Report Formators Meeting, Salatiga 

6 July, 2023 By ER. Eko Wijayanto

Today, Thursday, 6 July 2023, marks the first business day of the Formators Meeting at Roncalli Retreat House, Salatiga. Br Petrus Wayan Parsa led the morning prayer which coincided with the commemoration of St. Maria Gorreti, Virgin and Martyr. We were also invited to reflect on the reading in Romans 8:35-37; Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? 

The weather in Salatiga today was generally cloudy and the air rather warm.  Nevertheless, the brothers started the day's activities with enthusiasm and a sense of brotherhood. The beauty of nature and the serene environment as well as the neat arrangement of the gardens with various types of plants and chirping birds added to the comfort of the day.

In the first session, Br Raphael invited the Formators to share the experience of their involvement in formation work or vocation promotion work in their respective provinces/countries.  They gratefully expressed their joys of doing formation work, as well as their anxieties and hopes. 

It is worth underlining the readiness, happiness and joys of the brothers in carrying out this mission. We applaud their diligence in accompanying and responding to the needs of the formees today, with all the challenges and opportunities. 

Stemming from the sharing, a question arose that needs to be explored further to find an answer; "What is the real reason for the lack of interest of young people in becoming FIC brothers in Chile?", as well as those who finally resigned after undergoing the discernment process.

In the second session, Br Raphael gave an introduction to the review of the formation curriculum that was designed in 2016.  He invited the brothers to study the document individually and later meet in groups to do the actual review. This includes what subjects are necessary, what new materials to add and what to drop from the document. 

On Wednesday, 12 July, each group will present the results of their reflections and discussions. The formators of Ghana and Malawi have already made some suggestions. The General Council will then synthesise the suggestions and present the final document to the brothers.

In the last session of the afternoon, Br Valentinus Daru invited us to reflect on the Profile of Formators. Starting his presentation, he suggested a number of reference books or relevant documents that could enrich the formators in answering the following questions: What kind of brothers should our candidates be?

We also underlined the following themes:  Why the apostolate of candidates in formation is crucial; The basic elements of Jesús’ love (Listen, Observe, Virtues and Emphatetic) It is hoped that we will reflect on these four elements during this Formators Meeting; The fundamental tasks of FIC formators.

Through group dynamics: "Making a Tower", Bro. Valentinus Daru asked brothers to reflect on the following questions: (1) How do you feel about working alone and in a team? (2) What challenges do you face in the dynamics? (3) What conditions do you need to have in order to build a tower? (4) What did you learn about the task of candidate in formation?

We concluded today's activities with mass. We also gave thanks to God for the birthday of Br Guido Sukarman and Father Robert Mirsel (SVD), the priest who preside over our daily masses. In his homily, Father reminded us of the importance of three basic elements in the formation of candidates namely formation of faith, formation of mind and formation of heart.