A practicing Roman Catholic man interested in entering the monastery should contact the vocation director. If there is no obvious obstacle to his entering, the vocation director will invite him to come and stay at the monastery as a guest for a few days. After at least one, and preferably two or three, visits to the guest house, if there is good reason to think the candidate has a true vocation, he stays in the monastery for a month living and working with the community and attending all community exercises. During this month he meets several times with the novice master, and at the end of the month he is advised as to whether or not he should apply to enter. He then returns home to consider his decision.

Some of the brothers become priests. The priest-monk exercises his priesthood primarily through his monastic life of intercession. He also serves the needs of his brothers in the community, of the sisters of our twin monastery, and of our guests. The question of whether a monk shall be called to the priesthood is not considered until after solemn profession. Those going on to the priesthood begin a course of theology some time after solemn profession. No monk has a right to ordination or to theological studies. A monk is entirely free to refuse ordination; otherwise he should peacefully accept the decisions of his superiors in these matters. 

A candidate needs sufficient good health to enter fully into the monastic life. People with serious psychological problems should not think of entering. People who tend to be very moody or get easily depressed, or who do not like people, will not do well in the monastery.