Candidates then enter what is called ‘Special Formation’ which lasts a little longer than a year. During this period, they spend time in other provinces and live with members who are engaged in full-time ministry. If possible they also visit some communities of the Precious Blood Sisters. At the completion of Special Formation, they are temporarily incorporated into the Society by making a promise of fidelity and a bond of charity. In the final stage, the candidates enter ‘Advanced Formation’ during which they focus on how they will serve Christians. For those called to be brothers, training is undertaken in a specific area. They then become permanently incorporated into the Society during a ceremony called the Rite of Definitive Incorporation. Those who are called to minister as priests go through the appropriate degree programme at a Catholic university before being ordained to the diaconate and then priesthood. As secular clergy the members of the Society take a vow of celibacy as part of being ordained a deacon. In North America the Missionaries of the Precious Blood minister to those who have experienced family violence and those who live in socio-economically deprived cities such as Chicago. They serve as chaplains in hospitals dedicated to the care of veterans, teach in schools, run parishes and conduct retreats In Europe the members of the Society engage in parish ministry, teaching in schools, conducting parish missions, chaplaincy work as well as sending personnel to other countries. After Vatican II (1962–1965) the Society made a concerted effort to minister in more areas of Latin America as well as Africa and Asia. In Tanzania the Canadian members of the Society are specifically involved in assisting people to establish and maintain projects such as healthcare, improved agriculture and education. In Chile, the missionaries from the Cincinnati Province minister in a poor parish in Santiago and in the school Saint Gaspar College . In Peru they work in the harsh conditions of La Oroya (one of the most polluted places in the world ) a mining town in the Andes. In Guatemala they help staff large urban and rural parishes and established a clinic. In India, due to many states forbidding Hindus from embracing Christianity, the Society involves itself with Christians, rather than trying to convert others. The Society also ministers to those in the slums, regardless of religion, through such means as health care, caring for street children, orphans and daycare for mothers and children. The Indian Vicariate, there has been great growth in recent years, and the Society ordinated 14 young men in 2010.