What does it really mean to be a Capuchin Franciscan and to follow in the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi? That is what six young men from the Province of St. Conrad hope to learn as they begin their novitiate year. On July 19, these six men, along with 18 others from various provinces, received the "clothes of probation" and began the year of novitiate at San Lorenzo Friary in Santa Ynez, California. The novitiate follows on the initial year of postulancy in which young men are introduced to the Capuchin way of life. The purpose of the novitiate, according to the Capuchin Constitutions, is: [To provide young men with] a period of more intense initiation and more profound experience of the Capuchin Franciscan gospel life in its fundamental demands." In particular, the novitiate teaches young men that prayer is at the heart of the Capuchin charism. During the upcoming year, these six men, Brothers Alejandro Díaz, Nicholas Dillon, Michael Coco, Luke Jordan, Joseph Ignowski, and Jude Quinto, will strive to make prayer the priority in their lives. Upon completion of the novitiate year, the young men will profess temporary vows and begin a more active life of work, study, and fraternity. Amidst all of these activities, however, prayer must always remain the source from which they draw their fervor and religious zeal. Please keep these young men in your prayers during this coming year, that Jesus may truly become for them "my God and my All."