„Finally the moment came when the door of the convent opened for me – it was in the evening on 1 August the eve of Our Lady of the Angels. I felt extremely happy, I thought I had entered life in paradise. One big prayer of thanksgiving sprang up from my heart” (Diary, 17).

The postulate is the first trial stage of the religious life. It opens with an internal ceremony, usually preceded by a day of recollection. In our Congregation the postulate usually lasts 10 months (it cannot exceed 12 months). The postulate is primarily aimed at the gradual introduction of postulants into religious life; at complementing and extending the scope of their religious knowledge; at forming them in the culture of community life in accordance with good principles of education and manners; at the development of the practice of natural virtues; and at allowing the postulant a closer look at the life and apostolate of the Congregation. This aim is served not only by lectures and time spent studying, but also by prayer and work in the Community.

Translated by Orest Pawlak