Formation in our St. Thomas Capuchin Province is taken seriously by everyone and the best personnel available in our province are placed in the formation houses. They, with the backing of the Provincial and his team, are taking every effort to help our young brothers to grow in the true Franciscan Capuchin charism in relation to the present time. The formation program of our province is given in different stages as given below.

It is the starting stage of the formation program in our province. The invitation of Jesus ‘Come and See’ (Jn 1:39), is the golden rule for vocation formation which is a pastoral activity, helping young men to discover God’s plan for their lives and deepening it within their baptismal commitment promoting their apostolic spirit and inviting them to follow Jesus in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi.

The vocation promotion is carried out in two stages in our province: Vocation Camp and Come & See program. In order to find out the interested students, we conduct a camp soon after Christmas in different dioceses. The Provincial Vocation Promoter along with other regional level vocation promoters will navigate through the catholic schools within our province and get the names of those students who have a liking for our way of life and they are invited for the first camp. Soon after the 10th and 12th exams, they are invited again for a second camp for three days conducted in our minor seminary. From this second camp we select those who are definitely showing some signs of Vocation. Besides that, a few students who have finished 12th class and above knock at our door seeking admission to our minor seminary. Before admission, they are given an opportunity to live a few days with us in any one of our ashrams and this is called, “Come & See” program. If the candidates still show the interest they are later admitted to our Minor Seminary at Elinjipra.

At our Minor Seminary the candidates undergo the Orientation course at first, which is a part of the initial formation given to them with an opportunity to discern their Capuchin Franciscan vocation with the help of a spiritual director. They live there for one year with us and if the Superiors are satisfied with them, they are admitted to Aspirancy which lasts for two years. During these years those brothers who have not done their 12th examination are given an opportunity to do the same.

Those who are promoted from Aspirancy, spend another year called postulancy or pre-novitiate. It is an immediate preparation for the canonical novitiate which follows it. This is a time of discovering and deepening their vocation and is spent in a conducive place along with the students of other two Provinces.

This is a period of more intense form of initiation and acquisition of more profound experience of the Franciscan Capuchin gospel life with its fundamental demands and it lasts for twelve months. They are guided by a well experienced Novice Master. At the end of the year they are vested in Capuchin religious habit and make their first profession in the hands of the Provincial Minister.

Post-novitiate program is coupled with the study of philosophy. During the post-novitiate time the newly vested brothers try to deepen the charism, already acquired in the novitiate by living in a community. They spend a month during the summer vacation in a remote place on their own. Meanwhile, they also continue their course in Philosophy, an ecclesiastical requirement for clerical candidates. Non-clerical brothers are also asked to do philosophy courses along with the clerical students. Philosophy course, lasting for three years, is intended to help brothers to deepen their personal convictions, grow in maturity of mind and have an integral vision of the world, capable of entering into dialogue with the contemporary society in order to face its changes in a typically Franciscan Capuchin style. Those brothers who have not done their graduation course will do it during the philosophy course itself as external students.

It is a period of one year break from formal studies, during which the brothers are introduced to a program called ‘exposure-immersion’. The young friars are exposed to the real experiences of the ordinary people and live with them without any formal structure of a seminary. During this year, they live some time among the tribal folk, fishermen, the abandoned, the convicts who returned from the jail etc. Students engage in daily wage jobs to earn a living.

After a year of regency, they go to the Theologate. Christian theology is a reflection that seeks to understand God, world, the other and self in the light of faith. It enriches itself as it draws on the customs, traditions and wisdom of the local community. During this period, lasting about three and half years, they make their final commitment in the Capuchin Order and the clerical candidates are given the minor Orders including Diaconate. After the Pastoral Course and Comprehensive exams-(written and oral), they leave the seminary and come back to the province.

Around the month of November-December the Deacon brothers are given the sacrament of priesthood preferably in their own parishes. After Ordination the brothers are sent to some parishes for six months in view of getting some experience in pastoral life. In extraordinary situations they may continue in the same parish for a year. After the ministry in the parishes, all of them return to the province to take up their respective assignments.