STEPS TAKEN…

Plans of Formation and challenges

October 20, 2014

PLANS OF FORMATION

Attentively and with gratitude we lived the presentation that each Province made of its Program of formation of all the stages.

At the beginning each read particularly the Programs of each Province and then, in a panel, each Province  presented to the assembly some aspect that they wanted to emphasize or highlight, and that proved what is effective and can help, as well as the concerns and the suggestions.

It was touching to see how in spite of the cultural differences and particular aspects proper to each región, we all had common  aspects that enlightened us for personalized accompaniment and can help for integral growth of the Young person from the time that she begins her vocation search.

CHALLENGES

The assembly of the Programs of formation led us to make concretize some challenges that we feel are necessary and in this way clarify, to specify and together find what we think is essential in formation in Jesus and Mary, those challenges refer to the following themes:

Spiritual Exercises of a month, accompaniment, identity of Jesus and Mary, Formation communities, discernment of vocation, prayer and the examen, formation in solitude, structures for support in initial formation, social networks and the experiences of probation or Tertianship.

Each one of the themes opened a range of reflections that cleared the path of formation and give life in each Province.

VISIT OF ARCHBISHOP JORGE CARLOS PATRÓN WONG

At present Father Jorge Carlos is Secretary for the Seminaries of the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy and member of the Congregation for Catholic Education.  Father is Mexican and he is very close to the Sisters of that Province, and because of this, we had the opportunity to participate in a fraternal and close encounter in which, beginning with our questions, he shared some reflections full of sense and light. He began by telling us that consecrated life lived in an apostolic community is an open treasure for the world, and that the renewal of the Church cannot take place without the renewal of consecrated life.

Before arriving to the assembly they had already shared with him the challenges on which we are working and the concerns that we had concerning formation.  He referred to some of them.  He shared with us his experience in social networks and the many doors that the adequate and well-profited use of these means has opened for him.  He told us that his presence in Facebook and Twitter reached 35 thousand persons who read it.  He wanted to take a photo with us and immediately he put it in the net, so you can imagine: we have been seen by 35 thousand persons!

We would like to share with you each one of the words shared, the moments that we have lived, the sentiments of gratitude and the joy within us.  We feel that this is difficult and that words cannot express all this. No doubt that the path that is necessary to open will reach our communities in order that what we have discovered these days as an invitation from the Lord will become life for us.

Formation is the task of all, it is a great challenge in the midst of the complexity of the world in which we live, but no doubt this is a challenge that is worthwhile living.

With the desire “to make Jesus and Mary known and loved”, we are called to give our grain of sand so that in our world, the presence of an Incarnate God, who cares for each person and who invites us to grow in humanity, may be more evident from day to day.