The novitiate period is a time of further growth during which the various components of our life are gradually and harmoniously integrated. This integration is effected not only by the teaching of appropriate behavior and the transmission of knowledge but by the handing on of an entire way of life with its own proper spirit and mentality. The areas of instruction that are especially consonant with the novitiate period are the vows and religious consecration, the Dominican and monastic tradition, and the theology and history of the spiritual life.
