Training

The first three years at Assisi Heights was the novitiate – the period during which the sisters-in-training learned the tricks of the trade. Many women entered at young ages, the average being 21, and for two years, worked and learned at Assisi Heights. As Sister Avis explained, they took religious classes such as those on theology, spiritual life, and liturgical music. At the same time, they took basic classes such as those on psychology and mathematics in order to prepare them to later teach these subjects as teachers. They were also tasked with specific jobs, such as doing laundry, helping with housekeeping, or working in the kitchen.¹

In many ways, life as a novice Sister was difficult. On top of classes and chores, the Sisters were expected to abide by rigid rules. For example, they were not to leave the convent except for specific occasions. Sister Mary Lonan recalled leaving the motherhouse once in a while to go to Saint Marys for a movie or a play as a group of Sisters, but it was not possible to come and without special permission. Similarly, there were strict and limited visitation rules for family members who wished to come see the Sisters. As Sister Avis recalled, these were some of the most difficult regulations for her: "It was a hard time for me… My twin sister was working down here in Saint Marys Hospital. I couldn’t go see her. She couldn’t come see me except on certain days. My family lived out in Southwestern Minnesota, and I couldn’t go there. For six years, I did not go to visit my family. They could come and visit me. But that was the rule. So that was hard. It was very hard because I still had my younger brothers that I was very attached to."²

"For six years, I did not go to visit my family. They could come and visit me. But that was the rule. So that was hard."-Sister Avis

But despite the rigid rules during this novice period, from the way Sister Avis reminisced about her experiences, the Sisters lived in a fun-loving atmosphere. She shared a story of one novice who loved to pull pranks on the others by sneaking into the storage room containing all of their white veils and switching up the ordering of them. Therefore, when the novices went in to put on their veils, they would pick up a veil suited for a different Sister’s head, and consequently would be either too big and fall off or too small and not fit correctly. As Sister Avis recalled, “We were young. We had a lot of fun.”³

"[The novice period] was a time of spiritual growth, for sure… But it was all to lead you to a more spiritual life. It was a good start… But you’re whole life, you have to continue to grow, so that your relationship with God has to deepen..." -Sister Avis

It was also a very important and necessary time for their faith formation. They attended daily mass (which they continue to do), and prayed multiple times a day. These, along with the classes and tasks, were all in order to bring about spiritual growth and discipline. However, this growth did not end once a Sister traded in her white veil for a black veil and ring after the novitiate. Sister Avis explained that this was only the beginning: "[The novice period] was a time of spiritual growth, for sure… But it was all to lead you to a more spiritual life. It was a good start… But you’re whole life, you have to continue to grow, so that your relationship with God has to deepen, or you wouldn’t stay. If this is why your whole purpose is of living this kind of a life, then you have to continue to grow in that, like in a relationship with family, with a husband and wife; they have to continue to grow."⁴