Heartfelt congratulations to the eleven Trainees who completed the 14-week Training in the Practice of Group Facilitation!!
On Friday June 14 the following participants graduated during an online ceremony;
Fr. Celestin Bela MSC from the UAF working in South Africa
Fr. Chung Minh Tran MSC from the Australian Province Vietnamese community, in ministry in Kippax Parish Canberra, Australia
Sr, Maria Eufrasia Wea FDNSC a member of the FDNSC Congregational Leadership Team based in Rome, originally from Indonesia
Fr. Gene Pejo MSC a member of the General Leadership Team based in Rome, from the Philippines Province
Fr. Humberto Henrique da Silva MSC, of the Rio de Janeiro Province, ministry in Niteroi Parish, and Provincial Council.
Fr. Kimi Vunivesilevu MSC of the Australian Province, Superior of the Douglas Park community and Provincial Council
Sr. Marife Mendoza FDNSC Superior General, from the FDNSC Philippines Region.
Fr. Washington Pablo de Oliveira Moura MSC of the Rio de Janeiro Province, Formator, parish, and Provincial Council
Fr. Peter Hendriks MSC, Province Secretary of the Australian Province based in Sydney
Ms. Raissa Gerheim Vieira, a lay pyschotherapist and facilitator, closely working with the MSC Rio de Janeiro Province.
Fr. Danh Doan MSC from the Australian Province Vietnamese community working as a Formator in Vietnam, received a certificate of acknowledgement on the completion of the 12 weeks on online study. He was unable to participate at this stage int he 2 week residential practicum.
Accompanying the graduands were the four Trainers: Ms. Carol Dyer LCF (Australia), Fr. Ireneo Lee MSC (South Korea), Fr. Tony Nolan MSC (Irish Province), and Fr. Chris Chaplin MSC (GLT). We extend our sincere gratitude to the trainers who dedicated their time and expertise to accompanying the Trainees through the program.
Graduation was a recognition of the satisfactory completion of the English language Training in the Practice of Group Facilitation; a minimum of 210 hours dedicated to the Training, including 100 online submissions, 5 hours of Community of Practice (Triads), 12 hours of Online Learning Community sessions, 11 days of Residential Practicum in Rome, and 24 hours of Trainer Accompaniment half online and half face to face, over a total of14 weeks.
What some Trainees said about the course:
“Yes, the course has a foundation, which is the Spirituality of the Heart and Community Discernment. From this, I realised that the programme followed a formative itinerary, allowing us to integrate our knowledge and practices with new content and a new way of approaching working with a group. The Practicum was essential for us to be able to align what we had learnt with our future as facilitators. And the course gave me the security to be considered as a facilitator.”
“I believe that all the leaders of our Chevalier Family should go through this course. Or as preparation for those who take on leadership roles in our Congregation. With a new approach, we can change the way we think and decide things.”
“The course met my expectation. It gave me the knowledge, helped me to widen my view and understand different aspects, offered me variety of useful and helpful resources, guided me to have my reflection and insights, inspired me to be creative and flexible in embodying and applying what I learnt into my ministry.”
“Yes. I would recommend the course to people who work in leadership and training in general. It is a course that enhances the ability to lead and train, as it has very concise content and useful resources for these jobs. For me, the strong point of the course is the active methodology, in which you learn by experimenting, testing, dialoguing and applying.”
“This programme is a wholistic one, covering many aspects of facilitation: the person of the facilitator, the role and tasks, the system, group dynamics, communication, etc… It has given us knowledge as well as concrete skills and tools. Moreover, it has changed our mindset and transformed our being…and the way I serve. We have time to reflect, relish and translate into action what we are learning. The regular accompaniment is an invaluable learning experience.”
“I would highly recommend this Course to others, especially to our leaders/members. This is a course that is wholistic and grounded in the Spirituality of the Heart. It gives the theory as well as the practical skills.”
The Training is a work of the MSC Ongoing Formation Commission and was first constructed as an online answer to the restrictions imposed during the COVID 19 pandemic. The original online program took a team of 5 MSC, 12 months to build, Tony Nolan (Irish Province), Ireneo Lee (South Korea), Georges Diabone (U.A.F.), Luis Carlos Araujo Moraes (Sao Paolo), and Chris Chaplin (General Leadership Team). In 2021 we had 9 MSC graduate from this online program.
This year’s Training was opened to the whole Chevalier Family and no longer restricted to Ongoing Formation. We are excited to begin a Spanish Language Training this year specifically constructed for the Chevalier Family in Latin and South America. We are fortunate that three of our newly graduated Trainees, who were already experienced in facilitation, Humberto, Raissa, and Pablo, will be the Trainers for this program, with Chris Chaplin supporting them as Training Supervisor. This Training begins on June 24, 2024, and will hold its residential practicum in Juiz de Fora, Brazil. A group of thirteen participants have registered for this Spanish Language Training. We wish them well and ask you to pray for their progress through the course.
Chris Chaplin MSC