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Formators' session in Nîmes
A version at the origins of the Congregation...
From November 3rd to the 10th, 2024, a number of those responsible for formation in the congregation gathered at the Maison Diocésaine de Nîmes, for the usual biennial formators' session. This year, under the leadership of Br. Vincent Leclerc, General Secretary for Formation, and Br. Benoît Bigard,assistant general in charge of formation, two options had been taken: that of holding the session at the cradle of the congregation and that of bringing together in the same session provincial and vicariate formators; those in charge of formation in our CIFAs (International Assumptionist Formation Communities) and those in charge of the “big houses” of formation. Potentially, this meant a session of some twenty brothers, but in the end only 14 were able to attend (visa problems, war situation in Israel, pastoral emergency).
I was struck by several significant aspects from this fine meeting:
- For some formators, it was their first visit to Nîmes, for others it was a rediscovery, and we were able to give pride of place to this plunge into our roots:
- A pilgrimage in the footsteps of Fr. d'Alzon in Nîmes
- A meeting room at the heart of the Lycée de l'Institut d'Alzon, with several opportunities for exchange with the institute's director, Mr. Yvan Lachaud, and his principal collaborators (notably the directors of the Institute's various establishments), paving the way for possible new collaborations with our educational establishments around the world... (See the institute's website www.dalzon.com)
- A Pilgrimage to Le Vigan, the birthplace of Fr. d'Alzon, together with two lay friends who are members of the diocesan commission for the cause of canonization of Fr. d'Alzon.
- Celebrations and get-togethers with our brothers, Oblate sisters, Assumptionist laity and parishioners of the church of Saints Perpétue and Félicitée, but also on rue Séguier, at the home of our Oblate sisters, at the tomb of our founders...
- The second aspect of the meeting was the sharing of experiences by the various formators in their places of formation; the evaluation of the local implementation of the Chapters (General and Provincial); the organization of the work to be done in the form of priorities to be tackled initially in order to give ourselves a plan of action at the local level.
- The third aspect of the meeting focused on a number of specific points: identifying aspects of training to be explored further; new projects and proposals to be implemented; a number of questions/proposals to be passed on to Provincial and/or General Councils. And, to take things a step further, small working groups were set up to make progress on the following topics:
- Refound a “Formation House Review” (with several possible levels of articles and media)
- Provide a more solid grounding for the fundamentals of Assumptionist religious life - Charism and its inculturation...
- Organize a “speech contest”...
- Pursue language-learning initiatives
- Develop support for young priests and deacons
- Work on review of live
- Be more attentive to preparation for perpetual vows
- ...
The meeting also provided an opportunity to validate a new way of presenting admission files for perpetual vows and ordinations, in an attempt to correct certain shortcomings or defects noted in recent years. These new procedures should be validated at the next CGP...
Finally, I leave you with a few photos of our meeting...
Fr. Benoît Bigard