Dear Friends, on this vigil of St Joseph, we thank God for the gift of Kate & Isabella as they begin their postulancy with COLW.

Having frequented the community for several years and done some live-ins, they arrived in time for today’s short welcome ceremony during evening prayer.

Postulancy comes form the latin word postulate i.e. to ask, to solicit. Hence, postulancy is a time of asking questions, of themselves, of God and of COLW.

Kate and Isabella will be asking: 1) Is this the life which God is calling me to? 2) Is this where I will be fulfilled? 3) Do I have the capacity to live religious life?

The Community will be asking: 1) Do we feel that God is calling us as a group to accept these women? 2) Do they have the same spirit and capacity to live as a Colwelians? 3) Can we provide a place in which they will flourish as religious?

Postulancy lasts from one to two years and entails a deeper entering into the paschal mystery, learning to live less and less for oneself and more and more for Christ, so as to bring fruits of salvation for their families, for the shrine, for England and for the world.

We look forward to helping them settle into the rhythm of our life here at Dereham over the coming weeks. We accompany them as they joyfully take this next step in their discernment journey, developing the many gifts they bring and entrusting their ‘fiat’ to Our Lady of Walsingham as Mother of Vocation.