Religious life in the church is indeed a gift from God to the church. It is a sign and symbol of the kingdom. Religious life of the Brothers is first and foremost a call to live radically the Gospel in Community, in practicing the Evangelical Councils. Religious life is not a kind of middle way between the clerical and lay conditions of life. Rather it is a form if life offered to some Christians! (LG.43)
Religious life is lived and practiced in formation houses under initial and ongoing formation stages “For formation to be complete it must include every aspect of Christian and consecrated life. It must therefore provide for a human, cultural, spiritual and pastoral preparation that pays special attention to the harmonious integration of all its various aspects. Ample time therefore should be set aside for initial formation, understood as a process of development which passes through every stage of personal maturity—from the psychological and spiritual stage to the theological and pastoral aspect … This initial formation coincides with and fits well into a specific coarse of studies, as part of a broader formation programme.” (VC.65)
Objectives:
- Implementation of the orientations of General chapter in our formation Houses through studies workshops and other programmes.
- Providing support to the formation Houses and be a nodal body to the Provincial Council on formation.
- Being a nodal body on behalf of the Brothers of St. Gabriel in networking with others in Formation.
- Identifying and studying the problems and needs of the Formation Houses and address them through the Provincial Council.
- Bring about a commonality in our Formation Houses in starting ending of the courses, subsidy etc.
Personnel:
- Assisting the Provincial Council in identifying formation personnel and their training in appropriate fields.
Finances:
- Scrutiny and study of the financial requirements with Provincial whenever the Formation Houses are located and present them to Provincial Council for approval.
- Study of Development plans and expansions of the Formation Houses before presenting them to Provincial Council for approval.
On Going Formation:
- Ensure that every year at least 2 (two) seminars are held in the Province on themes given for Junior Brothers.
Formation Houses:
1) Apostolic School / Juniorate:
Montfort Juniorate, Jonglapara,Resubelpara.P.O, East Gara Hills Dt, Meghalaya- 794 108
2) Pre-Novitiate:
Montfort Vidhya Bhavan, Khamaria(Ranjhi)-482 005, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.
3) Novitiates:
Eachinkadu Novitiate, Ondikadai -636 602, Salem Dt,Tamil NaduSt.Gabriel’s House, Sitagarha.P.O. 825 301, Hazaribagh Dt, Tarkhand.
