July 1, 2014

Working Documents
POLA Provincial Chapter 2014

FORMATION DOCUMENT
Training of Formators:

What is keeping some of our religious away from formation ministry?

I will consider one of the reasons is to become a formator is also a gift. Seemingly, like
us as religious, not all are called for religious life. How many of them who tried to joined in
the religious formation who didn't persevere because they are not called for this kind of life.
We believe that vocation is a gift therefore it is meant for those who are called to whatever
vocation God has prepared for them. I would say why only few of the religious would like to
become a formator because they think they are not called for that specific gift as formator.

Why is formation ministry not attractive for some of our religious?

I think, one thing is the responsibility. It is a big responsibility plus as what I have said
earlier they don't have that gift or talent. From the start of our formation we have already a
glimpsed of what had happened in the formation program. It is also in the personality of a
person/religious. One more, may be they don't want to accept that kind of responsibility.

What is fulfilling/rewarding/satisfying in the formation ministry?

Of course, one of those things is the growth of numbers of those who are in the different
stages of formation. But I think the most fulfilling/rewarding/satisfying/ in the formation
ministry if the formator enables to respond the needs of a time in different corners of formation.

Issues Confronting Formation:

How do we intensify our vocation promotion and recruitment approach?
I think we have to consider the inspiration of our founder in the first moment he founded
our congregation. I talked some of those who are aspiring to join in our congregation and they
said is that so brother? Even some of the members of the BSVC (the recent). The vocation for

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priesthood it is already given if I would say. Why? Because any where people will encounter
many priests but what they don't know is who are those religious, either priests or brothers. We
are a religious congregation and those who are aspiring to join our congregation should know
what is religious life. How many times I heard from our parishioners asking a question what is
religious life. That's why they'll always compare us why diocesan priests are like this? Is there
any differences between religious and diocesan priests?

What is our view of the different issues confronting formation ministry?

I think the formation commission will create a commission intended to this matter. They
are the one who will see who are those religious have this gift, or deep inside of themselves
has the desires but they are still on the process of accepting or not this kind of responsibility.
Helping them in the process of making a decision I think is also wise. May be there are some
reasons why they don't like or having an option not to take this responsibility.

How do we visualize POLA in the future in terms of our involvement in the Philippines local
Church?
If I will recall what Pope Francis have said during his audience with the different
superiors of religious congregation in preparation for the coming 2015 as dedicated to
consecrated religious life he says that each religious congregation will go back to the original
inspiration of their founders. It think is relevant if we talk about visualizing POLA in the
Philippines local Church. It has a lot of works to do but we can only concretize our vision if
we have strong foundation rooted to the inspirations of our founder.

What courses do our religious want to take?

I think it will be relevant to the field were the religious we're involved. It could be also
and updating of the religious life, or specialization in ministry especially those who will be in
pastoral community.

What obstruct our religious to take specialized studies?

May be their interest especially in our young religious.

Formation Programs:
i. What do our formation programs (initial and permanent) need?
ii. What elements of our program need updating, if any?

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iii. How do we make the formation program relevant and responsive to the
needs of our time?

My observation especially with our brother priests, in ten counts even one of them they
never speaks about religious life either in their homily or other matters. Like for example,
feast of the saints, many of them are religious but preachers didn't even bothered to speak
about religious life. Always, we are priests, never, we as religious. My question is what
formation do you intent, is it for religious life or the priesthood? Our Rule of Life No. 46, it
says, "Initial formation is effected in three stages: the pre-novitiate, which emphasizes the
personal discovery of Christ; the novitiate, which focuses on vocation, on initiation into
religious life, especially as it is lived in our Congregation". Religious life in my own
observation lived out only in the formation houses but in pastoral communities religious it
is forgotten. Just to clarify, this is not in view of the life style.

S.S.S. MODEL PARISH, WHAT IS IT? –Consider this question posed to us by our Superior
General when he visited us here regarding ‘a model SSS Parish’. Notwithstanding the
uniqueness of every pastoral community especially as regards the direction of the local diocese
and the needs of the parochial community, what should be there (common elements) in every
parish or chaplaincy being administered by POLA – things that one will always find whenever
he/she visits our different parishes/chaplaincies.

• Not all diocesan priests admired religious life but there are some. May be it connotes
of the differences between religious life and secular life. The programs and activities of the
diocese/archdiocese are given but as we religious the differences should manifest the way we
administered parishes which is under our care. That people should know that we religious
either priests or brothers. I read an article and it I says, "The way we live out our religious
life today is certainly in a state of crisis. While appreciating the many changes the many
positive changes taken place during the recent years, we cannot deny the fact that there is
erosion of credibility in the way religious life is lived out everywhere. Absence of a vibrant
spirituality that responds to the needs of the contemporary religious can be sensed anywhere."
- Excerpted from the article in titled "Consecrated Life Today: Trends And Challenges In
Society And Church", written by Fr. Frances Jeyaraj Rasiah, SJ. I quote these sentences for
us to reflect if it is relevant to what had happened in our congregation until present.

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LIFESTYLE:
(Aspects: Prayer life-Founder- Relationships-Meals- Meetings– Community life)
- WHAT are the underpinnings that allow these to happen?
- Aspects of the Eucharist lived in these realities
- Proposals
- Expected Outcome

What are the best practices in your community?

• Being responsible of individual's responsibilities in the community.
What are your community activities that make the religious happy?
• Come together in recollection & socialization.
What gives life to each member of the community?
• The sense of belongingness.
What inspires religious in community?
• Showing concerns for the community and individual religious.
What are the strengths / values that inspire the community members
• Like activities that makes the religious happy.
What are the structures in the community that enhance community life?
• Monthly recollection and outing/socialization, etc.
Other matters the community may want to include like the good things they see in the
unpleasant issues

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