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s2smodern

Because of COVID, the JCEP annual Formation Delegates’ meeting, tentatively scheduled to take place in Braga (Portugal), took place online on the mornings of March 10-11 2021.  Eighteen SJs took part in the meeting including Franck Janin and János Lukács (JCEP), and Mark Ravizza, Fr. General’s Assistant for Formation.  Four newly appointed delegates – David Neuhaus PRO, Antonio Valerio POR, Francisco Cuartero ESP, and Waclaw Krolikowski PME (in abstentia) - were welcomed to the group of delegates.

Mark Ravizza SJ
Mark Ravizza SJ

Geographically, JCEP conference contains in particular two large areas of formational responsibility, PMA (North Poland, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, and Denmark), and PRO – described as a huge ‘empire’ stretching from Morocco to Iraq.  PRO also has the largest number of pre-Tertianship scholastics whose formational journey, beginning from Egypt to Lebanon to Paris, highlights the requirement of the JCEP scholastic of today to have to make huge cultural shifts and adjustments. A really demanding challenge for the scholastic!

Numerically, HIB has seven scholastics pre-Tertianship - the smallest cohort of the JCEP provinces. 

We spent Day 1 sharing with each other about the formational issues we meet in our various provinces but, more importantly, we listened attentively to what connected us trans-JCEP.  Among the issues identified for further consideration included the following: (a) the fragility of young priests (b) formation for those joining at age 35+ (c) the balance between formation abroad and at home (d) formation of Brothers (a noticeable increase in Brother vocations) and (d) the issue and difficulties of language acquisition.

Mark Ravizza pointed out that COVID is teaching us about new ways of governing, noting that Fr. General is governing in an interactive manner and this is going to require good formation in the use of technology.  Franck Janin noted several issues presenting themselves for addressing (a) Brothers’ formation/meeting (b) the number of Novitiates in the Conference and (c) the formation of Formators.

Hopefully, the Delegates will be able to meet face-to-face later in 2021 at a venue very much COVID-dependent (possibly at Rome).  Either way, face-to-face or online, the organising Steering Committee – Angelo Schettini EUM, Christoph Soyer ECE, and Xavier Nucci EOF -  (kindly) agreed to remain in place to organise that meeting.

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s2smodern