The period of temporary vows is a new phase of formation which should reap the fruits of the preceding phases, and benefit from the stability derived from profession. It aims at strengthening the fidelity of the newly professed while it constitutes a prolonged preparation for solemn profession. This period is a time of maturing in the life of the nuns of the Order, of deeper integration of the sisters into the community, and of growth in their sense of responsibility for its life. Following the Augustinian tradition of monastic life they will come to recognize that their own personal progress is closely linked to their relationships with the other members of the community. A program of systematic theological formation ordinarily forms the content of the instruction and study proper to this period. By Solemn Profession as a Dominican Nun a woman is totally consecrated to God in the Order of Preachers until death.
Adapted from the Ratio Formationis Generalis for the Nuns of the Order of Preachers
