The Novitiate is, conventionally, the second year of Augustinian formation, spent in the Bl. Stephen Bellesini Community in Racine, Wisconsin. As a novice, the men in formation receive a white habit, but have not yet taken any vows to the Order.
The focus of the novitiate year is on prayer and the deepening of one's personal relationship with God. Alongside this, novices learn more fully how to live in community according to the Rule of Augustine.
Novices regularly receive visits from Augustinian priests and brothers, who present on specific aspects of Augustinian spirituality and religious life. The breadth of education men receive during this year is quite wide-ranging. In the video above, you will see the men in formation during a workshop on icon painting.
Learning to live in community also entails forming bonds of brotherhood. Br. Dominic Smith documented some of the ways he and his novitiate class challenged themselves and one another to grow spiritually, mentally, and physically, in this wonderful video above, entitled "Let Love Rule."