If you would prefer to copy and paste the application please use the following form:

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INQUIRER APPLICATION FOR THE CONFRATERNITY OF PENITENTS

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To enter the Confraternity as an Inquirer, please complete this application at any time of the year and postal mail or email it us. Please keep a copy of your completed application. If you do not hear back from the Confraternity within a week of mailing in your application, please contact us again. We may never have received your application.

 

Inquirers who have already completed an inquirer application in the previous year but who do not feel ready to enter formation by Ash Wednesday, are asked to resubmit the Inquirer Application each year before Ash Wednesday, until they enter formation.

 

Inquirer applications must be received before January 1 in order to enter the Lenten Postulancy and before June 1 in order to enter the August Postulancy.

 

Please check:

_______ New Inquirer for year _____ (write in year)

 

_______ Continuing to Inquire for year ____ (write in year)

 

Date of application: _______Month _____Day ______Year

 

Mr./Mrs./Ms./Miss___________________________________________________________________

 

                           (last name)                               (first name)             (middle name)

Address__________________________________________________________________________

 

City__________________________State____________________Nation_____________Zip___________

 

Telephone Number (____ )_____________________ E-mail _____________________________________

 

Date of Birth ___ (day) _____ (month) ____(year)

 

Please Circle:  Married____Single______Div______Sep______Annul___

 

Where baptized_______ Where confirmed____________

 

(A copy of your updated Baptismal Certificate will be required before you can enter the Novitiate of the Confraternity.)

Your Parish__________________________________________________________________________

 

                                       (name)                                              (city and state)

Parish Telephone Number (______)__________________

 

This is a Confraternity for penitents and sinners. No one will be denied membership due to past values, lifestyles, or serious sins. No one is expected to be perfect upon entering the Confraternity but rather ought to hope to become more conformed to Christ through living this Rule. Therefore, please provide a brief response to the following questions, recognizing, however, that membership in the Confraternity is not automatic. Applications may be rejected, or membership terminated, by a consensus vote of the Council of the Confraternity where the PRESENT conduct or values of the individual involved are deemed to be in conflict with the desire for conversion, reconciliation, and surrender to God which are the spirit and intent of the Rule.

 

How and when did you first hear of the Confraternity of Penitents (CFP)?

 

Prior to completing this application, all inquirers are required to read the Rule and Constitutions of the Confraternity of Penitents. On-line inquirers should also read the CFP internet home page. Have you read these?_________ Do you understand them?____________

 

Do you understand that only Catholics who accept all the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and remain in union with the Pope and Magesterium of the Catholic Church can become official members of this Confraternity? ____

 

Do you understand and accept that lessons of formation will be Catholic in orientation?  ___.

 

Do you have spousal approval to begin the inquirer process? ____

 

Are you currently involved in any apostolates and or religious organizations? If yes, please list them. (i.e.. Third Orders, parish associations, Knights of Columbus, Religious Education, Legion of Mary, etc.)

 

 

 

Have you been convicted of any crime? ___________ If so, please explain:

 

 

 

Have you made restitution or are you trying to make restitution for crimes, sins committed?___________

 

The Confraternity of Penitents is consecrated to Mary, the Mother of Jesus. What are your thoughts about this?

 

 

 

Do you have any questions about the Confraternity?

 

Within two weeks of receipt of your application, your Regional Minister will generally request a short interview via phone. When is a good time to call you?

 __________________

If you do not hear from your Regional Minister within two weeks of submitting your inquirer application, please contact the CFP Office at the address below. We do want to speak with you.

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SITUATIONS WHICH PRECLUDE FULL MEMBERSHIP IN THE CONFRATERNITY OF PENITENTS (please check if applicable)

___ You are a member of a Third Order which disallows dual membership in that Order and the CFP. These include, among others, the Secular Franciscan Order, Tau Maria, Dominican Laity, and Third Order Carmelites.  Please circle your Order or write it here:_________

___You had previously been an inquirer or member of the CFP but then dropped. 

___You are a non-Catholic.

___You are a Catholic in an irregular marital situation (that is, you had been married, then obtained a civil divorce but not an annulment, and have since remarried. Or you have been married by a Justice of the Peace or are in a "common law" marriage.)

 

___Your spouse has not given approval to enter the inquirer phase.

 

___You are a non-practicing Catholic.

___You have another condition which may preclude full membership. Please name _________________.

 

If you meet one of these conditions, you may be accepted as an Associate of the Confraternity and then proceed in formation with members.  With permission, you may attend all CFP on line and other gatherings.   You will live as much of  the Rule as possible. 

Associates are not members of the CFP nor may they pledge to live the Rule. They cannot hold office, vote, or conduct formation in the CFP.

If the situation which caused an individual to be accepted as an Associate is rectified, or if an Associate who previously dropped from the CFP persists as an Associate for several years, the Associate may then apply for full membership without losing any formation time.   The CFP Council will make a decision on all such applications.

If Associate status interests or applies to you, please share why you would like to enter formation as a CFP Associate.

Prisoners currently serving time in prison can participate in formation as part of the CFP’s Alesandro Ministry. Upon release, they will become Associates. They can apply for Membership after two years of completing formation and living the Rule outside of prison. Prisoners serving life sentences without parole will be evaluated on their status on an individual basis.

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Mail completed application by postal mail or by pasting the application into an email (do not email as an attachment as our email servers randomly delete emails with attachments and we may never receive your application) to:

 

Confraternity of Penitents, 1702 Lumbard Street, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46803 USA Phone: (260) 739-6882 email: bspenance@hotmail.com AND copenitents@yahoo.com (Please put the words "INQUIRER APPLICATION" into the subject line of your email.  Then please email to both addresses to be sure that we receive at least one of copies.  We do want to reply to you.)

 

Someone will be in touch with you as soon as possible regarding your application. If you do not hear from us within a few days, please contact us again.  No response most likely means that we did not receive your application.

 

Upon receipt of this application, you will be added to our daily prayer list. Please continue to pray about this way of life and for our Confraternity as we will pray for you.

God bless!