A call to follow and imitate the Lord

The source of our formation is to be found in the call received from the Lord to follow and imitate him (SRL 101). In following and imitating the Lord, Spiritan formation is divided into two major parts with specific objectives: Namely, the initial and ongoing formation.

Initial Formation

Initial formation covers the period of about ten years of formation, training and discernment that covers from vocation animation and culminates with mission appointment immediate after perpetual vows and/or ordination to priesthood. This covers the following stages: The discernment stage (come and see period), Postulancy, Philosophical studies period, the novitiate year that is followed by two years period of pastoral missionary experience (PME) and theological studies period.

At the end of this is the mission appointment where the candidate after final vows and or priestly ordination is appointed to a specific mission of the Congregation. In the Congregation, we have two types of vocation, namely the vocation to brotherhood and to priesthood.

Those who chose to be Spiritans as brothers that normally they make it at the novitiate stage, they may not necessarily go for theological studies. They may choose to go for a specific professional studies that will allow them to perform specific mission of the Congregation after their perpetual vows like teaching, nursing, medicine etc. The major objective of this first part of formation is the prepare the young person for the mission of the Congregation, the mission that is specified in the SRL N°.12

Ongoing Formation

The second part of formation is ongoing formation. This starts immediately after perpetual vows and/or ordination to priesthood. It includes the following aspects: seminars, renewal courses/workshops and specialized studies in specific area of the mission of the Congregation.

The objective is what is specified in the SRL N°10 “The Spirit calls us to continual conversion, shapes our personal and community lives, makes us partakers in death and resurrection mystery of Jesus and prepares us to make the total gift of ourselves for the Kingdom”.

The mission that the Congregation partakes is dynamic, keeping evolving and being reinterpreted according to the signs of time through the General chapters. This calls for ongoing updating and self-renewing of the members of the Congregation in order to keep abreast to the demands of the mission.