DIREZIONE GENERALE OPERE DON BOSCO

Via della Pisana 1111 - 00163 Roma

The General Councillor forFormation

Rome, 22 July 2009

Prot. 09/0787

To Rev.

Father Provincial

For information

To Rev

Provincial Formation Delegate

Subject: Revised Text of the “Ratio” regarding the Prenovitiate

Dear Fr Provincial,

On 16 July the Rector Major with the General Council approved the new formulation of the “Ratio” regarding the Prenovitiate, which I attach to this letter.

1. Motives for the revision

In accordance with the Project of animation and government for the six-year period starting from September 2008 the Department for Formation launched a process for the revision of the text of the “Ratio” regarding the prenovitiate. The purpose of this was to help each Province to carry out a serious assessment of the formation experience of its own prenovitiate noting its strengths and its weaknesses.

At the same time it was meant to identify some new shared guidelines so as to further strengthen this stage, which continues to be very weak and not very well focused on the fundamental objectives of human maturity, of a convinced experience of the Christian faith, of the maturing of the vocational option and of vocational discernment.

Progress has been made in the quality of the formative experience of the prenovitiate but it is still not sufficient. The weakness of the prenovitiate then inevitably has repercussions on all the other stages of formation. In initial formation, in fact, vocational fragility continues to persist.

2. Process of the revision

Following the GC26 the Department, in consultation with the Regional Coordinators of Formation, prepared a first draft for the revision of the text regarding the prenovitiate. In the Regional Formation Commissions held between September and November 2008, first impressions were collected and suggestions were given about the way the work was to be undertaken.

. After this, by March 2009 almost all the Provincial Formation Commissions had sent in their replies. In May and June the Department studied the replies from the Provinces and prepared a new revised text which has now been studied, integrated and approved by the Rector Major and the General Council.

3. Changes in the revision

The revised text has maintained the same numbers; it is about the same length; there has been a simplification of “the guidelines and norms for praxis.” The changes introduced with respect to the previous “Ratio” regard above all the fact that in the Congregation, in accordance with article 109 of the Constitutions and with the GC26. there is new attention being given to vocational accompaniment and to the aspirantate prior to the prenovitiate: 329. More emphasis is given to the process of human maturity, to the help provided by the professional psychologist, and to the family: 332. The centrality of the relationship with the Lord Jesus receives added emphasis as do the faith journey, catechesis, the formation of conscience, initiation into spiritual guidance: 339.

Aspects regarding intellectual formation are also revised, as are the formation community, the community experience, the formation team and the spiritual guide: 342, 344, 345. There are significant additions regarding the care of health, manual work, games and sport, personal media and the mass media, music and instrumental playing, the theatre and youth forms of expression: 333, 336, 337, 342.. More emphasis is given to the assessment of suitability for Salesian consecrated life and to the need for greater attention to vocational suitability, also involving the prenovices themselves in the discernment process: 346. Finally there is a reformulation of the “guidelines and norms for the praxis” avoiding the excessive repetitions of the previous text: 348-356.

This text is now being entrusted to the Province, in particular to the prenovitiate community, to the Provincial Formation Commission, to the Provincial Council so that it may be studied, and above all, so that, on the basis of this new formulation, during the year 2010 the Provincial Plan for the Prenovitiate may be revised.

It is my hope that this work will strengthen and give greater quality to this stage of formation. I thank you even now for your collaboration and send you my best wishes.

In Don Bosco.

Fr Francesco Cereda

6.1NATURE AND PURPOSE

328.According to our Constitutions, “a period of special preparation is required immediately prior to the novitiate to deepen the candidate’s vocational choice and verify his suitability for beginning the novitiate. This preparation is made through an experience of Salesian community and apostolic life”;¹ it is known as the prenovitiate. It is the first phase of formation of the Salesian. With the prenovitiate, in fact, there begins the initial formation of the candidate who asks to enter the Salesian Congregation to dedicate his life to God in the service of youth in the footsteps of Don Bosco.

329.This first phase of formation presupposes that the prenovice has previously gone through an appropriate period and experience of vocational growth, human and Christian maturing, guidance, community living and an exercise of Salesian pastoral ministry – all things one cannot do without. “To anyone who is thinking of becoming a Salesian”, our Constitutions say, the Province offers “an environment and suitable conditions… to enable him to discern his own vocation and to mature as a man and a Christian. In this way, and with the help of a spiritual guide, he is able to make a choice with greater awareness of what he is doing, and without any external or internal pressures”.²

This experience is generally given the name of “aspirantate”, ³ although the term may vary according to places, cultures and susceptibilities. It aims at making known the Salesian consecrated vocation, fostering a knowledge of oneself and of God’s will, and carrying out a vocational discernment; it is conducted in the manner and time most suited to the situation and the needs of the candidates. It is a necessary experience, since the candidates come from a great variety of settings, and their ages, family backgrounds, levels of personal maturity, and experiences of life, faith, culture, and lived contact with Don Bosco and the Salesian reality are very different.

330.Only when the candidate “has made his option for the Salesian life”⁴ and shows, in the judgement of those responsible, a corresponding human, Christian and Salesian maturity,⁵ can he be admitted to the prenovitiate.⁶ Even if at the beginning of the prenovitiate “it is not required that a candidate for the religious life be able to assume all of the obligations of the religious life immediately,… [he] should be found capable of doing so progressively. The possibility of making such a judgment justifies the time and means employed in reaching it. This is the purpose of the stage preparatory to the novitiate.”⁷

After a serious work of vocational guidance and in line with it, the Province seriously sets about organizing the prenovitiate as a specific phase of formation. It takes steps to ensure a personalized and inculturated formation, provides a clear and definite plan, and maintains due flexibility and creativity in the structure and the programme of formation.

The importance of the prenovitiate, which often conditions the subsequent phases and especially the novitiate, requires that it “usually last a year and not be ordinarily inferior to six months”.⁸ Starting the prenovitiate with an appropriate celebration helps to inculcate in the candidates the seriousness and importance of the step they are taking.

331.The prenovitiate has the following specific objectives, which need to be known by the candidate and pursued by way of concrete formation steps:

- maturing as a man and as a Christian;

- getting to know his own vocation and deepening the motivations of his vocational choice;- having a community and apostolic experience, and reflecting seriously on the Salesian life and mission;

- verifying whether he has the necessary suitability to begin the novitiate;

- making a decision in the knowledge of what he is doing and free from internal and external pressure;

- adopting an explicit and practical attitude to his own formation.

In the same way, the time of the prenovitiate allows the Congregation to judge the suitability and maturity of the candidate to enter the novitiate.

6.2THE FORMATION PROGRAMME

332.The nature of the prenovitiate calls for a personalized formation of the candidate, with a special attention paid to his human and Christian aspects, so as to guarantee the proper maturity to begin the novitiate experience.

6.2.1Human formation

The first requirement of formation is to be able to find and develop a solid human precondition in the candidate. Growth in human maturity must lay the foundation for an authentic development of a vocation in view of community living, an ability to relate in educational and apostolic work, and an assumption of commitments deriving from the evangelical counsels.

For this task which belongs to the prenovitiate more than to the other formation phases, it is very useful and warmly recommended to have recourse to the services of a professional psychologist, not only in order to verify whether the prenovice has those prior aspects of human suitability that are necessary to embark on the path of formation, but also and above all to help him acquire self-knowledge, self-esteem, emotional stability, affective and sexual maturity, and the ability to relate to others.

Knowledge of the family too is of great help in understanding the prenovice’s human experience: his inclinations, his life-story, his shortcomings and difficulties, and his resources. Some family situations also need to be verified to ensure the suitability of the candidates to consecrated life or because they need to be integrated with positive experiences.

6.2.1.1 Physical condition and health

333.The Salesian life and mission habitually require physical resistance and good health, as well as a capacity for sacrifice and a demanding life. That is why the prenovice is taught to take reasonable care of his health, moderate his food and sleep, practise gymnastics and sport, and get accustomed to manual work.

During the prenovitiate there must be a verification of the physical condition and good state of health needed to observe the Constitutions of the Society.⁹ Proper medical checks are also carried out before admission to this stage of formation.

6.2.1.2 Knowing oneself and making oneself known

334.Assisted by his community and spiritual guide, the prenovice strives to acquire a thorough knowledge of himself and with full awareness takes charge of the course of his life. Drawing on the positive side of himself, he learns to handle his problematic areas and difficulties as well. He becomes conscious of his qualities and limitations, and is serene and grateful for what he is.

Openly and courageously he faces his past, and is not afraid to speak of himself and his family. He learns to reflect on his own conduct, on his experiences, on the reasons for the decisions he takes and on his way of thinking. He receives help to discover his unconscious motives and to distinguish between desires and true motivations.

This sincere and keen insight into himself becomes a first basis for discernment.

6.2.1.3 A serene affectivity

335.The prenovice becomes aware of the human value of his sexuality and discovers the impulses of his own affectivity. He identifies himself with his own male condition and matures “the acceptance of the other, man or woman, respecting his or her own difference”.¹⁰ He learns to sincerely appreciate his own feelings, impulses and motivations, and to live them in harmony with the values of his celibate vocation. He is helped to attain sufficient certainty of being loved and of being able to love. He maintains his bonds of affection with his family through a relationship of gratitude and sincere love; at the same time he matures a sense of belonging to his community. He learns to detach himself from ties that reduce his autonomy and slow down or disturb the realization of his vocation.

6.2.1.4 The capacity for relationships

336.Having understood that a serene interpersonal relationship is fundamental for a Salesian vocation, the prenovice seeks to develop good relations with his own companions and with those responsible for formation in his community, with the lay members of the educative community and with other persons whom he encounters in his pastoral experiences. He is able to accept and to listen; he is well-mannered and cheerful; he treats everyone with kindness, friendship and great openness.

The prenovitiate offers him an experience of life in community together with other prenovices and with the confreres. He takes an active part in it and personally contributes towards creating an environment laden with important values for formation. In it he grows in his self-expression, in his capacity for communication, in shared responsibility for realizing the decisions taken, and in the sense of working together.

Games and sports too are a help to grow in his ability to relate to others, in addition to fostering his health and furthering his educative work among the young. A serious application to music and the regular practice of a musical instrument, stage performances and an interest in the ways in which youth express themselves are further means of developing the prenovice’s relational and apostolic abilities.

6.2.1.5A sense of responsibility

337.The prenovice is faithful to his daily duties and learns to work with single-minded dedication. He loves work, studies assiduously, and performs the community chores in a spirit of availability, sacrifice and constancy, considering them practical opportunities for him to express his love for his vocation. He learns to utilize his time well, make a responsible use of the mass media and personal media, turn to account the qualities he has received from God, and make motivated decisions every day that lead him towards a gratuitous gift of himself.

6.2.1.6 An upright conscience and openness to situations

338.The prenovice forms himself to be authentic and upright in his conscience; he fosters the habit of discovering the Spirit at work in creation and in the events of human history; he strengthens his moral convictions and develops an intelligent and critical attitude towards the cultural models that society proposes.

He is open to the social and cultural realities of his milieu and of the world of social communication; he is especially sensitive to the problems of poor and marginalized youth and to situations of poverty, injustice and rejection; he feels challenged by the cultures and needs of peoples not yet evangelized. He grows in a sense of compassion and solidarity, and shows it in his simple life. He turns these experiences into concrete opportunities for maturing in the realism of life.

6.2.2Spiritual formation

339.From the very beginning of the process of initial formation, the Christian life must lead to a lively experience of faith and a deep relationship with the Lord Jesus; such a relationship is a necessary condition for the choice of any vocation. Without a motivated and convinced personal experience of the Christian life, a vocation to consecrated life is not possible. The current weakness of the faith-experience in young people and families calls for a proper catechumenal programme which offers a sound basis for the Christian life, and therefore for the choice of the consecrated life.

Called to embrace a life radically centred on the person of Christ, the prenovice is guided to live in a personal relationship with him and to give a solid foundation to his Christian life, concentrating on some of its typical aspects and experiences as accentuated by Salesian Youth Spirituality. He therefore pays attention to the following:

- a solid catechesis which includes the foundations of a biblical, spiritual and liturgical formation; such a formation is necessary to deepen his faith and to discover the person of Jesus Christ, the mission of the Church, and the divine plan of salvation; it also embraces the formation of conscience by imparting a deeper knowledge of the principles of Christian moral living;

- an initiation to sacramental life and Marian devotion: he assumes an attitude of listening and responding to the Word of God, nourishes himself at the table of the Eucharist, and regularly approaches the sacrament of Reconciliation; he discovers the maternal presence of Mary in his life and in the story of his vocation, he entrusts himself to her and invokes her through the Rosary; he also fosters growth in his Salesian vocation through his devotion to Don Bosco;

- an initiation to a life of prayer: he takes part in group and community prayer, practises personal prayer and learns to share his faith experiences with others. Little by little, he acquires the ability to read the events of his life in the light of the Gospel and to listen to the inner voice of the Spirit; he is introduced to the liturgy of the hours and the “lectio divina” as basic elements of the life of the Christian and of the Church;

- an introduction to the practice of spiritual accompaniment and the talk with the Rector, both indispensable means for growing in the spiritual life.

340.As he studies the project of life of the Salesians of Don Bosco, the candidate comes to understand that the Salesian mission entails the vocation to community life. Therefore he trains himself to live in community, acquiring a sufficient capacity for interpersonal communication, accepting the others and ensuring that his activity forms part of the community plan. He pardons and rises above antipathies and prejudices. He cultivates friendship, assimilates the elements of the family spirit and contributes to it. He is solicitous and service-minded towards the others. He has an experience of Church as he involves himself more and more in his community and in the educative community, and opens himself to the wider communities of the Province, the Congregation and the Salesian Family.

341.The prenovice takes pains to learn about the Salesian consecrated life and to live a life that draws inspiration from the demands made by the evangelical counsels. He strives to acquire some practical attitudes such as: a simplicity that does not seek what is superfluous or comfortable, gratuitousness in relationships and motivations, detachment from affective compromises, the practice of self-mastery and fidelity to the duties entrusted to him.

6.2.3Intellectual formation

342.The Salesian vocation and the mission to the young call for a sound intellectual preparation.

Before embarking on this phase, the prenovice should have already acquired “a general cultural foundation which should correspond to what is usually expected of young persons who have achieved the normal education of their country”.¹¹

The intellectual formation during the prenovitiate aims at achieving, in a personalized manner, the specific objectives of the phase. Since the human and spiritual aspects are fundamental in the prenovitiate, it is necessary that, besides practical work in the form of exercises, conversations, group work and training, there be also lessons, discussions, explanations and personal study which help in bringing about the change of mentality, precisely in the human and spiritual aspects.

And so, there is need of a systematic presentation of matters concerning relationships and the process of interpersonal communication, together with aspects of self-knowledge and growth of a celibate’s emotional, affective and sexual maturity. Also needed is a consolidation of the faith, both in terms of knowledge and affections, and of Christian moral living by means of a systematic study of Christian doctrine and an initiation to the Word of God, prayer and the liturgy.

The prenovice is introduced to the mission of the Church. He learns about the different vocations in the Church, and in particular, about Salesian consecrated life and its two forms of the Salesian priest and the Salesian brother. Furthermore, he studies Don Bosco, seeing in him a model of human and Christian values; he begins to know and admire his mission which continues today in the Congregation spread all over the world; he finds encouragement for his vocation by reading and studying the figures of some great Salesians of yesterday and today.

A programme of studies and experiences in the field of social communication has also been drawn up for this phase of formation¹² for the purpose of coming to a better understanding of the cultural challenges of the present day. In addition, it is necessary to foster a serious study of music and theatrical skills in a way that can profitably continue afterwards as well. The prenovitiate must ensure that a proper method of study is acquired as well as a habit of study and reflection; also, a capacity to pursue the curriculum of studies in the following years. Where necessary, the prenovice must master the language used in the novitiate,¹³ and where possible, learn other languages.

Such an intellectual formation therefore requires a particular and specific programme of studies, drawn up for the precise purpose of achieving the fundamental objectives of this phase; it hardly leaves space for other onerous studies. In particular, the philosophical studies proper of the postnovitiate ought not to be anticipated in this phase; should, however, the circumstances of a Province require otherwise, it will be necessary to ask for the authorization of the Rector Major.

6.2.4Formation to youth pastoral ministry

343.While enriching in different ways his knowledge and love for the Salesian mission in its many forms, the prenovice engages in experiences commensurate with his preparation and which reflect the evangelizing purpose of Salesian activity.

These are significant educative and pastoral experiences with a clear Salesian slant, such as presence and assistance in the midst of the young, especially those who are poorer, collaboration in animating youth groups, catechetical activities, missionary and volunteer work.

Through these experiences and with the help of a guide, the prenovice comes into contact with the Preventive System and has a taste of collaboration with lay people and other members of the Salesian Family.

For these experiences to be formative, there must be a reflection and sharing on the activity; it would be well, therefore, to organize and evaluate these activities together with the prenovice, and pay attention to the objectives and methods.

6.3SOME REQUIREMENTS FOR FORMATION

6.3.1A formation community and an experience of community living

344. Ordinarily there is only one prenovitiate in a Province, although there can be more than one aspirantate. It is possible, on the other hand, for two or more Provinces to collaborate in having a joint prenovitiate, especially when they have the novitiate too in common.

The prenovitiate is preferably situated in a Salesian community which is engaged in the apostolate; in this way the prenovice is offered the possibility of taking part in the Salesian life and mission. The prenovice has a twofold community experience: that of the group of prenovices with their formation personnel, and that of the prenovices with the entire Salesian community. Even in the case of a reduced number of prenovices, it is necessary to ensure the conditions for an effective community experience.

The prenovitiate is situated in a community other than that of a novitiate or postnovitiate. Instead, it can be situated in the same community as an aspirantate; in fact, such an arrangement is desirable because it facilitates the continuity between the two stages and makes a good formation team possible. When there is a considerable number of prenovices, it is also possible for the prenovitiate to form an autonomous community, but in this case it should have ample possibilities for Salesian apostolate, preferably animated by the same Salesian community or a community nearby.

In every case, however, the prenovitiate must offer a real experience of a Salesian community living intensely the values of its charism. The climate in the community must be one of openness and cordiality, leading to familiarity and confidence. At the same time, it is important that the prenovices get accustomed to a style of life that is somewhat demanding, and that the setting is simple and poor, calls for generosity, work and sacrifice, and leads one to experience a sense of joy and satisfaction with having nothing more than what is necessary. This requires that the Salesian community itself give witness of such a style of life.

6.3.2 The formation team as well as formation guidance and spiritual accompaniment

345.The key element of this phase is a competent and systematic experience of personal and community guidance, and particularly of spiritual accompaniment.

When the prenovitiate forms part of a Salesian apostolic community and the Rector is not in a position to closely follow up the formation of the prenovices because of his responsibilities, the Provincial expressly designates someone to be directly responsible for the prenovices. Such a person placed in charge of the prenovices could well be the Vice-Rector of the community. He is totally devoted to the formation of the prenovices and carries out the specific programme laid down for this phase. He is the spiritual guide of the prenovices in the same way as the master is the spiritual guide of the novices. In dialogue with his spiritual guide, the prenovice learns to open himself in confidence, draw up his personal plan of life, and embark on a journey of growth.

Experience teaches us that the one responsible for the prenovices must be suitably prepared, especially in developmental psychology and the dynamics of human growth as well as in the process of formation in the spiritual life. It often happens that the formation challenges in this phase are greater than those in the novitiate.

The one responsible for the prenovices collaborates with a team of formation guides, who may also hold posts of responsibility in the community or in the Salesian institution. It is important that among them there be at least a Salesian Brother in order to enable the prenovices to have a direct knowledge of the two forms of the Salesian vocation. The presentation of the two vocations to the Salesian life, already begun in the aspirantate, continues in the prenovitiate, and the decision to embrace one or other of the two forms is subsequently taken in the novitiate. There should also be a confessor on the team of formation personnel, and he ought to be distinct from the one responsible for the prenovices. The formation guides can “count on the cooperation of experts in the psychological sciences. Such experts, however, cannot be part of the formation team”.¹⁴

As far as possible, the formation guides follow the prenovices, conversing with them, sharing different experiences with them as well as their rhythm of daily life, and helping them to arrive at the maturity required for taking the proper decisions. They bring the prenovices to assume an active attitude towards their formation, that is, to be open and communicative, and take responsibility for their own formation process. Precisely for this reason, it is a good thing for the formation guides and the prenovices to dialogue with each other at the beginning of the prenovitiate about the meaning of this formation phase and the contents of the “Ratio” concerning the prenovitiate, so as to bring about the free and convinced commitment of the prenovices to their own formation.

The formation guides keep in touch with each other, and work in close collaboration with the director of novices and the one in charge of the aspirants in order to ensure the indispensable continuity of formation. They take pains to know well the “Criteria and norms” of Salesian vocation discernment in order to be able to give a balanced assessment of the suitability of the prenovices.

6.4DISCERNMENT AND ADMISSION TO THE NOVITIATE

346.The prenovitiate is not only a time of formation, but also of discernment.

The prenovice:

• is helped to know himself better, discern his own choice of vocation, and personalize his

formation by means of a regular talk with, and spiritual accompaniment from, the Rector or the one responsible for the prenovices;

• receives guidance from his confessor in the sacrament of Reconciliation;

• knows and studies the “Criteria and norms” of Salesian vocation discernment, and takes them together with his spiritual guide as the criteria for assessing his own vocation;

• writes his autobiography through which his spiritual guide is able to help him grasp the story of his life and discern God’s guiding hand in his vocation;

• works with his spiritual guide in drawing up and verifying his personal plan of life;

• takes part in retreats and monthly recollections that can help him to deepen the

motivations of his vocation;

• receives a feedback every three months by way of a personal assessment (“scrutiny”)

through which the formation staff helps him to become aware of how well he is faring in his growth process and offers him suggestions about the areas in which he needs to make more effort;

• acquires a good and practical knowledge of the two forms of the Salesian vocation.

For their part, the formation guides of the prenovitiate intervene in ways that are complementary to those of the prenovice. In particular, they:

• keep in contact with the Salesians who have guided him previously;

• get to know the prenovice’s family and social environment;

• help the family to accept their son’s choice of vocation in a positive way and become

involved in the maturing of his vocation, while at the same time respecting his freedom;¹⁵

• encourage him to study the criteria for recognizing the two forms of the Salesian consecrated vocation.

The phase of prenovitiate formation attains its discernment objectives when:

- the prenovice brings the search for his vocation to a close and with the help of those responsible for formation feels confirmed in his conviction that the Lord calls him to Salesian life: he feels that he is cut out for it, is ready to embrace it and asks to be admitted to the novitiate; or, alternatively, he reaches the conclusion that he is not called to Salesian life;

• the Salesian Congregation, through the local and the provincial community, carries out its

own process of discernment, verifies the prenovice’s suitability according to the “Criteria and norms” of Salesian vocation discernment, and arrives at a well-founded certainty that the prenovice shows genuine signs of a Salesian vocation and has the basic requirements to begin the novitiate.

347.The admission to the novitiate is made by the Provincial on the basis of positive signs that indicate an aptitude of the prenovice for Salesian life:¹⁶

• sufficient health;

• a general basic culture and intellectual abilities appropriate for one to be an educator;

- a positive experience of Christian life and the apostolate;

- an attitude of commitment to his own formation;

- an ability to take decisions for genuine reasons together with a sense of duty and responsibility;

- the right intention;

- an ability to live in community, in obedience and generosity, and in a spirit of faith;

• a propensity for the simple life, initiative and hard work;

• a serene and well-balanced affectivity and an adequate development of the ability to form

relationships;

- a love for Don Bosco and the Salesian mission, good relations with the young, and a preference for poor youth.