Monday, October 14, 2013

Shocking revelation!

The people with whom I have no patience are those who think clergy are abnormal because they are somehow or other superhuman beings with special access to God, possessing special wisdom and power and deserving special treatment. Among those who think this way are too many clergy.

Shocking revelation: priests are normal people

Now, can you please let them down off their pedestal?
  • Fr William Grimm, Tokyo, Japan - October 14, 2013
When I was in high school, I had an after-school and summer job delivering medical supplies to infirmaries and clinics in department stores, ships and office buildings in New York City.
Over time, I got to know many of the receptionists at those places. Lugging boxes around 'the concrete jungle' as I went from place to place in New York’s hot, humid summer made the air conditioned reception areas of office buildings attractive places for a short break.
One summer day, a receptionist at the headquarters of an insurance company asked what my plans for the future were. I told her that I was entering a seminary at the end of the summer holiday.
With a shocked expression on her face, she said, “but you’re normal! Why would you do something like that?”
There are people who think there is something abnormal about priests. Some think we are ignorant, crazy and possibly dangerous fanatics. The sexual abuse of children by bishops and priests and its cover-up have given them good reasons to think that way. Usually, they have never actually met and talked with any of us. So long as those people are not aggressively ill-mannered, I generally find their attitude no more than mildly annoying, sometimes embarrassing and often even amusing. A bit of conversation, perhaps over a drink, is enough to get them to admit that there might be at least one exception to their rule.
The people with whom I have no patience are those who think clergy are abnormal because they aresomehow or other superhuman beings with special access to God, possessing special wisdom and power and deserving special treatment. Among those who think this way are too many clergy.
I once saw a book for seminarians that warned against frequent contact with lay folk lest they realize that “priest eggs” (as they are sometimes called in Japan), are normal human beings.Clergy often receive special treatment, more often than not the sort of treatment one might give an imbecile demigod who is semi-divine, but incapable of handling the normal demands of life — like picking up a restaurant check.
Too many of the objects of special treatment rather like life on a pedestal. Some expect such treatment. There are many who shape their lives around being ever ready to receive it. I’ve even met a few sorry cases who became priests in order to have a place upon the pedestal.
There are others (the majority, I hope, but sometimes I wonder) who try to climb down from the pedestal upon which others put them. But people try to shove them back. Why is that? Why do so many people want their clergy to be specially treated and insulated from life? Is it a bribe?
If so, what do people gain by their deference, their special treatment toward religious leaders? In bribing the preachers, do they unconsciously hope to bribe God? Are they looking for some sort of payback from God? Does treating clergy as children allow people to not take them seriously? Perhaps they are hoping that by putting preachers outside the responsibilities of everyday life, they can keep them from applying the Word of God to those situations of everyday life where they would rather not have to hear what God expects of us.
Does it matter? Yes, it does, because in addition to the sacraments, clergy do have something important to offer the Church in its mission to the world: guidance, education, example. Giving example is not unique to them, of course — every Christian is an example of how to live as a disciple of Christ — but by being publicly recognized representatives of the community, the clergy are in a position to attract attention from those who want or need to see the servant Church in action. But, how can someone who acts or is treated as nobility show what it is to be a servant? How can someone treated as an incompetent instruct?
So, what shall we do? We can probably do little about clerical careerists who likely have purple piping on their bathrobes and gold cufflinks on their pajamas. Settling for the material and emotional “perks” of ministry and missing out on the spiritual excitement and rewards of real service is their self-inflicted punishment.
We can, however, see what we do to perpetuate the semi-deification of the clergy. For starters, imagine asking a bishop, priest or deacon to help wash the dishes. If the thought startles you, ask why it does and if it should.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, archbishop of Manila, recently told ucanews.com that he was surprised that the media is making a fuss about an interview with Pope Francis “that looks very normal”. The cardinal may have missed the point that normalcy from a pope (as from Cardinal Tagle, himself reportedly a refreshingly normal man) is newsworthy. We have a pope who probably need not be asked to help with the dishes because he would volunteer to do them.
The unseemly spectacle of hypocritical bishops and priests around the world falling over themselves to praise the new pope’s normalcy when only months ago they sang equally loud paeans to amonarchical papacy and hierarchy is actually a cause for some hope. Whether it be pandering or real conversion, we may be able to expect to see clergy in the kitchen who never before knew where it was. They may find that they like having soapy hands.
And then they will be better able to lead us into the dirty places of our world to bring the cleansing Word. ###

Sunday, October 13, 2013

A New Pedagogy for Integral Human Formation

A New Pedagogy for Integral Human Formation

The resource person Fr. Joe Mathias SJ, Director of NVSC Pune, stressed the on the integral formation of the person for the all round development. Lack of integral formation would lead the person to undergo a lot of difficulties in persevering his/ her vocation. Responding to the participants Fr. Joe gave a clear explanation on different dimensions of Motivation in order to inculcate and channelize the right motivation in the formees in their following of Christ.
Most of the Major Superiors and the Formators themselves working in Andhra Pradesh felt the need for renewal and updating programmes so that, effective formation can be given in the local regional context.
The APCRI Formators Forum organized a three day seminar on “A New Pedagogy for Integral Human Formation of Candidates to Consecrated Life in India.” from 28-30, September, at Anandha Jyothi, a Jesuit’s Retreat centre in Guntur, AP.
66 participants from all over A.P and one from Odisha, belonging to 28 different Congregations of both men and women including 3 from diocesan seminaries.
He gave inputs to make the personal profile of the formees thus to lead and guide them to the realization of their vocation. Explaining about the New Pedagogy for integral formation he stressed on the importance of the Inductive Method which goes deep into the discernment of vocation. He helped the formators to discern the vocation of various types of personalities.
The seminar had three fruitful days of input sessions, discussion, interaction, and a common sharing. Each day of the seminar was coloured by presence of different Religious officials.
The inaugural session was officiated by Sr. Leena CSSA, the Vice President of APCRI and Rev. Fr. Antony SJ, ex-officio of APCRI Formators Forum. In their address, both of them pointed out the importance of integral formation of the future priests and religious.
They exhorted the formators to undergo courses like formation for formators, counseling, psycho-spiritual integration… Fr. P. Selvanayagam HGN, President of the Formators’ Forum pointed out the present changing scenario where it is a big challenge for the formators to give a holistic formation to the young boys and girls of today who are the children of this world of technology and globalization. He urged and invited the formators to participate frequently in different updating seminars, organized by the APCRI FF.
The second day of Seminar was blessed with the eminent presence of Most Rev. Bishop Gali Bali, Bishop of Guntur. In his homily, he pointed out the distinction between the religiosity and the spirituality, he said that mere ritual practices and following up rules and regulations will not make the formees to encounter Christ but rather spirituality which is an experience of God in one’s life will make the person to be more human and divine in her/his thoughts, words and actions.
The Mass on the last day was celebrated by Fr. Yesu SVD, ex-officio of Formators Forum. He too exhorted the formators to be human and well equipped in their domain in order to form the young girls and boys according to the Gospel values to help them to become credible witnesses to Christ.
The seminar enriched the participants to render their service more effectively. The participants were grateful to Fr. P. Selvanayagam HGN, the President of the Executive Committee of the Forum and his team for their hard work and skill to arrange this seminar. The seminar was well supported and applauded by many Major Superiors.

Source: CRI, Sr Elsy P Joseph sccg APCRI

‘Core Transformation’ skills empowering Formators

‘Core Transformation’ skills empowering Formators


A simple 10-step process that offers a graceful way to change unwanted thoughts, feelings, and habits, and achieve goals you thought unattainable.
The Andhra Pradesh CRI Formators’ Forum organized a 5-day skill training seminar for all religious formators in AP on ‘Core Transformation’ to meet the deepest strivings of our times: to heal ourselves and develop as human beings – emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
The seminar was held in Satyodayam, the Secunderabad Jesuit provincialate from 6-10 February.
The resource person was Fr. K.C. Thomas SDB addressed 44 participants including 9 Rectors from various seminaries, 9 other priests and 26 women formators from 21 religious congregations.
Sr. Leena CSSA, Vice President of APCRI and Fr. Antony SJ, ex-officio of APCRI Formators’ Forum who were present for the inaugural session stressed the importance of ‘core transformation’ of persons in charge of the formation ministry, and wished the participants a fruitful experience through the seminar.
Fr. Selvanayagam HGN, coordinator of the Fomators forum introduced the theme to the participants about its systematic functioning and its dynamics.
Fr. Thomas explained that Core Transformation, an offshoot of NLP helps to develop, maintain, an inner sense of self, well-being, wholeness and a connection with the divine.
He explained that through Core Transformation you find that what you perceive as limitations in your life are actually doorways toward resolution. Imagine he said, your most difficult problems actually having a positive aspect, something through which to learn, grow, and transform. Core Transformation gently guides you in discovering those positive intentions, leading to an experience of understanding, where awareness and change occur naturally.
Besides in put sessions, group interactions and common sharings, there were meditations, demonstrations and supervised practices among the participants conducted by the resource person that helped the formators.
The seminar concluded with the celebration of the Eucharist at 12.00 noon by Fr. Antony SJ.

Source: CRI- Sr. Jesuina sccg

Empowering Formators

Empowering Formators

On 19, September 2013, the Regional CRI Sikkim-West Bengal organised a Workshop on “Religious Formation Today” at Holy Child School, Kolkata. It was a day of introspection for the Formators of various religious congregations’ men and women and to educate, enable and empower them.
Fr. Jeyaraj Velusamy, Jesuit provincial of Kolkata and regional CRI president, welcomed the formators, introduced the theme and explained the importance of Formators’ formation. He emphasised the need for reinventing formative styles and approaches to be effective and efficient Formators to accompany young people.
Fr. Michael Pandian CMF focused on issues concerning Religious Formation Today and emphasised the need for adapting our formation to the modern youth to tap their resources and energies. He presented an alarming situation of modern youth exposed to socio-psycho-religious violence and problems, facing mental and stressful environment. This he did from the biblical-religious, psycho-social and economic perspectives.
Fr. Pandian said, the mind and heart of a youth is craving to achieve target goals as they are living in a competitive world. He exhorted us to offer the late vocation educated youth and working men and women candidates a new direction and orientation.
He also presented a glimpse of modern youth, creating history as they achieve what is impossible in their lives with the power of mind and determination.
He said that different popes have laid foundations to bring youth to the heart of the mission of the church. Finally he used a youth-building paradigm which is known as Iowa model of 4 H namely integration of head, hands, heart and health
In groups we discussed the nature of our youth, how we can attract and form them and make them enthusiastic missionaries.
Br. A.H. Alex FMS in his thought proving talk emphasized the role of Formators as one who receives more than what he/she gives and shared a number of problems both formees and formators face in dialogue or direction. He exhorted that formees be given freedom to express his/her emotions, moods, fears and dreams and urged us to be transparent, open, generous and kind to them.
Finally, he urged us not to look at formees with a fault-finding eye, rather allow them to make mistakes and proposed three personal accompaniment tools namely: instilling love paradigm, Pope Francis surprising the Swiss Guard and Pay $ 500 paradigm.

In groups we discussed the nature of our youth, how to attract them, form them and make them daring missionaries.
Many participants remarked that this was an eye-opening workshop. Sr. Lucy of Helpers said that it has helped her to understand Formation in a better way. Another FC nun agreed that the innovative formation styles need a change of mind set of the Formators.
The day concluded with a future plan to have a workshop on Psycho-sexual integration for formators.
Fr Mourlin Fernando SJ