Our Formation Houses

Entering the scholasticate is strictly speaking the first commitment toward the Congregation. The following years - three at least - will lead to a definitive decision, whatever it will be. For the time being, the training in this new stage of formation, is gradually growing deeper and stronger in Belo Horizonte, Mangalore, Adiapodoumé and Sampran.

In this July issue of the NEF, three masters of the scholasticate explain how they are helping the young people entrusted to them, to grow and bloom in their spiritual life.

Fr. Mauro Henrique Ulrich de Oliveira scj

At the “Sacred Heart of Jesus” regional scholasicate at Nuova Granada (Belo Horizonte), the spiritual dimension and Betharramite charism are daily experienced by the religious community. Every day we share three times of community prayer: Lauds, rosary and daily Mass, with a brief moment of personal meditation in preparation; the Thursday before the first Friday of the month, we celebrate the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with the parish community; the first weekend of each month, we share a time of spiritual recollection, from Friday evening until Saturday evening. During community meetings on Saturday too, every fortnight, we focus together on documents of the Congregation or the Magisterium of the Church on themes common to the programmes of theological students.

Furthermore, to show our concern for this dimension of religious life, we decided to include in our programme eight days of Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, once a year at the beginning of the academic year, in addition to the Annual retreat of the Vicariate.

And we do not forget the less visible aspects of this spiritual dimension such as our availability to care for our infirm brethren such as 93 yr-old Fr. Enrique Lasuen, Fr Joseph Mirande and Fr. Sebastião do Nascimento. Also we share (with support) pastoral care of some ecclesial happenings of the archdiocese or the parish. Finally there is the ordinary regular service given to the community, such as bursar, stewardship, service such as driving, cooking, etc.

Courtyard of the scholasticate in Belo Horizonte. In July, the scholastics of the Fr Etchecopar Region take a break and go home for a while.

These are the main elements that allow us to deepen the experience of the charism of the Congregation. I could add to this all the sincere and open dialogue between members of the community (formal dialogue during personal interviews and community meetings, or informal, with spontaneous meetings). These are moments when we mustn’t fear confrontation, since each seeks the common good, following Christ. Undoubtedly, facing the pastoral reality of the parish, as well as other activities in the Archdiocese, which take place within or without an ecclesial context, also offer subjects of constant reflection, exchanges of experience and prayer.

Fr. Stervin Selvadass scj

Jesus continues to inspire many young who are simple, ordinary yet filled with enthusiasm and zeal for the family of Betharram. The aim of our spiritual formation is to help every brother “ to search, to see, to touch, to taste and to share“ the Word which became flesh and dwelt among us. Thus, as for me, our spiritual dimension rests on these two pillars. First, as we read in the DS 149, “Where does one learn the interior law of Love? In prayer and meditation“. Hence, the importance of daily prayers, meditation, Eucharist, reading of the letters of St. Michael Garicoits, lectio divina, and reading the lives of Saints etc. It is also an important factor in our culture i.e. every ‘sishya’ (Disciple ) sits at the feet of his ‘Guru’ ( Master) in order to be well equipped to face the world.

Father Stervin and the scholastics of Mangalore

So our focus is not to waste time in prayer rather to invest our time, our energy and all that we are in the Lord who is our sole Divine Guru. It is this personal intimacy which leads one to the second part of the spiritual dimension i.e. Love for His Church, passion for His people and spirit of belongingness for the Congregation. Our prayer is always that of St. Michael Garicoits saying, “Give us a heart that truly loves ! It believes and tastes the things of God. It is the secret spring ...without which we can do nothing“ (DS 146). Yes, of course, we are not perfect examples rather it is a daily struggle but we will gradually succeed. It is this divine love which urges us to go ‘forward' in our Sunday pastoral ministry and weekly social ministry like the visits to the old age home, orphanages and homes for the destitutes in and around Mangalore.

Fr. Sylvain Dansou Hounkpatin scj

Our scholasticate of Adiapodoumé is a part of a greater whole that comprises the Adiapodoumé formation house. The latter accommodates within it, both pre- postulants (6), postulants (4), scholastics (6) and perpetually professed religious (4). In this complex, the scholasticate has a special place because it is the place where the religious within it discover, assimilate and deepen their sense of religious identity. It is their first space to reproduce and manifest the impulse of the Heart of Jesus, the Incarnate Word saying to his Father, “Here I am.” The whole spiritual life of the seminary of Adiapodoumé is ordered for this purpose: to conform to the virtues of the Sacred Heart. It is for each religious to integrate his life by basing it on the charism of the Congregation.

With the scholastics of Adiapodoumé

To do this, each religious is invited to fidelity to daily personal prayer and meditation on the Word of God to be rooted in prayer. This heart to heart encounter that lasts at least half an hour, is done either before Lauds or Vespers. Active participation in community prayers is a requirement of our spiritual life. The daily Eucharist is celebrated at 6:15 in the morning or at 18:30 on big feast days or for Masses in honour of the Holy Spirit (in response to the desire of St. Mary of Jesus Crucified). It holds a central place in the life of our house. It is the source and summit of our Christian and religious life. Eucharistic Adoration Thursdays (18.00) is an important time when we put ourselves at the feet of the Master to worship, contemplate and echo his love. This encourages the desire to follow Jesus, the desire for conversion of life, the desire to meet God, a God who gives meaning to my life.

Spiritual accompaniment which the scholastics are invited to attend at least once a month becomes a place of discernment of God’s action in the life of the religious. The discernment of a vocation, in which spiritual accompaniment has a privileged space, is not the moment to record of the formator/candidate conversations. The goal of this accompaniment is to enter into the “mystery of life”.

The scholastics are invited to do this in openness and trust. A monthly retreat allows us to review our religious life in the light of the charism of our Congregation. The text (reissued) of the spiritual doctrine allows greater appropriation of our spirituality. Fraternal sharing during recollections can encourage the sharing of joys, expectations, fears ... and help us entrust them to the one who unites us in His Sacred Heart. Once a month, we share lectio divina, in order to, as St Michael Garicoits says, “taste the things of God ... chew and taste the Holy Word.” The narratio fidei takes place between scholastics based on the NEF editorial of the Superior General.

Religious are invited to the regular attendance of the sacrament of reconciliation at least once a month.
It should be noted, there is in our situation a need for greater ownership of the charism of our congregation which doesn’t simply consist in repetition or recitation of some slogans or some well-known phrases ... We really need to embody the charism of St Michel in our culture and in our society. So each religious of the Sacred Heart should now reproduce in his life, the life of Father Garicoits, the life of Christ; religious life is itself like a ‘holy game’ of the imitation of Christ. The rule of the game is the imitation of Christ, poor, chaste and obedient. For us African religious, to reclaim the spiritual battle of Michael Garicoits, his charism in creative fidelity, is now the great challenge. I sometimes ask myself the question of what is our religious Betharramite African identity? What makes us different from others? Religious and diocesan? How to continue to grow in living the charism of the Congregation? How is our Religious life relevant to the world? A presence in the world? How can the Betharramite religious of our seminary, find insertion in our social and cultural context as a significant effective and true witness, without being contaminated by the spirit of the world? The risk is high when the values that can promote a call to religious life are fading away: there is a fear of commitment, fear of anything demanding. Ease becomes a norm, as does physical security that religious life does not guarantee ... Then there is the fragility of people who want to devote themselves to God. All this impacts on the spiritual dimension of our religious life.

[Fr. Jiraphat, master of the scholastics in Sampran, was not able to answer our questions for this month, but in September he will certainly give us his insights about the formation in the Sampran scolasticate. We take this opportunity to send him and the scholastics in Sampran our fraternal regards.]