An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church

Novice

A trainee in a religious community. After being a postulant, aspirant, or candidate (the vocabulary varies), the novice is prepared for the religious life according to the rules, constitutions, and customs of the community. Novices use this time to deepen their spiritual life and to test whether the community fits their own sense of vocation. This time is known as the novitiate. It is typically supervised by a member of the community who may be known as the novice guardian or master (mistress). See Novitiate.

Glossary definitions provided courtesy of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY,(All Rights reserved) from “An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians,” Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors.