Coviam:
Vow of Obedience in
Africa and Madagascar
EVALUATION
OF SEMINARIANS
A. A
habit: "For our purposes, we will define a habit as the INTERSECTION
of knowledge,
skill, and desire. Knowledge is the theory, the what
to do and the why. Skill
is the how to do. And desire is the motivation, the want
to do. In order to make
something a habit in our lives, we have to have all three." Covey/p.
47
B. In
the Congregation of the Mission there are certain habits which
are deemed necessary;
*by
our Constitutions and Statutes,
*by
those in authority,
*by
those in membership
**for
successful living in the community.
1. Some
habits are required by the unique mission and work of our congregation.
a. The
habit of delayed gratification.
b. The
habit of good judgment.
c. The
habit of "Throwing oneself"into something for others.
d. The
habit of compassion; being able to identify with the needs of
another on an
affective basis.
e. The
habit of living from a regularly practiced work ethic rooted
in discipline, being
no stranger to work, prizing one's time and aware of the effects
of one's work
habits on those around him.
2. Some
habits are needed to do well in the situation and environment
in which we do our
mission.
a. The
habit of laughing at oneself. Being able to express feelings
and thoughts without
personal discomfort or immobilization and does not produce an
unpleasant
affect on others.
b. The
habit of perspective.
c. The
habit of taking charge of one? life in such a way that no approval,
affirmation or validation from another person will have power
over one's person.
d. The
habit of commitment, requiring the ability to be engaged by the
people one
serves and the ability to make a life long commitment to ministry.
e. The
habit of managing disappointment well, requiring the ability
to remedy disappointments
and refreshen creativity and courage so not to be ruled by these
moments.
f. The
habit of managing one? health well, keeping fresh for others
by managing one's
diet, exercise, use of substances and management of health.
3. Some
habits are needed to live the common life of the congregation.
a. The
habit of practiced unselfish concern and devotion to the welfare
of others.
1)
habit of loving service to others.
2)
habit of responding to real needs and not narcissistic gratification.
3)
habit of energetic response to our charism and the people we
serve.
b. The
habit of foreseeing and acting in advance with regard to one?
goals.
1)
Habit of formulating realistic plans for the future.
2)
habit of acing all normal suffering in life.
3)
Habit of constructing solutions to ?roblems?that arise in life.
4)
habit of facing difficulties reasonably well.
c. The
habit of respectful play with others.
d. A
habit of inclusive relationships; welcoming others and avoiding
pseudo-marriages
which reduce the efficacy of single-hearted loving service.
e. The
habit of loyalty which includes confidentiality, caring for those
served, being
joyful in their experience of God? grace and in many instances
being proud
of those we are called to serve
4. Some
habits are required by ordination to the priesthood.
5. Some
habits are suggested by the careers most of our members pursue.
6. Some
habits are needed to live out our personal and communal call
to holiness.
a. The
habit of asceticism being derived from self-mortification and
self-denial for
the
mission.
1)
The habit of prayer.
2)
The habit of personal reflectiveness upon one? relationship with
Christ.
3)
The habit of detachment.
4)
The habit of identifying what he needs to know and finding ways
to learn.
5)
The habit of self-denial in the give and take of community and
apostolic life.
6)
The habit of grounding oneself in God. A happy Vincentian
will find his
strength, focus, and direction from a relationship of joyful
integrity in
the love of God.
b. The
habit of the enjoyment of one? own company.
7. Some
habits are explicitly required to live our vows of poverty, chastity,
obedience and
stability.
a. The
habit of living comfortably without a sexual partner or regular
sexual outlets.
b. The
habit of prizing one's own sexuality. Reverence for oneself
including understanding,
owning and being grateul for one's sexuality, one's genitality,
one's attraction and arousal mechanisms, one's own intimacy needs.
c. The
habit of a caring presence, requiring one to listen carefully,
remember people
and their needs and follow through on promises and commitments.
d. The
habit of generosity; requiring the ability to be available to
help people, to
be ready to serve and a healthy consistent work ethic which includes
approachability.
e. The
habit of setting goals and working towards them; a lover? eye
fixed on the future.
f. The
habit of appropriate confiding, developing the ability to confide
one? feelings
but to do so in contexts when it is appropriate.
g. The
habit of fidelity; requiring competent, wise and prudent decision
makingskills,
self-reflection skills, and awareness of what conditions make
one vulnerable
in regard to fidelity.
8. Some
habits are required to pursue well the intellectual life.
a. The
habit of learned resourcefulness as opposed to helplessness which
always starts
with " can" and looks for applications of one's inadequacies. A
"can do" approach
to pastoral work.
9. Some
habits are needed to live a good moral life.
a. The
habit of internal locus of control. One who has internal
locus of control takes
primary responsibility for the initiatives and for the reinforcements
in one's life. Looks
first to self for causation, especially in issues of personal
happiness, contentment
and decisions in interpersonal relationships.
