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Back to Ratio IndexChapter IV. Formation for
Mission
4.1 Urgency
and Importance
The new situation of missions today
requires us that we reexamine the formation of our missionaries. The
vocation to the foreign missions is a special calling, which demands
serious preparation and specific competence. Good will is not enough.
Nor is it enough simply to have been ordained a priest or taken vows
as a brother. Our Statutes point out the importance of a solid missionary
formation:
Those sent to the foreign missions should be carefully
prepared to undertake the special works there by knowledge of the
reality of the region where they will labor, so that the pastoral
work which they take on may effectively meet the needs of the local
Church (S 6).
4.2 General
Missionary Formation
At some point in the process of
initial formation general courses in missiology should be offered.
Pope John Paul II writes:
Theological training cannot and should not ignore
the Church¼s universal mission, ecumenism, the study of the great
religions and missiology. I recommend that such studies be undertaken
especially in seminaries and in houses of formation for men and women
religious, ensuring that some priests or other students specialize
in the different fields of missiology (RM
83 ß 3).
It is especially important that
such courses be part of the formation of members of a Society of Apostolic
Life which has many men working in missions ad gentes (Ratio Formationis for Theology, 38).
[4]
Courses offered during initial formation
should also treat inculturation and should reflect on the human adjustments
needed for entering other cultures. This is important not only for
those who work in the missions ad gentes, but also for those who work among the poor in contexts.
Courses should also explore the ways of doing theology in different
cultures.
A knowledge of the social sciences
(sociology, economics and politics) will be helpful in our accompanying
the poor, and in analyzing the underlying causes of poverty, and in
working to eradicate them.
Study, however, is not the only
preparation necessary. Attitudes of flexibility and openness need to
be developed, as well as a mobility that is not just geographical,
but also cultural and social. The Constitutions speak of it in this
way:
These are the characteristics to be kept in mind
in this work of evangelization which the Congregation proposes to
carry out: ... readiness to go to any part of the world, according
to the example of the first missionaries of the Congregation... (C 12 ß 5).
Solidarity with the poor, expressed
in a simple lifestyle, is an essential element of the Gospel that needs
to be fostered sooner rather than later. A real danger facing missionaries
is the possibility of living a lifestyle far removed from the poverty
of the people they evangelize. This becomes an obstacle to inculturation
and evangelization because it isolates us from the poor.
4.3 Specific
Missionary Formation
General formation for the missions
is important, but it is necessary that the future missionary receive
a specific preparation that will prepare him to adjust to the realities
of the region where he will live out his missionary vocation. The confreres
already working in the region, who have first-hand experience, can
be particularly helpful in devising a plan for this specific formation. Learning the language is indispensable
for communicating the Gospel and developing relationships in a new
country. But language is only part of the way people communicate within
a culture. Missionaries need to understand the customs, symbols, values
and world-view of the people they serve. This involves not just an
appreciation for folklore and the arts; rather, it is an insight into
the ways that the local people express their deepest concerns and aspirations
and structure their lives. It is advisable that new missionaries attend
missiological programs, pastoral institutes and centers for cultural
study which focus on direct preparation for living and working in the
specific region. Such programs exist in almost every country, often
sponsored by the local Church.
Formal study of a new culture is
an essential, but not sufficient, preparation for entering that culture.
Because outsiders never completely capture the essence of a culture,
the process of inculturation is ongoing. Missionaries often need to
suspend judgment about cultural expressions and approach new situations
with humility and openness. There is much to be learned from the local
people, and this can only occur where a spirit of respectful dialogue
exists. Missionaries bring their own cultural experiences with them.
The culture in which one was formed always influences the way one thinks
and acts. The goal of the missionary is not to completely abandon his
native culture. Rather, it is to understand how his own culture influences,
facilitates or impedes his encounter with people of a different culture.
A crucial part of the missionary learning process is to understand
how one reacts in a new cultural setting.
Missionaries seek to become facilitators
of a process by which people can hear the message of the Gospel, encounter
Jesus Christ, and become his followers. This is possible only when
the Gospel is inculturated by those who receive the message and assimilate
it in their lives as Good News. Missionaries need to learn how to discern
the presence of the seeds of the Word and the action of the Spirit
in the local culture, while respecting the integrity of the Gospel
message. In a sense, they live with one ear towards the people and
one ear towards the Gospel. They need to develop skills that will enable
them to accompany a local people as it decides which elements of their
culture are consistent with the Gospel and which are not.
4.4 Vincentian
Formation
Confreres who go to the missions
do so as sons of St. Vincent. Their lives must radiate the Vincentian
charism. A solid Vincentian formation will help them do that. This
task begins in the Internal Seminary (cf. Ratio Formationis for
the Internal Seminary)
[5]
. But members of the Congregation of the Mission need to
study and reflect continually on the charism of St. Vincent.
The Vincentian tradition contains
a wealth of resources for missionaries. Certainly knowing the life
and spirit of our founder is essential. The history of the foreign
missions of the Congregation contains positive and negative elements
that are worth reflecting on today. There is much to be learned from
the lives of some of our outstanding missionary predecessors (cf. Ratio
Formationis for the Internal Seminary, III, A)
[6]
.
Perhaps the greatest contribution
of the Vincentian tradition is in the area of missionary spirituality.
Vincentian spirituality is a spirituality for mission. Vincent de Paul
was convinced that Christ is present in the poor (SV IX, 252; X, 332).
He tried to prepare his missionaries to discover Christ among the poor
and walk in Christ¼s footsteps in the mission. Much of his correspondence
and most of his conferences were addressed to men and women engaged
in or preparing to live a missionary vocation. He offered them a way
to live the Gospel in the mission. Belonging to a Society of Apostolic
Life like the Congregation of the Mission involves learning to come
to holiness through relationships of charity and service.
It is in this context that the Instruction
on Stability, Chastity, Poverty, and Obedience in the Congregation
of the Mission
[7]
proposes that we see the evangelical counsels
as means to be freer for mission. The same might be said of the five characteristic
virtues. St. Vincent frequently spoke about them as virtues for mission, helping
us to be better evangelizers of the poor. Missionaries should reflect constantly
on the ways that growth in simplicity, humility, gentleness, mortification
and evangelical zeal can make us more capable of serving on the mission well.
Missionary spirituality involves
allowing oneself to be evangelized by the poor. Called and sent to
share the lives of a new people ã their joys and sufferings, their
sorrows and victories ã a missionary also receives the gift of their
culture. A new cultural context is a challenge to live the Gospel in
new ways through new relationships. The missionary is evangelized in
the measure that he responds to the call to conversion that comes from
accompanying the poor.
4.5 Continuing
Education
Education and learning are lifelong
endeavors. It is especially important that the confreres on the foreign
missions make time for ongoing formation. Individually and as communities,
confreres need to identify areas of life ã personal, spiritual, pastoral
and theological ã where more study and reflection are needed. Some
missions and many provinces organize regular workshops and courses
for confreres. Others take advantage of courses at local centers or
send men to study outside the country. It would be prudent for missions
and provinces to set aside time and money for continuing education.
4.6 Returning
Missionaries
Many missionaries eventually return
to their province of origin (cf. Statutes 29, 30, 32). Returning to
one¼s native country or province is not just an administrative or juridical
act. Missionaries who have been overseas, especially for long periods
of time, need to readapt to their home culture and reestablish relationships
with the members of their original province. They are coming back to
a different world. Much attention has been paid to preparing missionaries
to go out, but less has been given to receiving back those who return.
Provinces should consider ways of easing the transition for returning
missionaries. In some countries formal programs exist to aid in this
task. But even where such programs exist, the provinces themselves
should search for ways to help returning missionaries reconnect with
their confreres and native country. Listening to the returning missionaries
and dialoguing with them about their experience of coming home is surely
a positive first step.
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