It lasts one academic year and its location is in a Marist community in Berkeley, California. During this time the candidates from the three U.S. Marist provinces live together and under the direction of a spiritual director and a trained facilitator strive to develop a true community spirit. They also take courses in theology, scripture and philosophy in preparation for the novitiate. The third step is the novitiate year . During this year-long period the novices are schooled in the basics of religious and spiritual life, methods of prayer, the obligations incurred by taking the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, and in the spirituality and the history of the Society of Mary.
Most candidates remember the novitiate as the best year of their lives.
It is intense and full of spiritual insight and graces. At the end of this year the candidate takes temporary vows, lasting usually three years. The fourth step is that of theological training . It lasts 2 years for brothers and 4 years for those aspiring to the priesthood. It takes place in Washington, D.C. at a consortium run by several religious congregations who share in the teaching.