4761_How to discern Salesian Brother or Salesian Priest vocation?

EAO Region in the frontline of vocation discernment - San Callisto 2018

June 17, 2018

By Our Own Correspondent

EAO, 17 June 2018 -- The follow up letter after the May 26-28 Workshop organized by the Formation Councilor, Fr. Ivo Coelho and his team (Rome, San Callisto Community) had already sent to all 88 Salesian provinces, especially to the prenovitiate, novitiate and postnovitiate formation houses.

The three day workshop was participated by 10 Salesians from four continents, 4 SDB from the Formation sector, 6 SDB involved directly in formation - including also Br. Raymond Callo (EAO Regional Coordinator for Formation, FIN) and Fr. Philip Lazatin (Novice Director - Cebu, Lawaan).

The workshop was coordinated by Br. Raymond Callo, who focused on the understanding of the consecrated Salesian vocatoin, which is expressed in the complementarity of the Salesian Brother and the Salesian Priest. Beyond an extensive sharing about discernment praxis and good practices - how to help our candidates and novices to discern if God is calling them to become a Salesian Brother or Priest.

The process of accompaniment and discernment of candidates was analyzed, in the diversity of the environments. At the end the Workshop offered some proposals to help discern the vocation of the Salesian brother and of the Salesian priest.

Some Action points from the Follow Up letter of Fr. Ivo Coelho sent to all Provincials:

1. Foster the Formation of formators, spiritual guides and teachers for the postnovitiate and specific formation phases, with a special emphasis on the formation of Salesian Brother - Formators.


2. Supervision of formators and teams, with more systematic work of the provincial formation commissions.


3. Studying, how to give greater visibility to Salesian apostolic Consecration and the two forms in formation plans at different levels, provincial, local and personal.


4. Ensure that the postnovitiate is truly a continuation of the formation in the novitiate (C 114), we balance our well-prepared academic plans with well-prepared local formation plans.


5. Ensure proper accompaniment of weekend pastoral experiences, and especially of the practical training period, by training pastoral coordinators and directors of practical trainees in this area.


6. Ensure that formators are familiar with the Salesian documents pertaining to the two forms of our vocation.

On the Boscolink are available the good practices and criteria shared during the Workshop

We wish and pray that the incoming EAO Salesian Brother Congress will also bring more light how to ensure more solid and effective environment and conditions for the discernment of two forms of one Salesian Apostolic Consecrated Vocation (C 45).