prayer. Considering all the learning and apostolic activities we participated in, it seemed like there was scarcely a moment to breathe.
All things considered, my experience was a true blessing. Even though I have been a thousand miles from Mississippi, the welcoming, charismatic people make me feel right at home. The Diaz family feels like real family, and the parishioners who attend our chapel here on Sunday have become like my extended family, helping to fill that void during the past year. The best part may be the quality bonding the novices experienced. We forged a brotherhood through good times and weathered occasional arguments. No one ever said community life is easy, but we made the most of it!
Now we wait to profess vows on July 20. The excitement and anxiety is palpable as the days draw to a close. Andrew and I constantly talk about how mentally drained we are, but there are still so many things to do before our profession date. We still have parties and confirmations of students to attend, and trips to renew our visas. We have grown in our spirituality and love of God demonstrated through our actions and devotion to our apostolic works and community. We are all looking forward to continuing this journey, and enjoy some well-earned rest before classes begin on August 18 in San Antonio!
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