ONGOING FORMATION MEETINGS

TO THE PROVINCIALS, REGIONAL SUPERIORS AND FORMATION DIRECTORS.

Prot. No. 118/98

25 May 1998

Dear Brothers,

The 20th General Chapter has set, "INITIAL AND ONGOING FORMATION,"as one of the sectors of the congregation, " Formation is an educational process that lasts a lifetime and from which no one is exempt. The object of this educational process is the person and the religious community." (We, the congregation, in the service of the mission, par. 19).

The purpose of writing this letter, therefore, is an attempt at fulfilling this requirement. Starting next year we intend on having at least five meetings of ongoing formation at different times and in different languages so that as many people can have access to them.

1. Italian.................... Fall/Autumn 1999

2. English.................. Spring 2000

3. Portuguese............ Fall/Autumn 2000

4. Franch................... Fall/Autumn 2001

5. Spanish................. Fall/Autumn 2002

The General Government has assigned the co-ordination of the above courses to Fr. Osnildo Klann scj. (BM). He will come to live in Rome starting from March 1999. Together with this letter we send you an outline adopted by the General Government.

We further ask you to please respond to the following questionaire so as to help us with quicken our work. We invite you to present us with:

A. ON THE ONGOING FORMATION

i) All that you DO in your Province/region as far as Ongoing formation is concerned. ie.

Initiatives.
Themes.
Duration
Number of confreres participating each time, even in other forms of ongoing formation taking place somewhere else.

ii) Any suggestions, you might have, of the THEMES of our courses on.the ongoing formation here in Rome.

iii) Suggestions for the ongoing formation course to be held (in I talian) during the months of June-July 1999 in Poland.

B ON THE INITIAL FORMATION

i) Any suggestions of how we can organise and run the programes of Postulancy, Novitiate and Perpetual profession.

ii) Concerning the meeting of the Formation Directors from 10-21 May 1999, please suggest :

Themes of the meeting.
Other things that might be of interest to you.

iii) Please give us the name of the President of your formation team with whom we can communicate directly.

C. ON FORMATION GENERALLY

Please give us the names of SPECIALISED PERSONS, in the congregation, who can help us conduct these ongoing formation meetings. With the name please give us the area of specialization.

Please forwad this information as soon as you can before September 1998 in order to help us prepare for the provincial's meeting in November 1998.

We thank you in anticipation for your co-operation.

Yours in Cor Jesu Fr. Zolile Mpambani scj. General Council