CHAPTER ELEVEN

PREPARATION FOR PERPETUAL PROFESSION

501.The period between the first profession and the definitive incorporation in the Society is a necessary one “for both the candidate and the community, so that they may work together to discern God’s will and correspond with it”.¹ It is a time for getting to know each other and for sharing responsibility in taking decisions. The confrere “with the help of the community and of a spiritual guide, completes his maturing process with perpetual profession in view”.²

502.The temporary profession is already the grace of a covenant with God and the mystery of a consecration by him and a total offering of oneself to him.

Nevertheless, without in any way diminishing the value of the temporary profession, which is also made with the intention of offering oneself to God for the whole of one’s life, it is the perpetual profession with its characteristics of totality (“totally”) and perpetuity (“for ever”) that conveys on the one hand the Salesian’s fundamental and definitive option made in all freedom, and on the other hand, God’s all-embracing consecration accomplished through the ministry of the Church.

An act of such great importance which marks the entire life of the Salesian and establishes a new and permanent bond between him and the Congregation requires a suitable period of proximate preparation.

11.1NATURE AND PURPOSE

503.As the Constitutions say, “a member makes his perpetual profession when he has reached the level of Salesian spiritual maturity commensurate with the importance of such a step.The celebration of this act is preceded by an appropriate period of immediate preparation. ”³

As a matter of fact, the expression “preparation for perpetual profession” has hitherto been interpreted in different ways and given rise to various kinds of programmes.

At times it is taken to mean the immediate preparation for the ceremony of profession, once the discernment has taken place, the application has been forwarded and the confrere admitted.

At other times it refers to the process of discernment leading up to the application, a time of assessment and synthesis of the whole of formation from the prenovitiate to the end of temporary profession.

By “preparation for perpetual profession” we mean the period comprising the process of discernment and verification prior to making a definitive option, including the application, admission, and immediate preparation for the act of profession; it is therefore not limited to preparing for the ceremony of profession after the admission has taken place.

504.This period of preparation has the following aims:

- the verification of a vocation in the light of lived experience:

The confrere goes back over the whole of his formation, evaluates the story of his vocation in the presence of God, and assesses the soundness of his motivations.

For its part, the local and the provincial community accompany him in this process, gauging his suitability for a definitive commitment to Salesian consecrated life, the strength of his motivations and the presence of the spiritual maturity required.

Discernment and admission to perpetual profession call for a particular sense of responsibility; they depend on an overall assessment of the formation experience and are based on positive elements.

A fundamental sign of the maturity required for perpetual profession is the right intention, that is, a clear and decisive will to offer oneself entirely to the Lord, to belong to him and serve him in one’s neighbour, according to the Salesian vocation. More than a generous desire to serve and an inclination to work in the youth field and in education, more than an attraction to the Salesian style of life – no doubt, these are important aspects but they are not sufficient, of themselves, to support a project of consecrated life - a supernatural intention is needed, a commitment of the whole person insofar as he is illumined by faith, an offering of himself to a mission he clearly accepts as coming from God’s hands through the Church. This is the most characteristic sign of a vocation and it provides a solid foundation for the other elements of suitability of a vocation;

- the maturing of a new personal synthesis:

The confrere becomes aware of the special nature of the perpetual profession, deepens his motivations and grows in his sense of belonging to the Congregation. He reformulates his project of life from the standpoint of the charism and its values, looking ahead with an attitude of continuing formation;

- a definitive option motivated by and based on God’s grace:

The confrere concludes his discernment with the decision to permanently embrace Don Bosco’s apostolic project as a life in the Spirit at the service of the young, following the path of holiness traced out by the Salesian Constitutions, and to live it in a particular provincial community. Conscious of the implications of the commitments he is about to assume, he bases his fidelity on God who has loved him first and made a special covenant with him. He finds support also in the assistance of his confreres and in his love for the young.⁴

There can also be those who during this period of preparation, in dialogue with their spiritual director and the Provincial, consider it better to prolong the period of temporary vows or reach the conclusion of not continuing in Salesian life.

11.2THE FORMATION EXPERIENCE

505.The period of preparation for perpetual profession brings to a close the process of understanding and assimilating the vocational enterprise of Don Bosco.

It is a period of strong spiritual endeavour, of brotherly dialogue, of sincere assessment of one’s situation, of awareness of the gift received and close identification with it, of reaffirmation of basic motivations, and of formulation of a pedagogy of life to be able to continue to live it faithfully.

506.The programme of the period of preparation aims at enhancing the contents of a person’s experience and adopting a method that involves him deeply. Considered as a whole, it highlights the need for a personal self-examination in the light of the Salesian project and the spirit of the Congregation. It is a time for meditating once again on the Constitutions and thereby pondering more deeply the fundamental themes of consecrated life which determine the Salesian’s life. It is also a time for reflecting on the meaning of profession, on its singular and definitive character, on its ecclesial implications, and on the rite of profession.

This is the period in which great importance is attached to the times of recollection, a deeply personal encounter with Jesus Christ, “our living Rule”, and with Don Bosco, with the help of reflection, prayer and spiritual direction.

11.3SOME REQUIREMENTS FOR FORMATION

507.Since this preparation is one of the high points of the whole formation process, the Church requires that it be a period of particular spiritual intensity.⁵

The preparation consists at times in a programme lasting a year or several months, and carried out in the ordinary course of practical training or specific formation by way of suggested activities, personal and group experiences, suitable guidance given by the local community and support offered by the provincial community. The preparation can also be organized and completed by having some programmes spaced out through the year (for example, at the start of the period of preparation, in the middle of the year, and a short time before the profession), but the arrangement must be such as not to lessen the continuity and efficacy of the preparation itself.

508.This is an experience that involves the confrere, the community and the Province.

It is very important therefore to ensure that guidance is provided, also by having a competent and experienced guide follow each individual and the group.

Such a person assists each confrere in a spiritual reappraisal of his own life from the novitiate onwards; he helps him to ascertain how far he has acquired the mind of Christ, grown in his affective maturity and in his vocation, and made the values of Salesian life his very own.

Furthermore, he helps him also to gauge how ready he is to immerse himself in the paschal mystery, how clear and strong his motivations are, and how capable he is of being faithful to his total commitment.

In this matter, the community atmosphere and the sharing and praying with one’s brothers assume considerable importance, even though it is the personal rather than the community endeavour that carries more weight.

509.This is one of the situations in which collaboration among the various Provinces can result in the organization of initiatives and special events and can enhance the quality of the formation experience by making it possible to have a substantial number to form a community, choose competent guides and share experiences and methods.

510.“Perpetual profession takes place ordinarily six years after the first profession; if he considers it opportune the Provincial can prolong this period, but not beyond nine years.”⁶ How appropriate the extending of the temporary profession would be must depend on a prudent judgement based on sufficient and reasonable grounds.

511.The perpetual profession may be made at the expiry of the time of temporary profession,⁷ or up to three months earlier.⁸

This last possibility requires that there be a just cause, to be assessed by the Provincial with his Council.

In the exceptional case of anticipating perpetual profession beyond three months, before the expiry of the six years of temporary profession, the request should be addressed to the Rector Major

512.The preparation for perpetual profession comprises the period of verification and discernment in view of the application, the process of admission and the preparation for celebrating the act of profession; it is not limited to preparing for the ceremony, after the admission has taken place.

513.Let the Province establish a programme of preparation for perpetual profession in which it spells out the manner, the contents, the duration and the persons responsible, and includes also the spiritual retreat preceding the profession.

514.The preparation for perpetual profession involves the responsibility of the confrere, of the Province and of the local community. It may prove useful to have part of the preparation carried out with the participation and collaboration of several Provinces.

515.About a year before the expiry of the period of his profession, the temporarily professed member should explicitly make known to his Provincial, in a way that is considered most appropriate, his desire to begin preparing for his perpetual profession.

516.During the preparation for perpetual profession, let particular attention be given to the liturgical aspect of religious consecration, drawing upon the various elements offered by the rite.

Let the liturgical celebration of the perpetual profession have a solemnity that clearly distinguishes it from the first profession and successive renewals. Let the elements found in the Ritual be carried out, together with the adaptations envisaged.⁹

517.“A member makes his perpetual profession when he has reached the level of Salesian spiritual maturity commensurate with the importance of such a step.”¹⁰ In his application he must indicate:

- full awareness of the definitive act he is about to make;

- full freedom in doing so;

- the express will to continue in the Salesian life on which he has already embarked;

- his having had a dialogue with his Rector, who has agreed to his presenting the application;- his having made a discernment and requested the opinion of his spiritual director and confessor.

518.The admission to perpetual profession is made on the basis of an assessment of the entire process of formation, a verification of the candidate’s motivations, and his assimilation of the Salesian vocation project.

519.“When a religious in perpetual vows asks to pass from his own institute to our Society, he must undergo a period of trial of at least three years’ duration in one of our communities, so that he may assimilate our spirit. At the end of this time he may make formal request for admission, and if he is accepted may make his perpetual profession in accordance with canon law.”¹¹