Formation Programme of
a Brother of St. John of God in the Order
Fidelity to our
Hospitaller identity requires that each Brother should
have an overall, solid and ongoing formation, in accordance
with the aptitudes of the individual and varying circumstances
of time and place, so that he can meet the requirements
of his own vocation.
The Formation Process
aims at the harmonious and integrated development of
the person, so that he may be capable of living our
charism deeply and with joy. This Process encourages
and fosters the human in a persons life along with Christian
and Religious Values in keeping with our identity as
Hospitaller Brothers.
The principal agent
of formation is the Holy Spirit, who progressively leads
us to full knowledge of Christ. The person responsible
for helping this action is the candidate himself.
Discernment as to
a person living this way of the Religious Life will
take place in an atmosphere of prayer and dialogue,
making sure that he also possesses:
- good physical
and psychological health;
- intellectual,
moral and spiritual suitability;
- a capicity for
living community life;
- attitudes of openness
and service in the face of the sufferings and needs
of his brother and sisiter;
- an adequate level
of education in the faith and of openness to God's action
in his life.
This Formation Process
is to assist the person to foster and develop the aptitudes
of each person and assist them to integrate them harmoniously
in their life. Formation has the task of bringing about
the following -
On the human
level:
- the capacity to reflect and discriminate;
- a sense of responsibility
in freedom;
- the capacity to
have authentic interpersonal relations;
On the spiritual
level:
- growth in faith, which is shown as acceptance of God
is one's own existence and as a commitment to live in
harmony with the Gospel Values;
- growth in hope,
lived out in the individual's day-to-day way of being
and behaving, while exploring the life of Jesus in their
life.
- growth in charity
which is expressed in a spirit of prayerfulness in God
and the Mother of God, in an attitude of communion with
the Church, and in spirit of brotherhood, which is the
fruit of God's love for us;
On the level
of the Vowed Religious Life:
- the following of Christ, which requires commitment
of ourselves progressively to Him in the essential dimensions
of his life, that is, chastity, poverty, obedience and
hospitaller love for the suffering and those in need;
- those human and
Christian qualities which foster community life, assisting
the person in the spirit of brotherhood and service;
On the level
of our Hospitaller Life:
-the human, Christian and evangelical values which make
it possible for us to develop ourselves fully in harmony
with the life-style and aims of the Order.
Progressive Integration
Men are progressively
integrated into the life of our community, in accordance
with the successive stages and steps of their formation.
They will share in the life of prayer, brotherhood and
apostolic service so far as this can help them experience
and assimilate the evangelical values of life in common.
The Formation Programmes
is worked out bearing in mind the individuals involved
and the aims of the successive stages, balancing theoretical
content with the development, expression and communication
of the candidate's feelings. The Formation Centre is
a place to assist the person in opening themselves up
to the various stages of formation. It is hope that
this place therefore would have an atmosphere of silence,
prayer, study and the possibility of a gradual experience
of our community life in its different aspects.
Initial Formation
Initial formation
in our Order seeks to help the person attain that human
and spiritual maturity which will enable them to live
out the following of Christ in a responsible manner
according to our charism of hospitality and life-style,
in freedom and faithfulness. The stages which move towards
this aim in an integrated and progressive manner are
pre-novitiate, novitiate, and scholasticate.
Expectations of Professed Brother in the area
of Formation
The Professed Brother
involved in the area of Formation needs to possess the
personal balance and cultural and theological education
necessary to assist the person who is exploring his
vocation. The Brother would strive to remain open to
God's action in his own life demonstrating the maturity
in faith proper to an adult person, in his day-to- day
manner of behaving. Foster love for and fidelity for
the gift of Hospitality and Mission within the life
of the Church and our Religious Order. Be open to the
action of the Holy Spirit in people, treating them in
the same way in which Jesus treated his disciples, in
a constant spirit of service trusting in their efforts
and understanding their weaknesses.
The Brothers who
make up the community of the Formation Centre are aware
of their responsibility and the importance of their
example for the growth of people and they strive to
live their Vocation within the apostolate faithfully.
They are challenged to be open to the signs of the times,
to the men exploring their vocation in our Order and
to dialogue. They are invited to foster a spirit of
unity so that others can see through experience, learn
the value of brotherly help as an element of growth
in one's own vocation.
Pre-Novitiate
This time is a period
of preparation directly preceding the Novitiate. The
person is invited to deepen their discernment of their
vocation. This is done within the context of prayer
and reflection, dialogue with those Brothers involved
in the Formation Process and within the life of the
community. There is also time for study in those areas
with regard the overall Formation Programme of the Order.
Novitiate
The main aim of
the Novitiate Programme is to assist people to have
a deep experience of their personal relationship with
God, the community and those who suffer. This requires
an atmosphere of silence, prayer, austerity, joy and
fraternity, which will assist people to grow in self-knowledge,
to internalise their sense of membership of the Order,
and to discern their own vocation in order to be able
to respond freely and responsibly to Christ's call.
People in the Novitiate
Programme are assisted to cultivate the Human and Christian
virtues through prayer and dialogue. They are invited
to contemplation of the mystery of salvation and to
reading of and meditation on the Sacred Scripture and
worship in the Church's Liturgy. They are assisted to
live a life consecrated to God in Christ through practice
of the Religious Vows and the Charism of Hospitality.
They explore the character, spirit, aims, history and
life of our Religious Order Order. They are encouraged
to have a love for the Church. The length of the Novitiate
Programme in our Order is two years.
In order for the
novitiate to be valid, the first year must take place
in a house which is duly designated for this purpose.
The novitiate is invalidated by an absence form the
novitiate house of more than three months, continuous
or broken; any absence of more than fifteen days must
be made up for. When the period of the novitiate is
completed the person may then make Simple Profession.
Scholasticate
Programme
The Scholasticate
Programme is the period of the Formation Programme between
Simple Profession and Solemn Profession. The aim of
this Programme is to assist the Brother to grow into
a life of Charity through Human and Spiritual Maturity
which assists the Brother to understand and live the
Vowed Life in our Religious Order.
During this period
the Brother is asked to -
- obtain the professional
and pastoral training which makes it possible for him
to carry out the apostolic mission of the Order;
- gain a deeper
understanding of the motivations and requirements of
their vowed life and the meaning of membership within
the Order.
When the period
of Simple Profession is completed the Brother may then
ask to make Solemn Profession of Vows. When this is
accepted by the appropiate Leadership binds himself
to the life of a Brother through the Profession of the
lifetime Commitment of the Vows. There is a period of
preparation for this definitive choice, and during this
period the Brother is freed of other concerns. In an
atmosphere of greater reflection and prayer he explores
his life against the Gospel and gains deeper understanding
of his vowed committment and also of the spirit and
charism of the Order.
We all feel a responsibility
to those who are in the Formation Programme and so we
as Brothers welcome them and endeavour to assist them
in their progress towards maturity, especially with
the witness of our vowed life.
Those Brothers in the Formation Programme are invited
to open themselves to community relations with generosity
and simplicity, dedicating themselves wholly to the
service and mission of the Order as an expression of
gratitude towards the Brothers who have gone before
us, and from whom we have received the spiritual heritage
of the Order.
