Day four – provincial groups resolution (plan)
HIGH QUALITY FORMATION OF SALESIAN BROTHER
August 24, 2006
AUL
Post-novitiate Formation:
Post-novitiate formation for Brothers has been limited and rather haphazard in our Province in recent years.
We have tended to try to suit programs to individual needs, but have done so without enough attention to the basics of Salesian post-novitiate formation. Sometimes we have left individual brothers to choose their own courses for professional training, rather than have a co-ordinated approach based on the needs of the Province.
It is important for us to acknowledge this history honestly, and learn from our mistakes.
Prenovitiate:
In Samoa the Prenovitiate is well-structured with an adequate programme of Salesian and other studies, including the study of English.
In Australia we have recognized in the Formation Commission the need for a re-structure of the Prenovitiate.
In particular, in the light of recent guidelines from Rome, much of what we have previously done in the Prenovitiate will now be done in an “Aspirantate” and the Prenovitiate will now be more formally structured.
A new Prenovitiate director will be appointed at the beginning of 2007 to implement these new directions.
Other Issues:
Due to our small numbers at present we will probably need to focus on one central house of initial formation, and devise ways of maintaining the distinctions between the various phases of formation within this one house.
To this end we are planning extensions to our formation house to accommodate these needs.
This will require of us that we look at the composition of the Formation Team and make necessary adjustments.
Our most urgent need in the area of initial formation relates to an earlier phase – that of vocation promotion.
CIN
Practical Suggestions
We can use the formation occasions offered by our community life (Family Gathering, Monthly Retreat, Assembly of Confreres) to review together the identity of the Salesian Brother. Still, we must face the fact that some confreres do not actively take part in these community gatherings, so that this formation aim cannot be fully attained.
Moreover, we must recognize the difficulty of proposing in a convincing way the identity of the Salesian Brother. For example, in what lies the difference between our consecrated life and the life of a dedicated good Christian layperson? The difference does not lie in external things, but in the “more” that distinguishes the consecrated religious life from the life of the Christian layperson.
The objective of formation activities must be the clear apprehension of the three basic dimensions of the Salesian Brother’s vocation: consecrated dimension, lay dimension, Salesian dimension.
Priority should be given to the apprehension of the consecrated dimension, because this is the most problematic in our situation, not only for Salesian Brothers, but also for Salesian Priests.
In this line, we must get used to speak first of Salesian vocation, and then to distinguish the lay and the cleric-priest forms of this one vocation.
In the same line, we could pay more attention to the external things common to all Salesians that bear witness to our interior consecration, e.g. our way of dealing with money, the meaning of our simple way of dressing, etc.
Also in this line, we propose that the Chinese terminology to refer to the different forms of the Salesian vocation be standardized: Salesian Sau Si (Xiu Shi) for Salesian Brother, Salesian San Fu or Si Dok (Shen Fu or Si Duo) for Salesian Priest, Salesian Sau Sang (Xiu Sheng) for Salesian Cleric. We should also suggest to the diocesan seminary to refrain from calling its seminarians Sau Si (Xiu Shi) and to call them, instead, Sau Sang (Xiu Sheng). Confucius says that all reform begins with the reform of language. Let us invite the advice of experts in Chinese language and literature.
The Annual Retreat is a precious occasion of formation that touches most confreres. We suggest that the Annual Retreats for 2006-2007, dedicated to the theme “Da mihi animas, cetera tolle”, include half a day or a day of reflection on the meaning of lay and cleric-priest Salesian consecrated life.
Confreres need to be helped to face the results of one’s actions, learning from one’s experience, even from one’s mistakes.
The Manila Course of Specific Formation for Salesian Brothers can become a resource of ongoing formation for the confreres of the whole Region. Hopefully, the Manila Don Bosco Study Centre each year will organize ongoing formation activities at regional level not only for Salesian Brothers but also for other Salesians, with the vocation of the Salesian Brother as topic.
It is desirable that a Salesian Brother be included in the staff of the Aspirantate.
A Salesian Brother is already present in the Provincial Formation Commission. A Salesian Brother should be included also in the Provincial Youth Pastoral Team.
If the number of candidates to the Salesian Brotherhood continues to be limited, the Provincial Formation Commission should envisage at least part of the formation process to be offered in conjunction with other provinces. The period of Specific Formation is already envisaged by the Provincial Directory as possibly held in other provinces that offer it.
After the next Provincial Chapter 2007, we suggest that a Provincial Brothers Congress be held dealing with this topic: “In our present aging situation how to live out concretely our identity as Consecrated Lay Salesians?”
FIN
About the various phases of formation for the Salesian brothers Concrete steps to be taken:
issue: professional training: to implement the professional
training after the postnovitiate formation. However in the process of implementation,the confreres in-charge and the brother himself will consider carefully the professional training that the brother has taken before the novitiate.
in-charge: rector of the postnovitiate, provincial w/council.
Time frame: when we have a salesian brother.
issue: prenovitiate: to add in the existing criteria for prenovices the
statement that an exception could be made for some prenovices of advanced age who are ready to enter the novitiate after proper discernment.
In-charge: in-charge of the prenovices, provincial w/council.
Time frame: when we have a prenovice of advanced age to the
Salesian brotherhood.
3.issue: ongoing formation: to implement the plan that
the commission on formation has made.
In-charge:commission on formation
Time frame:summer 2006
4. issue: ongoing formation: for those Salesian brothers who
have not yet finished their professional training, to give
the time necessary to conclude this study.
In-charge:provincial, brother concerned.
Time frame:2007-2009
5. issue: postnovitiate: to assign a Salesian brother as
formation guide
In-charge:provincial w/council
Time frame:2007
FIS
“Status of Quality Formation on the Aspirantate to the Prenovitiate Level”
The present system is the College(16-21 yr old) Seminarians go to neighboring colleges to get degrees. The results vary: some families of candidates who do not like the limitations of degrees given by the seminary usually asks their sons to enter the seminary after finishing college courses.
All incoming Aspirants have been asked to enroll at the Don Bosco Technical College in order to foster a common experience and control in seminary schedule. In fact, they all have the same Bachelor course and the same schedule. Some, however, are not technically inclined. Thus, they do not excel in their study well.
Another concern in this ‘outside the walls education’ is the difficulty of balancing seminary activity and studies. On one hand, as seminarians, they need guidance, Salesian life experiences, and prayer life. On the other hand, you have the demands of college life as students.
Also, the aspirants/seminarians complain of expensive college fees in Don Bosco T.C. but the quality is not proportionate to the payment. In their own home locality, they could study at cheaper schools but good or acceptable quality. Some then opt to go out of the Seminary to study.
Those who aspire to join the Salesians but are already professionals or in the middle of their college studies, are sent in to the different SDB houses for deeper experience. The communities then will do the initial formation. Concerns are: in communities with few SDBs, candidates lack follow-up and guidance. They are just given assignments.
In the Phil-South Province, specialization and program for Salesian Brothers at this level is not existent for the fact that sure candidates to the Brotherhood usually occurs AFTER novitiate. In which case, the Province can easily customize tailored to the needs of the Province and the interest of the person.
In the Province, majority of the SBs are in the On-going Formation stage. The Provincial Plan is customized according to the Project of Life presented by the individual.
For an improved Vocation Campaign, there should be a stronger cooperation between the Youth Ministry and the Vocation Promoters so that in every Provincial activity it does, there will be explicit in including Vocation Promotion.
GIA
In the Japanese province there are no young salesian lay brothers, hence there are no problems of formation at the moment, which is actually the problem.
When we will be blessed with new lay brother vocations, and we do hope it is going to happen soon, a good formation program will be made, according the lines of the Ratio, the capabilities of the formandi and the needs of the Japanese province.
ITM
General project:
The Vice-Province has two separate settings of initial formation for both brothers and clerics in these two countries. The stages of formation in this regard are aspirantate, pre-novitiate, novitiate and post-novitiate.
Within these period of formation candidates and confreres both brothers and clerics stay in the same house of formation, do the same program of formation that is provided form them, except in the later period of the post-novitiate to include the professional training for the Salesian Brothers.
Concrete plan of the formation stages:
Aspirantate in Timor Leste lasts 3 to 6 years. In Indonesia the aspirantate lasts 6 months in which the candidates basically not from the Salesian settings are prepared in a formation community with the specific program designed for them.
Pre-novitiate in TL lasts 1 full year, whereas in Indonesia lasts 6 months (after aspirantate).
Novitiate lasts 1 full year.
Post-novitiate in TL lasts 2 years and 6 months for both clerics and brothers. The professional training or the preparation for the practical training for both is done in the last 6 months. A program that is not offered by the diocesan center will be designed for them such as Salesianity, pedagogy, preventive system, Portuguese, English.
In Indonesia, Salesian Brothers and clerics have three years program of formation. In the third year, the brothers, following their personal field-interests and the need of the Province, will have their professional training. They stay in the same house of formation while doing their professional training.
KOREA (KOR)
Systematic ongoing – continuous formation
Faithful implementation of the Provincial Formation Plan (PC 2004) about the Salesian Brothers’ formation (continuous accompaniment from the Aspirant stage to the perpetual profession by an appointed SB formator; Salesian Brother Formators together with the respective Rectors make sure the quality formation is happening)
Strengthen the team of SB Formators, working hand in hand with the Provincial Formation Delegate and Rectors of Formation House
All Salesian Brothers prepare their own personal plan of Salesian life and do the best to live according it
Work out the long term Provincial plan about the future apostolate with the respective vision and concrete directions
Take care about Salesian Brothers in initial formation who are living in non-formation communities
Take care especially about the practical training of SB, taking account about their professional preparation and wider Salesian apostolic experience
Specific formation of Salesian Brother
In the KOR province the understanding about the SPECIFIC formation of SB is still very low. For deeper understanding we suggest:
After the practical training we take part in the Manila-Paranaque specific formation course. Only the subjects already taken in the Seoul Institute for Religious will be not requested; the focus is on subjects of Salesianity, Salesian Youth Ministry (English course 6 months, Specific formation course 12 months). During this specific formation course SBs will prepare their perpetual profession and after return to Korea will complete with a month-long immediate preparation
The weekend two-years-course of Specific formation of SB will be established (For example after the practical training the SB in specific formation will gather for 1 week in the beginning, than follows the monthly weekend-long (2 overnights) regular formation completed with the final month long preparation of perpetual profession.
High quality formation of Salesian Brother
The Province will animate and evaluate the personal formation plan of Salesian Brothers, in order to make it happen.
THA
In the Thai context, the Provincial and his Council and the Provincial Formation Commission will give full support, foster the awareness and promotion of the Salesian Brother Identity by the following means:
Lines of action |
Those in charge/responsible |
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VIE
Suggestions to implement Provincial lines of Action as decided by Provincial Chapter 2004:
1- The presence of SB in formation houses is realized; more specification for animation.
2- English competence
3- Prenovitiate formation: English learning
4- Re-examination the way of formation: more on self- formation --> self-confidence;
