When St. Daniel Comboni founded the Institute for Africa in June 1867, he saw in vocations a great blessing from God to boost his pastoral work in Africa. "Aware of the special difficulties of the missionary career" (Aldo Gilli, Daniel Comboni, The Man and His Message, p.105). His great concern was to prepare future missionaries. In this perspective he prepared and wrote the Rules for the candidates who wanted to consecrate their life to the preaching of the Good News (1871); He wanted Holy Apostles to be formed for the mission Gilli, p. 107

The Congregation of Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus, in the same spirit of the founder "welcomes with gratitude those whom the Lord of the harvest calls to be apostles and heralds of the Good news" (Rule of Life n. 80) and gives particular importance to their formation. The Congregation pays special attention to the formation stage called Postulancy, being this phase one of the most important of formation. In this stage the candidate, with the help of the formators, is invited to test the integrity and motivations of his call. The finality of the Postulancy is that the postulant should achieve: an initial identity with the Comboni family (Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis et Studiorum, n. 273).

Therefore, its principal objective is to facilitate, in the postulant, a free atmosphere that promotes in the postulant an attitude of responsibility so as to make a mature choice to join the Comboni Noviciate. (RL 91)

Initial identity with the Comboni Family means that the candidate is ready:

1. To follow Christ for the kingdom by means of the Evangelic Counsels.

2. To choose the mission "Ad Gentes" as the reason of his very life.

3. To choose the Comboni Inst