The work of the Chapter resumes today, Monday, after a visit to Assisi and to Pompeii on Saturday. Yesterday, Sunday, was a holiday and there was a celebration with religious communities close to our Generalate for the day of Pentecost. We heard a short meditation on each of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.
The first task of the capitulants was to appoint the first assistant.
FRANCIS BOMANSAAN WAS ELECTED
FIRST ASSISTANT
JUNE 6, 2022
We congratulate and thank him for accepting this important position. We assure him of our support in the exercise of his responsibilities and apostolate.
The General Council is now complete at the beginning of the fourth week of the Chapter, the day after Pentecost, when Pope Francis proclaimed an important reform of the Roman Curia, one of the aims of which is to give a more central place to the mission of the Church.
The afternoon is dedicated to the plenary session.
INITIAL AND SPECIALISED TRAINING
The members of the Chapter considered formation from missionary vocational animation to specialised formation. The effort of the Society for formation is immense and the work of the Formation Secretariat contributes to the quality of our formation.
In all its phases, our formation is made up of several components, spirituality, community life, mission, studies, etc. We want it to be holistic, human and integral. In order to achieve this goal, special care must be taken to the quality of the formators and the selection of candidates. Several points were discussed: the balance between rights and duties in our formation houses, the study of two official languages of the society, interculturality, memorandum of understanding, relation formators-candidates, and many others. The consortia in which we collaborate show the evolution of formation, quite different from the time when we had our own scholasticates.
For some time now, formation houses have been asked to start small self-financing projects. These are not limited to the economic aspect, as they are part of formation, encouraging confreres to do the same after ordination or oath.
Specialised formation is becoming more and more necessary due to the development of Africa and its teaching institutions. In the appointment to specialised formation, it is important to consider the needs of society and the mission, without forgetting the interests, gifts and charisms of the confreres who are appointed to it.
FORMATION AND IDENTITY OF THE BROTHERS
All the members of the society are happy to have the brothers among us, proud of their work and apostolate over the years. We form a society of brothers and priests according to the will and efforts of our founder. The witness of the brothers and their work in education, construction, printing, agriculture, development has shaped the history of our society, its mission and is part of its heritage. This fact confirms that we share a common missionary vocation and that this vocation is lived out in two different ways. The brothers need courage, because their vocation is often misrepresented, misunderstood and underestimated.
We must recognise that the formation programmes for the brothers lack clarity and precision. A common formative core for brothers and fathers at the beginning of formation is good. The brothers are happy to have received a good basic philosophical and theological formation. Like the fathers, they need a deep and well integrated spirituality. The choice of professional formation needs to take into account the needs of the society and the mission as well as the gifts and charisms of the brothers.
It is essential to pay attention to the new emerging profile of the missionary brother.