Admission and Membership

We admit and welcome young male folks following the directives in the Universal law and the Nigerian Church. Also, we admit members considering the Nigerian educational minimum requirements of O’ level qualification (five credits including English language and Mathematics). Other higher educational qualifications are welcomed and appreciated.

Application for admission is to be made to our Vocations Director through our contacts and postal addresses; or better still, visiting our communities. Candidates with “O Level” should be between the ages of 18 and 25years while those with higher qualifications of BSc or its equivalent should not exceed 30years. However, for candidates with Master’s and Doctorate’s degrees, a higher age can be considered.

Formation

God in His goodness called all Christians in any state or walk of life to the fullness of Christian life and the perfection of love. This call is the origin of Consecrated or Religious life. It essentially constitutes the act of following Christ closely under the action of the Holy Spirit. Hence Jesus asserts, “It is not you who chose me but I chose you and commission you to go out and bear fruit, fruit that will last.” Persons who come to the Hearts of Love are souls sent by God, who, having encountered the great Love of God are willing to enroll in the Institute or take up the life of the Institute, so as to bring people to the Love of God in the Hearts of Love.

The primary objective of our formation process is to prepare the Aspirants for the total consecration of themselves to God as brothers living according to the Charism of the Two Hearts of Love Institute. The formation therefore shall be holistic involving every aspect of his personality in behaviour and intentions. It shall be directed towards the transformation of the whole person called to seek and love God with all his heart, soul and mind and one’s neighbour as one’s self.

The stages of formation in the Institute of the Two Hearts include: Aspirancy, Postulancy, Novitiate, Special Formations, Special Formations for Priesthood (Philosophical and Theological studies) and Ongoing formation and Specialization.

Aspirancy:

Aspirants are young men who, feeling called by God express their intention to willingly enter the Institute in the spirit of committing themselves to God according to the Charism of the Institute. The Aspirants shall be entrusted to the care of the Vocations Director who will help them in discerning their vocation and verify if they have obtained the human, moral, physical, psychological, intellectual and spiritual qualifications and right intentions stipulated both in the Universal Law and our Constitution. The period of Aspirancy shall not be more than one year. Within this period the Aspirant comes to experience the life of the Institute. If he is promising and manifests genuine signs of being called to our way of life, he will be allowed to have one month of uninterrupted experience before proceeding to the Postulancy.

Postulancy:

This period offers the candidate opportunity of progressive maturity and vocational discernment. It shall last for not more than one year. It is the duty of the Superior General and his Councilors to admit candidates to the Postulancy. This stage shall be in the house of formation designated for this, under the direction of a Postulant Master as appointed by the competent authority. The formation of Postulants aims primarily at completing their catechesis in the faith and includes an introduction to the Liturgy, Sacred Scriptures, Morality, Method of Prayer, Introduction into the history and the life of the Congregation and a first experience of apostolic work. It must also re-enforce and promote human maturity especially emotional maturity, and ability to discern the signs of time in the light of the Gospel. This can be reviewed periodically.

At the end of the Postulancy the candidate must be at the point of understanding the meaning, demands, implications and values of the consecrated life and of the Two Hearts of Love vocation. The community, on the other hand should have moral certainty about the fitness of the candidate for admission into the Novitiate.

Novitiate:

This is the period of intense initiation and a more profound experience of the Charism of the Congregation of Sons of the Two Hearts of Love of Jesus and Mary. The right to admit candidates to the Novitiate belongs to the Superior General with the consent of his Council.

The Novitiate, in which life in the Institute begins, is ordered to these ends:

• That the Novices come to a better awareness of their Divine vocation particularly the vocation proper to the Institute
• They experience the lifestyle of the Institute
• They form their minds and hearts in the spirit of the Congregation
• It offers the Formators opportunity to put the resolutions and suitability of the novices into test
• The Superior General with the Councilors are to exercise vigilant care to admit only those who, besides being of required age, are healthy, have a suitable disposition and sufficient maturity to undertake the life which is proper to the Institute. This health disposition and maturity are to be established, if necessary even by the use of experts.

Our Novitiate is for two years (first twelve Canonical months before Profession and the second phase of Apostolic year or intensification of the community life as professed. This is lived outside the Novitiate but in our communities).

Special Formations:

Formation is to be systematic, adapted to the capacity of the members. It is the duty of the Congregation to assist members to develop their own skills. Each brother is to be trained according to his talents and gifts for the various tasks that have to be performed. Therefore, some should learn crafts and technical skills while others specialize in Ecclesiastical or Scientific disciplines, especially those that are needed for the growth of the Institute. Suitable Ecclesiastical and Civil degree are to be obtained as opportunity offers. The choice of specialization is discerned through careful consideration of personal request and aptitude of the member, the priorities of the Congregation and the need of the Church, in an open and confident dialogue between the brother and the Superior General. Brothers are to take care that while becoming skilful at handicrafts and well equipped intellectually, they also acquire proficiency in the special grace of work and become holy. They are to apply themselves to specializations according to their abilities in a spirit of self-denial and discipline, so that through the development of their personality and the cultivation of their minds, they may contribute to the common good of the Congregation, the Church and the human society.

Studies illumined and inspired by the charity of Christ, must be entirely in keeping with our kind of life. Therefore, when engaged in studies, the brothers should develop their hearts and minds in such a way that, in keeping with the intention of the Charism, they make progress in their vocation. In fact, training in any kind of work is an integral part of our religious life.

Special formations for Priesthood:

Brothers who are called to the Sacred Orders must be trained in accordance with the norms laid down by the Church, (cf. Cann.232 & 250 § 1, 2) taking into consideration the nature of our Institute. The priestly formation in general should be geared towards Spiritual, Apostolic, Doctrinal and Pastoral proficiency. Suitable Ecclesiastical and Civil degrees are to be obtained as opportunity offers. During the period of priestly formation, members are not to be given offices and undertakings which hinder their formation. (cf. Can. 660 § 1 & 2).

Philosophical Formations:

While our Congregation sends our students to Major Seminaries and Catholic Institutes approved by the Church for such trainings, our philosophical formations shall be based on the philosophical heritage that is perennially valid and it shall also take account of philosophical investigations over the course of time. It is to be given that it furthers the human formation of the students, sharpens their mental edge and make them more fitted to engage in Theological studies.

Theological Formations:

Theological formations, given in the light of faith and under the guidance of theMagisterium, is to be imparted in such a way that the students learn the whole of Catholic teaching based on Divine revelation, that they make it a nourishment of their own spiritual lives, and that in the exercise of their ministry they may be able to properly proclaim and defend it. Students are to be instructed with special care in Sacred Scripture, so that they may acquire an insight into the entire mystery of salvation as contained in the Divine revelation. Lectures are to be given in Dogmatic Theology, based always on the written Word of God and on sacred Tradition; through them the students are to learn to penetrate more deeply into the mysteries of salvation. Lectures are also to be given on Moral and Pastoral Theology, Canon Law, Liturgy, Ecclesiastical History, and other auxiliary and special disciplines, in accordance with the provisions of the Program of priestly formation. (cf. Can. 252).

In the course of their Theological studies at the proper time, students should be prepared spiritually, canonically and liturgically for the reception of Ministries and Holy Orders.

Ongoing Formation and Specialization:

This is a process of constant return to the sources of the whole of the Christian life and to the original inspiration of the Institute together with its adaptation to the changing conditions of our time. Since a brother who has completed his initial formation can hardly claim to be fully equipped for the rest of his life, this up-to-date renewal is therefore intended for all the brothers. Every member is to be diligent in continuing his spiritual, doctrinal and practical formation throughout his life. The Congregation at determined times organizes programs, theological meetings and conferences geared towards updating the brothers. These programs should be systematic, dynamic and integral revolving on the whole of religious life in the light of the Gospel and the spirit of the Two Hearts of Love.

The Vows

In adherence to the lifestyle of our Lord Jesus Christ who came to do the Will of the Father with an undivided Heart and to live a life of radical poverty and total obedience, we the brothers of the Two Hearts of Love in docility to His teaching and example undertake in a peculiar manner to live out the Evangelical Counsels of Chastity, Poverty and Obedience according to the Universal Law and the prescriptions contained in our Constitutions. Through the Evangelical Counsels, members are more deeply united with Christ in whom they constitute essential aspects of His own total and perfect self-oblation. The vows give firmness and stability to the Love of God and our neighbour, and to their striving for perfection, eternal life and union with God.

Chastity:

The Evangelical Counsel of Chastity embraced for the sake of the Kingdom is a sign of the world to come and a source of a greater faithfulness to God in an undivided heart. It involves the obligation of perfect continence in Celibacy. Its practice demands that we place at the centre of our affective life (more immediate) relationship with God through Christ in the Spirit. The chastity professed by the religious must be esteemed as an exceptional gift of grace. It uniquely frees the heart in a special way so that it becomes more fervent in the love of God and for all men. Consequently, it is the most effective means of dedicating ourselves wholeheartedly to the Divine service and the work of the apostolate.

According to the identity and spirituality of the Institute, the models of our life of Chastity are the Virginal Love of Jesus and His Virgin mother. The reason for the life of Chastity is hinged on perpetual Love of God and for all people. In a unique way it gives us greater freedom of heart to cling to God with undivided love and enables us to become all things to all peoples. Since the observance of perfect continence touches intimacy, the most profound of human nature, all formation should tend to enable members to achieve true psychological and affective maturity which will enable them to live chastity with serenity and interior peace. Only in this way will “the gift of themselves to God and to men be the source of profound peace”. The vow of Chastity involves certain deprivations which are to be acknowledged and accepted. Diligent recourse to supernatural and natural means makes it possible to maintain a proper balance and to avoid the dangers which greatly threaten celibacy such as boredom, loneliness, love of comfort, excessive gratifications or on the other hand, a morbid aversion to displaying affection. The observance of chastity binds all members for life; therefore, we must renew our commitment by frequent participation in the Sacramental life of the Church especially in the Eucharistic banquet and in the Sacrament of Holy Reconciliation.

Members should have recourse to regular spiritual direction. Since a deep spirit of prayer, which unites the members with their spouse Jesus, is the key to the observance of perfect chastity. Therefore, the members must persevere in prayer, thereby fostering intimate union with Christ and His Virgin Mother. They must trust in the help of the Lord and not in their strength and be determined to practice mortification and custody of the senses and of the heart. While members make use of social communication to obtain information about the principal events in the world and the Church, they should keep in mind their own sanctification and the fulfillment of their duties. Therefore, members should observe necessary discretion by avoiding all that could be harmful to their vocation and dangerous to the chastity of a consecrated person.

A faithful observance of community life is the most secure defense against dissipation of the heart. The tendency of a brother to avoid his community is a symptom of a diminishing love for God and an inclination towards a purely human love. When a brother feels better staying outside than inside in his religious family there is a serious reason to fear for chastity. All members; especially the Superiors, are to do all within their capacities to ensure that their members live a common life in true fraternal love. Since grace builds on nature, Superiors shall be careful to admit to profession of vows only those who have shown signs of emotional maturity and psychological stability that will enable them make a free and enduring commitment to the demand of chastity.

Poverty:

By our vow of Poverty, we have happily embraced Christ’s poverty, the Son of God who receives everything from the Father and shares all things with the Father in the Spirit; was sent to preach the Good News to the poor. Though He was rich …, yet for our sake He became poor. In this way we testify that God is man’s only real treasure and we manifest our expression of total gift of self to the Three Divine.

Persons in imitation of Christ who receives everything from the Father and gives everything back to the Father. By virtue of this vow we undertake to live a life which is poor in reality and in spirit, sober and industrious and a stranger to earthly riches. It also involves dependence and limitation in the use and disposition of goods in accordance with our Constitutions.

Living in poverty according to the Charism of our Congregation involves adopting a simple and austere way of life both as individuals and as a community. Therefore, we shall adhere to the golden rule of the “minimum necessary and not the maximum permitted”. Members are to observe the poverty of spirit which is highly recommended in the Gospel and in strict connection with our Charism and spirituality reproducing in the Local Church the humility of the Two Hearts, by a life of simplicity, availability, self-effacement and submission in mutual love. Consequently, we shall always carry our deep love and respect for the poor joyfully giving ourselves to the service of the Church, the Congregation and the entire humanity, thereby seeking no recognition but bearing witness that true happiness is to be found, not in the accumulation of material things, but in the service of the Kingdom. Gospel poverty is one of the highest ideals of our lifestyle. Our Congregation in keeping with our Charism, demands each member to live a frugal and simple lifestyle in clothing, food and housing and in renunciation of any and every form of social, political or ecclesiastical domination. Granted that we live in the world, members must necessarily make use of material goods. The essential scope however, remains always in the imitation of Christ; hence our members make use of everything but without attaching their hearts to anything. They renounce the superfluous and the convenient, intending therefore to honour and imitate Christ who “had nowhere to lay His Head”.

The members will look after any material good under their charge as something belonging to the Church and consecrated to God. They will not spend any gifts made to them or revenue accruing to their works for the advantage of themselves, their own families and friends, but rather they must place all at the disposal of the Congregation to be used for the Church’s continuation of Christ's mission among men. They must never attach their hearts to any appearance of merchandising and vanity. Rather, let them know how to suffer want. Let them share all goods in common. Let them accept in the right spirit the dependence which the vow of poverty brings with it. Our members retain the ownership of their patrimonial goods (inheritance) and the possibility of acquiring others legitimately; nevertheless, before first profession, novices must freely concede the administration of their goods and make disposition for their use and revenues. At least before perpetual profession the religious must draw up a will regarding the goods he possesses or may acquire which is valid also in civil law. This disposition should not be altered even for a just reason nor can a member take any action concerning the temporal goods, except with the permission of the Superior General and his Council or in urgent cases, the permission of the Local Superior.

All goods including personal work, salaries and pensions, subsidies, insurance money and gifts, etc., which come to us in anyway shall be handed over for the use of the Congregation, so that each member receives from the Congregation the same food, clothing and other necessities. Members shall appropriate nothing to themselves, neither house, place, anything at all. Members can only use money as an ordinary means of exchange and social life, necessary even for the poor. They are forbidden from keeping money or having personal bank accounts. They shall use money with the permission of the Superior and have the obligation to account for its use. For the more perfect observance of poverty, members shall not ask their friends, parents or relatives for money or other things, for themselves or others, without the express permission of the Superior. In our commitment to our life of poverty, we are obliged to willingly accept whatever form of work is requested of us and thus acquiring the means and aids of necessities of our life and apostolate chiefly by our work.

The Institute provides all things necessary for the life of the members. It should furnish them with all those things that are necessary for the achievement of their vocation according to its means. The brothers shall confidently and sincerely make their needs known to the Superior. The Superior, with brotherly love should provide the needs of the members of the community. But where this is not possible, the Superior should have recourse to the Superior General, not excluding the possibility of soliciting for help from Christ’s faithful.

We should always remember that Evangelical Poverty and its perfection consists chiefly in complete availability to God and His people; therefore, we should not be inordinately attached to earthly goods, so that we may use the things of this world as though not using it, for the glory of the Father and the benefit of His children.

Obedience:

We, the Sons of the Two Hearts of Love of Jesus and Mary, following the foot prints of the Lord Jesus, who came to do the Will of the Father, learnt obedience through what He suffered and made Himself servant of His brethren, undertake the commitment to be totally conformed to Him by living in obedience. We resolve therefore, to offer our wills to God as a sacrifice of ourselves and to conform ourselves continually to the Will of God. The vow of obedience, undertaken in the spirit of faith and love of God obliges submission of one’s will to lawful Superiors, who act in the place of God when they give commands according to the Constitutions.

The Authorities which Superiors receive from God through the ministry of the Church is to be exercised by them in the spirit of service. In fulfilling their office, they are to be docile to the Will of God and are to govern those subject to them as children of God. By their reverence to the human person, they are to promote voluntary obedience. They are to listen willingly to their subjects and foster their cooperation for the good of the Institute and the Church. Superiors should encourage the brothers and make it easy for them to be disposed to cooperate with active and responsible obedience. Accordingly, they should be very prudent in commanding by virtue of vows, doing so only for grave reason and when there is no other way of achieving the scope of the common good. In any case, this act or the command must be formulated in writing or before two witnesses. Together with the brothers, Superiors shall seek the Will of God through earnest prayer and prudent discernment. They are to, in the spirit of the Gospel, willingly initiate discussions with the brothers, both individually and in common and accept advice. It belongs to the superior by virtue of his office to take the final decision. Given that it is their responsibility by virtue of their offices, the superiors should firmly, yet kindly and charitably admonish, encourage and when necessary correct the brothers. In the fulfillment of this sacred duty, the Superior should try to correct the individual members privately and prudently through fraternal discussion, keeping in mind the individual concerned and the circumstance of the case.

The brothers are bound to obey the Supreme Pontiff as the highest superior by reason also of our sacred bond of obedience. By virtue of our vows, we are dedicated in a special way to the service of God and the whole Church. Therefore, we are bound to subject ourselves to the Church’s Supreme Authority, and the diocesan bishops in those areas where the Universal Laws so prescribe. All the Members are bound by their Evangelical vows which they have made before the Lord and the Gospel lifestyle as enshrined in our Constitutions. They are to imitate the docility and the consuming love of the Heart of Jesus and Mary. This notwithstanding, they must remember that any external violation of their vows of Chastity, Poverty, Obedience, and indeed all forms of deliberate transgression of the Constitutions shall be treated according to the stipulation of penal laws contained in the Code of Canon Law.

Lay Apostolate

This is a forum for the lay persons to be part of the mission of the Two Hearts of Love. Men and women from all walks of life are drawn together under this umbrella to join in the propagation of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary as an inseparable devotion. The lay members (all genders, old and young) share the same Charism of Love with us as they assist in the permeation of the devotion and life to the nook and crannies of the earth.

Those who are already in the associations of Sacred Heart and Immaculate Heart are co-partners as well as every other Catholic who has an affiliation with Jesus and Mary will make a good member. Becoming a member is by sincere request and application.