The fourth Congress of the Formators and Vocational Animators of the Custody was held from 15th -22nd February in the convent of Montefalco, in Umbria. The annual rendezvous brings together all the formator and vocational animator friars, who could not meet in the Holy Land due to the problem of visas and permits to travel in the Middle East, for a week in Italy.
Sixteen friars, made up of formators, vocational animators and other friars invited ad hoc, including Fr. Claudio Bottini, Dean of the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum, and Fr. Jeremy Harrington, Guardian and Commissioner in Washington, attended the Congress.
The subject: Educational attitudes in the relational behaviour of the authoritative formator was introduced by Professor Zbigniew Formella SDB, director of the degree course in Psychology at the Salesian Pontifical University.
This Congress was celebrated in the context of the meeting of the Discretorium of the Holy Land, which chose Montefalco for the February meeting, normally devoted to the subject of the initial formation, thus offering all the formators and vocational animators the opportunity to meet the Custos and the Discreets. In the two informal meetings with the Custos and the Discretorium, each vocational animator and formator presented his area of work in the various regions (Israel-Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Europe, USA and Argentina) and in the individual houses of initial formation (Ain Karem, Harissa, Bethlehem and St. Saviour).
As every year, the Congress was also the opportunity to make a spiritual pilgrimage to the Franciscan places. The participants celebrated the Eucharist in the Basilicas of St. Francis and of St. Clare in Assisi, in the chapel of Porziuncola, and at La Verna. Fr. David Maria Jaeger, delegate of the Custos for Italy, visited the Montefalco convent and celebrated the Eucharist with us.
During the Congress, there were two other meetings: Fr. Noel Muscat, Secretary for Formation and Studies, presented the first on the subject “The Franciscan dimension of the authoritative formator”; and Fr. Bruno Varriano, Vocational Animator of the Custody, presented his degree thesis entitled: “The Formator in the religious community: variables of relational behaviour”, which he recently defended at the Salesian Pontifical University. Fr. Bruno also organized the Congress and hosted the participants in Montefalco, in his capacity as guardian of this house of the Custody, where young people from all over the world come for a period of vocational discernment in view of their entering postulancy in the Custody.
There are currently two postulants in the Montefalco house – one from Lebanon and one from Mexico – and eight young people in vocational discernment, from Italy, the USA, Israel and Mexico.
Fr. Noel Muscat ofm
Sixteen friars, made up of formators, vocational animators and other friars invited ad hoc, including Fr. Claudio Bottini, Dean of the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum, and Fr. Jeremy Harrington, Guardian and Commissioner in Washington, attended the Congress.
The subject: Educational attitudes in the relational behaviour of the authoritative formator was introduced by Professor Zbigniew Formella SDB, director of the degree course in Psychology at the Salesian Pontifical University.
This Congress was celebrated in the context of the meeting of the Discretorium of the Holy Land, which chose Montefalco for the February meeting, normally devoted to the subject of the initial formation, thus offering all the formators and vocational animators the opportunity to meet the Custos and the Discreets. In the two informal meetings with the Custos and the Discretorium, each vocational animator and formator presented his area of work in the various regions (Israel-Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Europe, USA and Argentina) and in the individual houses of initial formation (Ain Karem, Harissa, Bethlehem and St. Saviour).
As every year, the Congress was also the opportunity to make a spiritual pilgrimage to the Franciscan places. The participants celebrated the Eucharist in the Basilicas of St. Francis and of St. Clare in Assisi, in the chapel of Porziuncola, and at La Verna. Fr. David Maria Jaeger, delegate of the Custos for Italy, visited the Montefalco convent and celebrated the Eucharist with us.
During the Congress, there were two other meetings: Fr. Noel Muscat, Secretary for Formation and Studies, presented the first on the subject “The Franciscan dimension of the authoritative formator”; and Fr. Bruno Varriano, Vocational Animator of the Custody, presented his degree thesis entitled: “The Formator in the religious community: variables of relational behaviour”, which he recently defended at the Salesian Pontifical University. Fr. Bruno also organized the Congress and hosted the participants in Montefalco, in his capacity as guardian of this house of the Custody, where young people from all over the world come for a period of vocational discernment in view of their entering postulancy in the Custody.
There are currently two postulants in the Montefalco house – one from Lebanon and one from Mexico – and eight young people in vocational discernment, from Italy, the USA, Israel and Mexico.
Fr. Noel Muscat ofm