Requirements for entry into Aspirancy include the following:
- A letter from the candidate describing why he or she feels called to Carmel
- Completion of the required registration forms
- A current Baptismal Certificate (not more than one year old)
During Aspirancy, the candidate will complete a course of study including subjects such as:
- History of the Order
- An overview of Carmelite spirituality
- The nature of a vocation to the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites (OCDS)
- Discussions concerning a candidate's discernment process
- The Rule of St. Albert, the first rule formulated for the original Carmelites
- The OCDS Constitutions and Statutes
- Instruction on the nature of mental prayer
- Instruction on the recitation of the Divine Office
- Reading of selections from scripture, Carmelite Orders, and Vatican documents
- The ecclesial dimension of the Teresian Carmel