Diploma in Religious Formation
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Item A Pre-Novitiate Formation Programme Project For The Divine Word Missionaries(Tangaza University College, 2005-03) Lima, Carlos VieiraFormation constitutes an essential element of religious and missionary life. "The Church, together with Congregations of men and women religious, considers formation a top priority. As a result, much re-search, reflection, evaluation, revision and revitalization of formation programmes has taken place, not least with our own Society.-I The formulation of the vision and goal of formation, coupled with the structuring and re-structuring of formation programmes, pre-supposes a number of critical questions being asked by the Society. Who can be admitted to religious missionary life? Who are being formed? How are they being formed? What are they being formed for? What approach should be taken? What model? The structure? The over-all vision?2 It was in view of these concerns that this formation programme project was undertaken. The aim of this project is to design a formation programme that can offer a framework, which will assist those working in formation at this particular stage, Pre- Novitiate, as well as at other stages of formation in the Society of the Divine Word, in the Kenya-Tanzania Province. The choice of the topic was made based on two elements: the first one is my own experience in formation work in the Pre-Novitiate, since December 2001; the second element was the request by the Provincial Superior to organize a formation handbook containing all the levels of formation in the Province. As I work in the Pre- Novitiate stage, I was entrusted with the responsibility of designing the Pre-Novitiate formation programme. I gladly accepted the task and chose the topic "A Pre-Novitiate Formation Programme" as the object of research of my project. This Formation Programme consists of five major sections. Section one starts with the issue of the nature of the Congregation, its aims and Spirituality. It spells out the aims, goals, nature, objectives and purpose of formation in general in the Society of the Divine Word. It also spells out the constitutive elements of the SVD identity, namely, Spiritual. Communitarian, Religious, Academic, Affective, Missionary and Physical dimensions. Section two focuses on the nature and purpose of the Pre-Novitiate stage and the essential elements of the rationale of the Pre-Novitiate programme. There are five areas or axis of formation considered essential to assist the candidate in his journey of personal growth and vocational discernment. These are: the Human, the Christian and Spiritual, the Religious and SVD, the Missionary, and the Academic formation. Section three occupies with the contents and the means of formation, and with some characteristic activities. Section four deals with the issues of those who are responsible for formation, the evaluation of the formation programme and the assessment of the candidate. Section five starts with the candidate's role in the formation process. It continues with some recommendations based on practical experiences and on the outcome of the research process/exercise. It is followed by the conclusion with few remarks and observations. In the end there is an appendix.Item Formation Programme for the Noviciate in the Congregation of The Sisters of Divine Providence(Tangaza University College, 2005-04) Namuthuwa, ElizabethIt is a challenge to accompany a young Malawian woman in the Formation process. As Gerald Arbuckle puts it: "Formation is a journey of discovering Christ in oneself, one's community and the world of cultures." I It is an inward journey granted by God as a gift, a journey to wholeness, to God Himself. It is a big challenge to the Formator to accompany a candidate into the formation process, who aspires to become a Religious in the Congregation of the Sisters of Divine Providence, to form a candidate into a mature, honest, free and responsible woman who has respect for and is attentive to the needs of others especially the poor. The following is a proposed Formation programme, which I think would meet the needs of a formator as well as a candidate for the Congregation of the Sisters of Divine Providence. I begin with the purpose of Formation according to the church documents and the factors, which affect Formation in the Congregation of the Sisters of Divine Providence in Malawi. The project is divided into topics which must be addressed in the Formation programme but they should not be seen as consecutive units because the process is spiral and topics will be regularly revisited. The first topic on Human Development aims at helping the candidate to grow in self-knowledge, self-awareness and self-esteem in order to be receptive and grow in faith. Topic Two is based on Church doctrine. This shall help the candidate to know more about the teachings of the church and grow in faith as her member. Topic Three is about prayer; the aim is to help the candidate to make an inner discovery and deepen her relationship with the Triune God. Topic Four: is Scripture; to enable the candidate to read and pray the scripture and to discover God therein. Topic Five is Religious Life and the Vows. The candidate should know the history and the purpose of Religious life and to be able to discern if her vocation is to Religious Life. Topic Six is the Spirituality of Sisters of Divine Providence and their Charism. Again the candidate should be able to discern if her call is to be a Divine Providence Sister. Topic Seven is Formative community and practical experience. The aim is to develop self-confidence, self-dignity and a sense of belonging. Everything that happens in the Novitiate should be part of Formative process. Therefore the process includes all activities and exercises both theoretical and practical, which happen in the Novitiate community.