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I. Blessing and Imposing the Small Scapular of the Third Order of St. Norbert:
The Abbot, or his Deputy, vested in rochet and stole, stands before the altar, the Postulant kneelng before him on the altar step, humbly joining his hands together. The Abbot asks:
V. What do you ask?
R. The mercy of god, Reverend Father, and the society of your holy Order.
The Abbot or the priest delegated by him, may then give a short exhortation on the Rule and Spirit of the Third Order. He then says the following prayers:
V. Our help is in the Name of the Lord,
R. Who made Heaven and earth.
V. Show us Thy mercy, O Lord,
R. And grant us Thy salvation.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer,
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.
V. The Lord be with you,
R. And also with you.
Let us pray: O Almighty Father and everlasting God, Who didst will that Thy only Son should clothe Himself with the garment of our mortality, we beseech Thee to let the immense blessing {+} of Thy mercy be bestowed on this garment which the holy Fathers have appointed to be worn by those who renounce the world in token of innocence and humility, and to vouchsafe so to bless {+} it that Thy servant who shall be clothed with it may be worthy to put on Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end. Amen.
Let Us Pray: Almighty, everlasting god, loving and merciful, Who grantest pardon and mercy to sinners who ask for mercy, we beseech Thy immense clemency that Thou wouldst be pleased so to bless {+} and sanctify this scapular that whosoever wearing it shall implore Thy mercy may obtain of Thy grace the forgiveness of all his sins through Our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end. Amen.
The Abbot or his deputy then sprinkles the scapular with holy water, and vests the Postulant, still kneeling, with the blessed scapular, saying:
Receive, Brother (Sister) this white scapular, in order that you may clothe yourself with a greater increase of God's grace, and that you may be worthy to walk in white with the Lamb, Who liveth and reigneth with God the Father in unity of the Holy Spirit, world without end.
R. Amen
V. Save Thy Servant
R. Who putteth his (her) trust in Thee, O my God,
V. Be unto him, O Lord, a tower of strength,
R. From the face of the enemy,
V. O Lord, hear my prayer,
R. And let my cry come unto Thee,
V. The Lord be with you,
R. And also with you.
Let us pray: Give ear, O Lord, to our supplication, and vouchsafe to bless {+} this Thy servant whom we have vested in Thy Name with the scapular of our Order, that by Thy grace he may persevere in devotion in Thy Church, and obtain eternal life. Through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray: Stretch forth, O Lord, unto this Thy servant the right hand of Thy heavenly help, that he may seek Thee with his whole heart, and obtain what he rightly asketh. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
After this, the Abbot, or his Deputy, sprinkles the Postulant with holy water, and gives him the kiss of peace. In cases of Sister-Postulants, he offers his stole for her to kiss. He then adds:
I by the authority which I possess receive you as a Brother (Sister) of the Third Order, and by this act I declare that, through the bounty of the Apostolic See, you can gain all the Indulgences granted to our holy Order, and I make you, during your lifetime and after your death, a partaker of all the sacrifices and prayers that are offered up, and other spiritual good works which, through the grace of God, are performed in our Order. In the Name of the Father, {+} and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
All being finished, the Father Sacristan writes the name of the "Frater / Soror ad succurrendum," that is, of the new Brother or Sister, in the Register of the members of the Third Order of St. Norbert.
Explanation:
The Director must, before giving the white habit to a Postulant, carefully investigate his or her qualities and disposition. (See Rules XII and XIII)
As to the Ritual or Ceremonial of the clothing of a Tertiary, the form approved by Benedict XIV is, with two or three slight alterations, the same as that which was observed in the first beginning of the Order. [Cere.-001] This may be easily seen from its striking simplicity, which points to its antiquity. The white colour of the religious habit is, in Catholic tradition a symbol of purity and of humility: "ad innocentiae et humilitatis indicium," says the prayer for the blessing of the scapular.
When several Postulants are to be clothed at the same time, the priest says the respective prayers in the plural.
The Tertiary belongs from the day of his clothing to the Norbertine Family, and as such may gain the Indulgences and claim the Privileges granted to the whole Order. His name is enrolled on a special Register. He participates in all the masses, comunions, prayers, and good works which are done in the Order. He should, however, remember that with this title of Brother he takes upon himself serious duties towards God, towards the Order, and towards himself. He must also be tried for a whole year by the Abbot or Director; only after a year's novitiate can he be definitively affiliated to the Order.
2. Form of Profession:
When the year of the Novitiate is over, the Novice kneels before the Abbot, or his Deputy, seated before the altar. The Abbot, or his Deputy, asks him:
V. Do you still persevere in your resolutions?
R. I do
The Abbot says:
You must then, in the future, walk in the way of God's commandments, and promise anew to keep His commandments.
The Abbot then takes the joined hands of each Novice in his own. The Novice makes his (or her) Profession in these words:
I (name) promise to Almighty God, to the Blessed Virgin Mary, to the holy Father Norbert, to all the Saints, and to you, Father, during the rest of my life to keep the commandments of God, and to receive the penances imposed on me for my transgressions. I firmly propose to cherish and to promote the worship of the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, to prevent, as far as I can, all detraction, immodest language, and blasphemies, and to reconcile enemies; and I now heartily forgive my enemies for God's sake.
After the Profession, the Abbot blesses the scapular in the following form:
V. Our help is in the Name of the Lord,
R. Who made Heaven and earth.
Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, Who didst vouchsafe to clothe Thyself with the garment of our mortality, we beseech Thee, of the abundance of Thy mercy, that Thou wouldst be pleased so to bless this garment, which the holy Fathers have appointed to be worn in token of innocence and humility, that this Thy servant, who is to be clothed therewith, may be worthy to put on Thee Christ Our Lord. Who liveth and reigneth, God, world without end. Amen.
The Abbot then puts the blessed scapular on the now professed Brother, saying:
May the Lord clothe thee with the new man who is created according to God in justice and holiness of truth. Amen.
V. Save Thy Servant,
R. Who hopeth in Thee, O my God.
V. Send him help from the holy place,
R. And protect him from Sion.
V. Let not the enemy prevail against him,
R. Nor the son of iniquity have power to hurt him.
V. Be unto him, O Lord, a tower of strength,
R. From the face of the enemy.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer,
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.
V. The Lord be with you,
R. And also with you.
Explanation:
We have already remarked that the Profession of the Third Order is not a vow properly so called, and that the Rule does not bind under sin. This profession is rather like to the renewal of the baptismal vows and to a solemn protestation of fidelity to the perfect observance, as far as possible, of the Commandments of God and of the Church.
The form of the Profession contains an explicit promise to accept and to perform the penances incurred by the transgressions of the Rules.
Moreover, the professed Tertiary obliges himself to spread the devotion to the Blessed Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, to avoid and repress all detraction, immodest language, and blasphemy, to restore peace between enemies, for they must remember that such are the special duties, as well as the characteristic features of the Norbertine Tertiary.
The Tertiaries will also take care to renew frequently their vows, especially on the anniversary day of their Profession.
