(Buenos Aires, Argentina) The chairs of Secretariats of Formation of the Units in the Latin American and Caribbean Conference met November 11-12 in the Novitiate San Alfonso House in Bella Vista. The aim of the gathering was to make “Evaluation and update of the process of formation in the Conference”. The meeting was led by the Secretariat for the Formation of the Conference, Fr. Manuel Rodrigues chair of the General Secretariat of Formation, and Fr. Marcelo Araújo, coordinator of the Conference.
The meeting was meant to give reference lines and suggestion for the Ratio formationis of the Conference, therefore there were addressed eight key issues for the organization of the formation as follow: 1) Objectives of the Redemptorist formation; 2) Guiding principles; 3) Dimensions of the formation; 4) Formators, 5) External structures and processes; 6) Stages of formation; 7) Criteria for admission, promotion, and evaluation; and 8) Practicum and formation style.
In the meeting were participating:
- From Central America, Fr. Manuel Cruz Meza.
- From Buenos Aires, Argentina, Justo Ramon Correa.
- From Caracas, Venezuela, Aly Argenis Villegas Suarez.
- From Chile, Fr. Carlos Pérez Triviño.
- From Bogota, Colombia – Fr. Daniel Fernando Benavides.
- From Fortaleza, Brazil, Bro. Hélio de Abreu Araújo.
- From Paraguay, Fr. José Dolores Echeverría Valdez.
- From Quito, Ecuador, Fr. Luis Xavier
- From Resistance, Fr. Henryk Josef Kaczocha.
- From San Juan, Fr. Esteban Antonio de La Rosa Martínez.
- From São Paulo, Brazil, Fr. Anísio Tavares.
- From São Paulo, Brazil, Fr. João Paulo de
- From São Paulo, Brazil, Fr. Reinaldo Beijamim da Silva.
- From Bahia, Brazil, Fr. Marcos da Silva
- From Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Fr. Jonas Pacheco Machado.
- GSF, Rome, Fr. Manuel Rodrigues.
- Conference Coordinator, Fr. Marcelo Araújo.
The meeting, with emphasizing that the formation is really a reflection of what we live as Redemptorist Missionaries. Therefore, our life as Redemptorists determines the formation process. Hence, the importance of the witness of life is essential for the formation process.
Finally, all the participants expressed a very sincere thanks to the Province of Buenos Aires, and the local community of Bella Vista for the welcome and organization these days.