TOWARDS A HOLISITC
FORMATION
Formed by the Spirit through the
Word of God
Forged in the Heart of Mary
Listening with filial love
TO BE SENT
IN MISSION
With a willing and generous
disposition to be sent
where the Lord wants
Our Formation scenario
ACLA
ASCLA- ASCLA- CICLA
East
West
IBERIA &
CEC
NACLA Total
Formation
centers
18
14
18
28
8
2
88
Formators
41
24
56
37
11
4
173
68
139
300
61
6
51
35
183
1
23
19
70
6
128
29
148
1
74
20
84
8
3
7
19
1
6
2
7
285
112
511
17
36
15
1499
Minor seminary
prepedeutic
Postulants
novices
professed
Brothers in
formation
Total formandi
330 257 606 247
574
Comments
• Nearly 1500 young men in a common journey
• 173 missionaries accompanying them
• The challenge is to be formed well to
respond to the challenges of the world as
Claretians
• To become competent in the field proper to
us (God-experience, transcendence, Gospel
values)
Our formation process
Vocation
Promotion
Initial Formation
After initial
formation
Noviti
ate
Post
novitiate
What has been
been
happening in
the formandi
during the 1012 years of
formation?
Do they come out of
initial formation
– Christ centered?
– Intellectually
competent?
pastorally
outreaching?
– Emotionally mature?
– Morally upright?
– With a profound sense
of being a Claretian?
For reflection
• After 10-12 years of formation, are the
formandi prepared to take up
responsibilities in the congregation, face
difficulties of life realistically and commit
their lives joyfully in the community and
jointly carry out the mission?
• What do you find most inspiring about
Claret?
• The most important values that form a
foundation for our Claretian Identity.
• What for you is the Gift of Community life?
• From your experience of formation what
have you learnt about the ways you
learn, grow and develop?
Formation context
It is a concern that…..
• Church suffers due to clergy abuse and scandals
• What is overlooked during the formative years
bounces back after initial formation
• Often it is too late undo damages
• They lead to exclaustration, secularization and
•
dispensation of vows
Dysfunctional communities, personality problems
The General Chapter calls us
• To improve the programme of initial
formation giving special attention to the
preparation and dedication of the
formators
• To give special importance to the
interiorization of the fundamental
values of the consecrated life during initial
formation.
Has it been
a wake up
call?
Are we
prepared to
take a
different
approach?
1
Improving formation program
What can we do about improving our
formation program?
Looking at the signs of our times, it can be noticed :
• Revolutionary changes in learning methods in
•
•
the recent past
Seminary training has traditionally been
promoting adaptive learning
We can use other approaches that help the
internalization of vocational values
Adaptive Learning and Transformative learning
Adaptive learning
• Tends to focus the student on fulfilling a
set of requirements to show that he is
ready to proceed
• Focus on how much is being learnt
• No need to reveal himself, but just
complete course requirements to
succeed
• Eligibility mostly measured by
performance in exams
Transformative learning
• Concerned with the inner growth
•
•
•
and development of the person
Focus is on what is happening in
the student through his learning
Involves the integration and
internalization of materials learnt
Student has to be open and
transparent , revealing the impact
of the formation experience on his
sense of identiy and vision of life
How do we want to approach formation?
• A need to shift focus from ‘content’ to ‘formation
•
•
•
process’ that initiates new members into the life of the
congregation.
Attention to what the student is doing with the
formation programs
The student is responsible for responding to the
working of the Spirit (“no” to mass formation)
For a transformative visioning of the charism, we need
a transformative formation
Shift from conceptual to holistic
• Traditional approch
• Relies heavily on conceptual
learning and behavioural
adaptation
Practial
Conceptual
Imaginal
Affective
• Holistic learning
• Takes a whole person approach
• Transformation through
internalization of Voational values
Act
INTENTION
Descrimination
REFLECTION
Imagery
INTUITION
Emotion
FEELING
Face is the reflection of one’s
Identity
Levels of identity
What I do: Behaviour
What I think: Beliefs
Orthodoxy
Orthopraxis
Trinity
Pastoral work
Christology
Liturgy
Eccclesiology
Anthropology
pneumatology
Bible
Practial
Conceptual
Imaginal
Affective
Youth ministry
Trinity
Pastoral work
Christology
Liturgy
Eccclesiology
Anthropology
pneumatology
Bible
Practial
Conceptual
Imaginal
Affective
Youth ministry
• Uncritical acceptance of apparently
pleasing ideologies and consumer
values may undermine vocational
growth and commitment.
Hence the
need of
Discernment
in the light of
the Word.
A Native American Story
• Grandpa’s bedtime story for his grandkid.
• Grandpa says, “You know my child, I have two wolves in my
heart. One good, the other bad. And both are always fighting
each other.”
• The grandkid asked, “Which wolf is winning, Grandpa? The
good one or the bad one?”
• The grandfather replied, “Whichever wolf I choose to feed.”
In formation which forces in a student are being fed?
Vocational aspirations? (intimacy with Xt, service…)
Ego needs? (status, power…)
The seed that
receives
nourishment
Grows
Fruits of a conceptual formation
• Some students grow in their natural
goodness and reach formative goals.
• Students with past hurts and emotional hang ups
fail to internalize values and may remain
unaffected internally , in spite of good academic
results.
• They may later remain “adult children” whose
•
community life and apostlic work are at the
mercy of their unsteady internal moods.
Some others do well till their ideals collapse
during the storm of a crisis or a test of life
Trinity
Transformative formation
Pastoral work
Christology
Liturgy
Eccclesiology
Anthropology
pneumatology
Bible
Practial
Conceptual
Imaginal
Affective
Youth ministry
Formative experience need to reach the deoths of
the student
Levels of identity
What I do: Behaviour
What I think:
Beliefs
What I feel: Sentiments
Who I am: My identity-Son of God
Quality Relationships: key to spiritual growth
• The nature of our relationship with each
other is the measure that God actually
manifests and enters into the world.
• How deep is our spiritual awakening is
easily found objectively in how profound is
our relationship with other human beings.
Formation has to attend to the capacity for meaningful
relationships in the formandi
The Process
Empowering relationships
Effective Mediations
• Relationship with God: prayer, meditation, lectio Divina,
•
•
•
sacraments….
Relationship with Self: self awareness, self-direction, selfempowerment
Relationship with others: formative relationshhips, community
life, pastoral contacts, friendships…
Relationship with the world: experiences, study, reading….
Protagonists: Holy Spirit & the student
Mediators: The formator & formation community, professors, mentors…
The student becomes the principal
agent of his own growth process
The motivation to engage himself in his own
formative process is of paramount importance
in a transformative formation
A student can defeat his own formation by
• floating, flow with the
•
•
•
•
•
•
current “It is ok as it is”
Lethargy. “I am tired”
Resentment. “I don’t care”
Postponement. “tomorrow”
Negativism “no hope for me”
Perfectionism “I do not
make mistakes”
Cynical “Nothing will
improve”
"You can lead a horse to
water, but you can't
make him drink“.
It does not work that
way. Horses can smell
water from over a mile
away, you don't have to
lead him...he'll drink if
he's thirsty!
The question should be
"How can I make
my horse thirsty?"
Planted by the waters
To grow and bear fruit
Conformity with Christ
charism
When not grounded in Christ
• What does this image speak to us?
After growing without roots