Become a Crusader
Before Admission to Religious Formation
Are you a man with a high school diploma, a confirmed Catholic, and feel called to religious priesthood? You can come to serve at one of the order’s churches. The members of the order will gladly introduce you to the order’s apostolate according to the legacy of our holy founder Agnes of Bohemia and to the religious life in the spirit of the rule of St. Augustine. If you are studying at a university in Prague, apply for admission to the order’s college – the juvenate, so that you can be closer to the order during your discernment.
Candidacy
The first formal step on the path to membership in the order is to present yourself to the Grand Master and request entry into candidacy and the novitiate. During the period of candidacy, it is examined whether the candidate has a calling to the priestly service in the community of religious canons. The candidate frequently receives the sacraments and familiarizes himself with the two fundamental documents governing life in the order – the Constitutions of the order and the Rule of St. Augustine.
Novitiate
The novitiate, taking place in the main order house in Prague near the Charles Bridge, lasts 1 year and begins with the so-called investiture (the handing over of the order's habit – a gown with two white tabs – in the chapter hall). During this period, the novice gets acquainted with the religious life. He is assisted by a priest appointed by the Grand Master – the novice master. Currently, this is J.M. Can. Jiří Hladík. The novice joins the other clerics in liturgical prayers and meditations. At any time during the novitiate, the novice can terminate his preparation and leave.
Clericate
After the one-year novitiate, the three-year temporary vows are taken. At that time, the cleric pledges with a vow to chastity (sexual abstinence), poverty (prudent handling of property), and obedience (acceptance of authority) for a specified period. During the period of temporary vows, preparation for priestly ordination (master’s study of Catholic theology) takes place. After the period of temporary vows expires, the cleric can either be admitted to extend the temporary vows for another period or to take the solemn vows (also of chastity, poverty, and obedience, but now permanently) and thus to full and definitive membership. Temporary vows can only be taken for three three-year periods, then the cleric must either leave or take permanent vows. After completing theology studies, members of the order either remain in the monastery or, after receiving deacon and priest ordinations, represent the order as spiritual administrators of the order’s parishes. All members of the order regularly gather in the monastery for common meetings and maintain a bond with the religious community.
