austraLasia

Getting ready for the Curatorium meeting 2019

Paranaque, Manila, the Philippines, 21 August 2019 -- Since last August 2018 the interprovincial communities Curatorium in the Philippines grew from the ordinary Paranaque formation houses related meeting of the Provincial superiors to the two specific meetings - one for specific formation community in Paranaque (Manila, FIN) and another one for the prenovitiate - novitiate and postnovitiate communities (Lawaan, Cebu - FIS and Canlubang - FIN). In these days are coming slowly all the respective provincial superiors to meet their confreres before the formal Curatorium meetings on August 21 and August 22nd.

As a matter of fact 11 of the 12 EAO provinces are sending their young confreres to the Philippines and this annual meeting of the Curatoriium (August 21-22) should guarantee the quality formation for their candidates or confreres entrusted to the five formation communities and three study centers (Don Bosco Study Center - DBST in Paranaque, Don Bosco College in Canlubang and DB Technological College (campus of DB Formation Center) in Lawaan, Cebu.

At present there are 21 Salesian Brothers in the two year course in Sandor community, 46 Salesian scholastics (clerics, candidates to the priesthood) in the 4 year theology course in SnDB community - both based in Paranaque. Another two communities (Prenovitiate and Postnovitiate) are located in Canlubang (near Manila) and another two stages of initial formation (Prenovitiate and Novitiate) are based in Lawaan (Cebu, FIS province). All together more than hundred young Salesians coming from the 11 provinces of the EAO region (CIN, FIN, FIS, GIA, INA, KOR, MYM, PGS, THA, TLS, VIE), two province of South Asia region (INB and LKC), two provinces of Europe (INE and UNG) and three provinces of Africa (AGL, AET, AFW) - a total of 18 different provinces. As country of origin we find the EAO confreres from the Philippines, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Cambodia, Vietnam, Pakistan, Indonesia, Timor Leste and Myanmar. Beyond the EAO countries we may meet the confreres born in Ethiopia, Nigeria, Hungary, India, Sri Lanka and Italy.

Good number of the missionaries among the young Salesians in formation and more consistent presence of the non-Filipino formators makes the formation dynamics more inter-cultural and missionary oriented. The medium of formation and teaching is English, with an opportunity to study English within the Seminaryo ng Don Bosco.

The Statutes of the Curatorium are being revised with a strong focus to guarantee the common responsibility of the each province that is entrusting their confreres to these formation houses in the Philippines. Revised Statutes should guarantee long term commitment of the respective province to prepare and commit with sending their formators and teaching personnel. This year is expected also the animating presence of Fr Ivo Coelho (General councilor for Formation) in 2019 Curatorium meetings.