/" s . tj VESTITIO.J WITH TEE HABIT OF ST. DCMINIC Nineteenth Class of The Province of St* Albert the Great Saturday, August 30 f 1958 St* Peter Martyr Priory Winona, Minnesota "For you have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you 1,’ Bro. Terence O’Meara, O.P. Bro. Stephen Shimek, O.P. Bro. Jeremiah Walsh, O.P. Bro. Clement Risley, O.P. Bro. Gabriel Stephen, O.P. Bro. Hilary Cramer, O.P. Bro* Mel- Buechele, O.P. Bro. Christopher Bumphy, O.P. Bro. Quentin Barnett, O.P. Bro. Finian Turner, O.P. Bro. Louis Poirier, O.P. Bro. Luke Wilkinson, O.P. - Bro. Alfred Wilder, O.P. Bro. Felix Stephany, O.P. Bro. Qrananuel Boysen, O.P. Bro. Alphonsus Heyl, O.P. Bro. Celestine Weisser, O.P. Bro. Qwen Farrell, O.P. Bro* Bemardine Babbo, O.P. Bro. Thomas Cleator, O.P. Bro. William Kramlinger, O.P. Bro". Cletus Patrick, O.P. Bro. Ignatius Gutierrez, O.P. Bro. Innocent Kovacec, O.P. Bro. Norbert Wietlispach, O.P. Bro* Frederick Huber, O.P. The object of the year’s novitiate spent under the care of the novice Master must be the forming of the mind of the novice by means of study of the Rule and Constitutions, by pious meditation and assiduous prayer, by learning what concerns the vows and virtues, and by such practices as may help him to root out vices and cultivate virtues. from the Dominican Constitutions Today the Dominican Order rejoices for she is about to receive nsw members into her ranks, the same ranks made ilLustrious by such great saints as St. Dominic, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Albert the Great, St. Pius V, and St. Peter Martyr* This joy, however, is not on the part of the Order alone, for the young men about to receive the Habit of St. Dominic are also joyful. They have heard the call of Christ— "Come follow Me"—and they are about to answer that call. This is, for them, a beginning. A beginning in the life of perfection to which they have been cabled by Christ Himself. It is not without its sacrifices, for during this year of novitiate they must laarn to abandon all things so that they may advance in their love for Almighty God. But how can these t lings be called sacrifices when the reward is Christ Himself? The parents of these young men also share in the joy of this occasion, for their son has been called by Christ to follow Him. They have sacrificed much for their son, and now they are about to re- ceive their reward as thoir son takes his first step toward one of*God ! s greatest gifts—His priest- hood . let us all rejoice as the Choir sings the Canticle of praiso—The Te! Deum—for God has called and they ,have ans rered. THE VESTITION CEREMONY After a ten day preparatory retreat the postulants are vested with the entire Dominican Habit. At a sign from rthe novice master, the postulants enter the sanctuary. There they lie prostrate on the floor with their arms outstretched in the form of a cross. While prostrate, the prior asks them, ffWhat do you seek?" They reply, ‘ l,God f s mercy and yours." Then they kneel and the prior ^explains briefly the Dominican life, with its obligations of striving for spiritual perfection through the ob- servance of the three vows and the other monastic ‘obligations. He closes with the question, "Do you desire, "therefore, to observe all these insofar as you are able?" They answer,' "We do," and the prior prays, " ,fMay the Lord perfect what He has begun." » % . The choir begins the hymn to the Holy Spirit, "Veni Creator," and the actual vesting begins. The first garment is the white toga-like garb called the tunic; next the belt with the fifteen decade rosary. Then the long scapular is placed over the shoulders and upon this a short cape with a hood called a "capuce". A long black cape with a hood is then placed on the shdulders to* complete the habit. Wh6n all are vested, they again lie prostrate on the floor and the prior reads the prayers. When he has finished he blesses each novice as he kneels before him. As the choir sings the "Te Deum" the new novices receive the kiss of peace (a welcoming gesture) from the prior and the community. After this the novices return to the sanctuary where the prior gives them their religious names, and in the name of the Church and the Order, informs them that the 1 novitiate year has now begun. ? The ceremony ends with a procession of the novices from the chapel. L A U D A R E BENEDICERE PRAEDICARE