EAO Regional Formation Commission 2017

By Fr. Gerry Martin, SDB
Provincial delegate for Formation, FIN

Anisakan, Myanmar, 16 November 2017 -- The EAO Regional Formation Commission (RFC) is holding it annual meeting and formation form November 13-16 at the Nazareth Retreat House in Anisakan of the Myanmar Province of Mary Help of Christians. The event is organized by the EAO Formation Coordinating Team led by Bro. Mon Callo and Fr. Henry Bonetti. The main resource persons for the conferences and formation are Fr. Ivo Coelho and Fr. Sivio Roggia of the Formation Department (RMG). There are 18 participants including three provincials from China, Philippines-North and Myanmar; superiors of the Delegations of Indonesia and Mongolia; and the rest are delegates for formation or their representatives from AUL, CIN, FIN, FIS, GIA, ITM, MYM, PGS, THA and VIE provinces as well from the delegations of Indonesia (ITM), Pacific (AUL) and Mongolia (VIE). It is indeed a moment of information, formation and fraternal celebration.

Various topics were covered all seen in the lens their value in formation. The very first topic, an input based on the Rector Major’s talk to the new provincials (Rome, July 2017) set the tone of the reflections in the following days: our identity as Salesians of Don Bosco is rooted in our consecration “as signs and bearers of God’s love to the young.” It is our mission, the reason for our vocation.

The succeeding topics, reflections and sharing revolved in the same theme, like the Salesian consecrated identity; the gift of priestly vocation; Salesian brother vocation; shared Salesian vocation with lay mission partners and child protection policy of the provinces, among other.

In the afternoon of November 15, Fr. Ivo facilitated the joint session with the confreres of MYM about ‘Formation as Lifelong process’. He made clear the shift of mentality that the whole Congregation must make in understanding the concept of “ongoing formation”. It is not a course or a program that a confrere undergoes, but rather it is a continuous learning from our experiences of everyday life by making decisions and choices aligned to the Gospel and to our Salesian values as our response to our vocation. Thus, we grow in our daily ongoing formation. We made our reflections in small groups and shared our responses to the following guide questions: a) how to favor change of perspective in our communities to embrace an attitude of daily constant transformation? b) how to foster in our communities a discernment approach to give a Gospel response to daily situations? c) how to lead by example in enhancing culture of accompaniment for conferes in active communities? After the sharing in the big group, Fr. Ivo earmarked the importance of “group spiritual direction” in growing in discernment attitude as it came out often from the reflections of the small groups. He emphasized that value of groups in our formation and in our vocational growth.

The participants and the confreres of MYM prayed vespers together and shared a sumptuous Burmese dinner after. The 130 aspirants of the Nazareth Apostolic School entertained the participants with songs, Christmas carols and dance in a well-prepared program to cap the evening. Many of the participants became nostalgic as they remembered their Aspirantate days and how they came to discover their vocation. November 16 at lunch time, we are ending the formation conference full of gratitude to the Province of MYM with their Provincial Fr. Charles Saw; and full of enthusiasm to bring back home to our provinces this very rich experience.

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