The feeling that God is calling you to become a monk often begins with those first few encounters with a monastic community. If this desire continues to grow, then an abbey’s master of novices will join you on your path of exploration and delving into the meaning behind this calling. What begins with a few short stays in the abbey may later be followed by a postulancy and novitiate, the ultimate goal being to move from a temporary vow, to its culmination in a solemn one. This heralds the start of a monk’s life of searching and growth.