Features of the Discipleship Stage
Jesu Caritas
Pre-Theologians in the Discipleship Stage share intentional friendship with the members of their Jesu Caritas group. At the beginning of the year, Pre-Theologians are asked to form small groups of 3-6 (from among their peers, or with good reason, from among the Theologians) with whom they can be open and honest about themselves and their relationships with Jesus. Jesu Caritas groups meet every week to share graces and struggles, encourage and challenge one another, pray vespers, and have dinner together.
Formation Conferences
Seminarians in the Discipleship Stage participate in a series of formation conferences with the men in the Configuration and the Vocational Synthesis Stages. Some conferences are plenary (pertaining to all three stages), while others are stage-specific (addressing issues relevant to Discipleship).
Leadership and Mentoring
Seminarians in Discipleship share responsibility for the daily operations of the Pre-Theologate. With their class deans and vice-deans, they take the lead in organizing orientation and the annual pilgrimage.
The Head Sacristan and Head Cantor are appointed by the Director of Pre-Theology in consultation with the Director of Worship from the men in Discipleship II. The sacristan prepares for the various liturgical and devotional practices in the chapel, creates a schedule for readers and servers, organizes serving practices, and trains his successor during the Spring semester. The cantor selects and leads appropriate liturgical music, and organizes the cantor schedule. They both have assistants assigned from the men in the Propaedeutic Stage (who do the same work for Propaedeutic liturgies).
The Apostolate Leader and Gaud Master are also appointed by the Director of Pre-Theology from the men in Discipleship II. The former is responsible for organizing the schedule for Discipleship apostolics (described below), while the latter manages Pre-Theology house gauds (one per semester), the Christmas and Easter gauds, the end of the year gaud, and the Superbowl gaud for the house.
Living together with their brothers in the Propaedeutic Stage, the men in Discipleship offer encouragement and support, giving witness by their own gradual maturation to what God desires to accomplish in their brothers.
House Jobs
At the beginning of the year, during the first SLA meeting, the men in Discipleship Stage choose a house job to perform consistently during the year, in service to the larger community.
