Postulants are part of the Capuchin Order even though they have yet to take vows. The order assumes financial responsibility for men from this point forward. While postulancy is a time of intense ministry experiences, novitiate provides the environment in which one can become reflective and contemplative. Novices become part of the community at Mount Calvary, Wisconsin and devote six hours a week to ministry and about 20 hours a week to study. Topics include Jesus, learning and practicing personal prayer forms, the history of spirituality, the history of religious life, the Capuchin Constitutions, the history of the Franciscan first order, the Poor Clares, and the lay Franciscan movement.
Novitiate concludes with profession of temporary vows.
For three to six years a person vows a year at a time. When they sense they are ready they may request perpetual vows. The first year after novitiate takes place in Toronto, Canada. This is a year that offers a variety of experiences in ministry and theological reflection. Any academic work in preparation for ministry begins after this year in which a person tries to bring together all that they have learned and experienced during the preceding years.