Our Procedure

"Test the spirits to see if they are from God" 1Jn 4:1

In St Benedict's Holy Rule he writes, "Do not grant newcomers to the monastic life an easy entry". It's not that our entrance procedure is rigorous but it does take a necessary amount of time. The monastic vocation calls for a total commitment not every one has the grace or desire for this. Therefore, we have a process which must be undertaken before admittance to our novitiate is granted.

Step 1: Email Br Chris: chris@trappistabbey.org

If you are interested in exploring the monastic life as lived at Our Lady of Guadalupe Trappist Abbey, the first step is to email our Br Chris and tell him so. This way a relationship may be established and we can determine if it is good to move on to Step 2.

Step 2: A visit in our Guest House

We like to have the interested man come and stay in our guest house for about four days. During this stay, he will meet with a number of us involved in vocational discernment and talk.

Step 3: The Monastic Life Retreat

If the initial visit is positive, on both sides, the candidate will be invited to participate in our Monastic Life Retreat Program. This is a thirty day stay within the monastery living with the monks. This will be a time for him to see what monastic life is really like.

Step 4: The Observership

If the vocational candidate is still interested in becoming a monk, and we too discern in favor of this step, then the observership is undertaken. This is a three month stay in the monastery, but this time it is centered in the novitiate. The vocational prospect will live as a novice does and better understand what formation will be like.

Step 5: Postulancy

By this time, both the vocational candidate and ourselves are quite familiar with one another. If we both discern that this vocation is from God then the novitiate proper is begun. Postulancy is for one year. After Postulancy, then comes the state of being a novice for two more years.