From The Editor

This is the ninth publication of volume II of the congregational magazine "Brothers FIC" reaching you. The theme of this issue is "Continuing Spiritual Formation." Here, we intend to share with our cherished readers how important it is for us religious and FIC Brothers to keep forming ourselves until "our life reflects the very mind of Christ." This is an arduous task, but as mature Christians, we know it is a pre-requisite to our life of consecration as said in Vita Consecrata (69): "Continuing formation is an intrinsic requirement of religious consecration."

Continuing Spiritual Formation helps us maintain our relationship with God, whose will we desire to follow. It is training in eternal living, determined discipleship to Jesus Christ, and the way we discover the renewable source of spiritual energy we have been looking for (2 Cor 4:16). We intend to be people of prayer and to interlace our whole lives more and more with moments of prayer. (FIC Constitutions art. 59) To be "Bearers of the Good News", we must first have in-depth knowledge, experience and deep faith in the one God who calls and sends us (Bro. Augustine Kubdaar, opening address, OASIS 2023).

Beloved reader, you will be reading about the experiences and thoughts of our fellow brothers regarding the theme stated above. Bro. Augustine, our General Superior, reflects on "Continuous Formation in Consecrated life." He strongly believes that our approach to religious formation should be characterised by joy, mercy, and a profound commitment to the transformative mission of the Church in the world. To facilitate the understanding of the concept, Bro. Raphael, in his reflection on "The Importance of Ongoing Formation," invites readers to reflect on the primary reason for choosing this theme: "Due to human limitations, the consecrated person can never claim to have completely brought to life the "new creature" who in every circumstance of life reflects the very mind of Christ". Two of our young brothers, Elijah Abugri (Ghana) and Mike Mbato (Malawi) who participated in the FIC Journey to Spiritual Enrichment 2023, share their experiences with us. Bro. Didas Toogumo (Animator, Ghana) also gave us his impressions on the exercise.

Dear reader, this time, we provide the profile of Bro. Paul Sabogu from Ghana, our new General Council Secretary, who began his task two months ago. We believe his sharing will inspire our young readers and help them discover the meaning of our life and work. The rest of the news come from our provinces and Religious House Netherlands, news in pictures, an article from the Vatican and a short piece about Mary, and written by Bro. Yohanes Krismanto, a missionary in Chile.

In the spirit of "Continuing Spiritual Formation", Bro. Michael Sidharta shares a reflection titled "Ongoing Formation in an Anxious Space", and Bro. Petrus Anjar, director of Roncalli Retreat House, enlightens us on the spiritual program of this retreat house.

During this Yuletide, I wish you all "A Happy and Blessed Christmas!" May the King of Peace bring true peace in the world, and may He inflame our hearts to enable us to discover Christ in one another. Thank you for your attention and support to the FIC Congregation.