Divine Word Missionaries |
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SVD Formation
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SVD Brother Formation
Welcome
to the SVD Brother Formation Programs!
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What do you know about Brother formation? The present website provides you with some meaningful information regarding their formation programs, as it is done in the different provinces and regions of the Society worldwide. These programs have been classified by zones: AFRAM (Africa and Madagascar), ASPAC (Asia and Pacific), EUROPE and PANAM. While some provinces and regions have already updated their formation programs for Brotherhood, others are still in the process of doing it. We hope that within this year (2005) all provinces and regions may achieve this task. Why Brother formation is important in nowadays? It is important because of the Brothers’ contribution in the mission of our Society. Since the world has undergone many changes over the past decades, it is necessary to update Brother formation too. According to our Constitutions:“Brothers are called to carry out the missionary task of the church, entrusted to every Christian in baptism and confirmation, in the decisive way called for by the religious life. Through their varied services and witness to the Gospel, Brothers share in the mission of Christ to renew all things. The better trained they are for their professional, social and pastoral activities, the more effectively they can fulfill their vocation” (c. 515).
Later on, with the changes introduced by the Vatican II (1965), Brothers started to get involved also in pastoral activities, education, social services, formation, bible apostolate, communications, etc. For that purpose, the formation programs were adjusted accordingly. Thus, Brothers were not any more dedicated exclusively to technical and manual work; they were also committed to other fields. This profile of the SVD Brothers continues until today: while many of them are working in house maintenance, mechanic workshops, others are working in education, pastoral and social activities. Finally, the XV General Chapter (2000) made also a clear recommendation to the Brothers in order to improve their participation in the Society’s mission today: “Knowing the importance of Brothers in our Society, we recommend that all levels of administration continue their efforts to foster knowledge about the Brother vocation and promote its development in the Society. We recommend further that Brothers be encouraged to choose and to become professionally competent in ministries which are directly part of the fourfold prophetic dialogue and of the characteristic dimensions of our SVD commitment” (In Dialogue with the Word [IDW] 1, No. 104). Importance of the BrothersMaking a summary of their meaningful contribution to the life and mission of the Society, we could point out the following:
These are some good reasons to promote Brotherhood in the Society. For this purpose you will find in this website a copy of the booklet on Brother Formation Program, which was written recently in order to help provinces and regions to update their respective formation programs for SVD Brothers. Along with this booklet, you will find also the Brother formation programs from some provinces and regions that were already posted on this website.
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