“The changed situation of our world with respect to the past, and the new challenges it presents to the Church’s mission of evangelization, demand and give rise to new ways of offering the “good wine” of the Gospel to many people as a source of joy and hope.”
Address of Pope Francis to the members of the General Chapter 16 September, 2017.
MSC ongoing formation seeks to meet the changing situations of our world, by our continuing commitment as religious men to ensuring that we are;
- making an annual retreat and involved in other spiritual practices (such as those mentioned in MSC Constitutions #139, #140)
- committed to regular spiritual direction
- growing in our capacity to live the vows with integrity
- regularly attending to and developing our personal lives, monitoring our emotions, and balancing our needs
- attending to our bodily health and well-being with exercise, and balanced diet, for the sake of good pastoral health
- building up our resources for living celibacy and chastity with integrity
- up to date on matters of safeguarding of minors and professional standards
- regularly updating our professional skills with reading, courses of study and integrative practices
- engaged in ministry supervision (with a suitable supervisor, or peer-supervision individually, or in groups).
We notice from what is required of each of us that ongoing formation is HOLISTIC. It is not only about academic study, as many members would think. Mastery of the intellect in academic fields is very unbalanced if all these areas listed above are not equally attended to.
MSC ongoing formation helps us to face “the new challenges” in the Church’s mission so that we may offer the “’good wine’ of the Gospel to many people as a source of joy and hope”.
This online platform is the work of the MSC Ongoing Formation Commission established in 2018 by the General Administration following the recommendations of the 2017 General Chapter. Promoting ongoing formation across the Congregation has been an important area of discussion at several General Chapters and also during the MSC Valladolid Formation Conference of 1992. It continues to be a priority for the current General Leadership.