Thank you for your question. I was not sure myself, so I asked a brother who is here at my seminary. His response is below. Although he is a brother for the Intercessors of the Lamb, the process is similar to most. I would encourage you to speak directly with whatever order or orders you are interested in and visit with them. You may also contact him directly. His information follows. My thanks go to Brother Jerome for his time and effort. A brother for the Intercessors of the Lamb community is one who desires to live a consecrated life to the Lord Jesus Christ after the personal call from Him, "come follow me." The personal call is to life with Jesus and His Cross. He enters first into discernment with the community, or in general with any community to whom he feels drawn, because of the gifts he has been given by God. The vocational call is a GIFT from God. These gifts are given at baptism from the Holy Spirit and must be developed and nourished under the 4 pillars of intercession: PRAYER, PENANCE, SILENCE, and SOLITUDE. These are foundational for a life of intimacy with the Holy Trinity that a brother will deepen on his journey. A brother first comes to live a communal life with others who share the same vision as in Acts 2:44. This is his first calling. The desire to live a consecrated life only grows deeper as the Holy Spirit fills him more with love of God and neighbor. For Intercessors, this is crucial because God's love casts out all fear so that we can pray with zeal for the salvation of souls. He must love God above all else because God's first love is for him to whom He wants intimacy and nuptial relationship. Soon the call deepens to a "call within a call"--the Sacred Priesthood. Usually, the community leaders decide if the call to priesthood is authentic by the way that brother surrenders himself to the will of God by dying to self, the world and the devil. It is a call to be conformed perfectly to Christ--to become an 'alter Christus' to the world. This truly is a work of grace of the Holy Spirit. A brother first enters as a postulant, a time to visit the community and live the life for a determined amount of time. He then may feel the desire to enter the "Novitiate" which is a stage of deeper formation in the Charism of the community and a purification of self. Novitiate is usually 1yr or perhaps 2. After, he is 'called' to take temporary vows for 3 more years which can last up to six. In his fourth year, he is judged to be ready to take "final" vows to that community. Final vows are binding to Rome and to the community since that person has decided that this is where God has placed him for life. He should be happy in his calling yet not without struggles as is the life of any religious. Intercessors of the Lamb are formed in contemplative spirituality with the explicit desire to renew the priesthood and capture one soul at a time. We do nothing except what the Father tells us just as Jesus did nothing unless His Father told him. This is very important because of the plan the Father has for each individual soul. When we follow the lead of the Holy Spirit, then God's plan is accomplished. In general, each order has their own formation program but this outlines the general formation in most communities. Since we are hermits, the call is very personal. No education beyond High School is required to enter the community as that may develop in the formation process. For further information, go to www.bellwetheromaha.org to read and learn about the Charism of the Intercessors of the Lamb. Br. Jerome Lies Kenrick-Glennon Seminary 5200 Glennon Dr St. Louis, MO. 63119 ph. 314-792-6425 opt email: soulbearer3@gmail.com WEB PAGE: WWW.KENRICKPARISH.COM/JLIES blog: www.lambjerome.motime.com
-John D. Stearns

Stephanie, Your best bet is to contact you local vocation director. He has information on a number of seminaries and can also provide good spiritual direction. If you don't know who your vocation director is, ask your pastor. The vocation director for the Colorado Springs Diocese is Fr. Jim Williams. He has a site at the bottom of this site where you can e-mail him. I hope this helps. Thank you for posting your question. Yours in Christ, John
-John D. Stearns

John, Sorry for the delayed response. I've been in an Army Chaplain Candidate summer program in South Carolina, and they've been keeping us fairly busy. My ordination will be in 2011 and I will be back to serve in the Diocese. There are a bunch of guys coming up in the next few years, but keep up those prayers for more vocations. The Good Lord knows we could use as many as we can get! All the best and God bless. Jim
-James Baron

Yes, all of us will be returning to the Doicese of Colorado Springs. Thanks for your Question
-Jason Keas

Currently,as of July 11, 2007, all seminarians on this site are Diocesan Seminarians. As a result, we will all return to the Diocese upon ordination if no changes occur. Please understand that we will be assigned according to the Bishop's request and therefore, may be "loaned" to other areas. Additionally, at least one seminarian is discerning a vocation to the military chaplaincy and therefore may be assigned elsewhere. Seminarians also have the ability to change organizations while in seminary so they may move from or to a religious order. We have several seminarians who started out belonging to a religious order and have moved to become a diocesan priest. Nothing is really absolute until you are ordained. I hope this answers your question. May God Bless you, John
-John D. Stearns

I can only talk about Kenrick, but I think most seminaries are the same. The rooms are about 12x14. they come with a bed (twin), desk, chair, in wall locker, and a bookcase. we also have common rooms to watch TV and socialize. I hope this answers your questions. Please feel free to ask more questions. God Bless.
-John D. Stearns