2022/07/22

Indonesia: consecration to God

There are 3 important events that are celebrated at the Nita formation house this month. The first event is the renewal of the 3rd year of vows of the Brothers Roland, Justinus and Damianus. The second event is the entrance in the Novitiate and the third the First Profession. These three important events were opened with a 5-day grand retreat led by Fr. Martin, O. Carm. The topic of our retreat was on monastic vows. This retreat was very helpful and supported the physical and the spiritual of the participants.


Renewal of vows

On July 5, 2022, the last day of the retreat, Brothers Justin (Community of Ende-Ndona), Robertus (Community of Nita) and Damianus (Community of Nita) renewed their religious vows.


Noviate entrance

In the same day, 20 Postulants entered in the Novitiate as Novices. This celebration was led by Fr. Martin, O. Carm. There were 16 Novices from Indonesia, 3 Novices from Timor Leste and 1 Novice from The Philipines.


First Profession

On 07-08 July, the families of the jubilees arrived at their respective places. Some stayed in our house and some in the relatives houses.

On 09 July 2022, 12 Novices made their first vows at the Nita-Maumere formation house, Indonesia. They selected the theme: “It happens to me according to Your word. The Eucharist began at 4.30 and was presided over by Father Vikjen Rm. Teleforus Jenti, O. Carm together with two concelebrant priests. There were so many people who attended the ceremony. The choir is borne by the people of the Natawulu station with 55 members. There are also traditional dancers from children and the elderly. This celebration went well even though there was raining. Brother Aurellio Arreba, as delegate, received the vows of the 12 new Brothers.  As usual, it continued a momento of feast with food, drinks and dances.



2022/07/17

Ingredients of SaFa vocation animation 4

Trust in God in the midst of vocation animation.

As Christians we are not only agents of evangelization but also the means to awaken vocations in others. However, anyone who feels called to vocation promotion must have a great trust in God in order to be able to do it.                             

God is the first vocational animator and it is He who calls, who enables, who does the potter's work in hearts. His plans are always good; God does not call prepared people, but He prepares those He calls. God is the master of the harvest and we are only instruments He uses to gather the fruits. Many times we have to surrender and be aware that we cannot do it alone, and that walking hand in hand with Him everything is possible, being a simple instrument of His love and for this we must be in tune with His will, trust in Him and give ourselves completely.

Every human being has a mission, and in that sense the mission is not only one of joy. We must bear in mind that suffering is also part of the journey. Faith in God is the basis and at the same time the driving forces that can make us overcome obstacles. There are times of disappointment and there are times of little fruit for the work we are trying to do, sometimes it seems a dry subject, but trust in God makes us feel that this will pass too.                                                                                                                            

Trust in God is to be aware that the source and the engine of life is Him, it is trusting in His plans, having certainty in the providence of God who is good and He always wants good for His children. Trust in God must not weaken, as it is the key element in achieving favorable results, even if they do not appear in the first attempts, we must continue to bet, insisting today and always. In this sense, the words of Brother Gabriel resonate when he said: "if this is God's work, He will know how to make it prosper".

That is why it is important to be committed and to make a concrete effort in our work, always being certain that God is the one who causes the seed to be born and to grow in each person, being clear that vocation is a mystery that we will understand as we go along, and being clear that God's plans are different from our plans, knowing that God lives in us and we live in Him, with the confidence of the baptized, in dialogue with Him, in discernment as a person and as a community, learning, seeking formation, praying with faith to see reality well and seeking above all His Will, "we do our part and let God act".

We must also trust in God's power and mercy, convinced that God loves us and wants us well to encourage others to do the same. God has to be the support and guide for any vocational work, so that each person is involved for God in his or her intimacy. We must trust that He is always supporting and guiding us on a daily basis, knowing that we are elements of His mediation. God never fails, so trust in Him must be complete. Without this trust a vocation languishes. Trust is the key element in order to achieve favorable results, even if at times it may seem that there is no success in the first attempts. However, we must continue to gamble, to insist, today and always.


This confidence must be nourished daily with
prayer for one's personal vocation and for the vocation of those we accompany, entrusting to God the works, the efforts and the lack of answers and results as well.  Prayer unites us daily to God and helps us and gives us the strength to move forward, convinced that without Him nothing can be achieved.

Finally, we must bear in mind that prayer strengthens our confidence and makes us more instruments of God. Prayer is the food that always gives strength to face the events of life, with love, fidelity, dedication, having God as support and sustenance, at the service of the mission and with total dedication.

Prayer is always important, that is why Brother Gabriel said that "prayer is the cornerstone of our Institute". During his life he placed all his vocational work in God's hands, with the conviction that He is the source of every vocation.  That is why we must pray with conviction, asking for the work to bear fruit one day, asking the Holy Spirit to help us in personal and community discernment, praying and being patient in waiting for the fruits, to see the reality well and to seek above all the will of the Father. Prayer unites us daily to God and every day we must keep in mind that without Him we cannot achieve our goal.  We do our part and let God do His.

To believe in God's providence is the key factor of vocational animation, followed by trust, hope and prayer.

2022/07/14

Clausura del curso de animadores vocacionales SaFa

 CEREMONIA DE CLAUSURA DEL CURSO DE ANIMADORES VOCACIONALES SAFA 

El día 2 de julio tuvimos la ceremonia de clausura del primer curso de animadores vocacionales SaFa. Tras el saludo inicial y la oración por las vocaciones SaFa, visionamos un video con seis testimonios sobre lo que ha supuesto el curso en la vida de los animadores vocacionales. Seguidamente en el chat de Zoom respondimos a la pregunta: ¿Qué ha supuesto el curso de animadores vocacionales SaFa en tu labor vocacional? Después cada uno recibió en su email los diplomas de la UPB (Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana).

Por medio de una presentación de PowerPoint se explicó la oferta formativa y de trabajo conjunto para el semestre. En el blog Con-vocación SaFa se harán publicaciones formativas semanales sobre las aportaciones de los animadores en el curso de animadores vocacionales SaFa y bimestralmente se tendrá un webinar vocacional. En cuanto a los 5 grupos de trabajo (juego, vocacionando en internet, oraciones, formación de animadores vocacionales, conexión entre la pastoral y la animación vocacional) se nombró a los integrantes y se explicaron los proyectos que desarrollarán.

Por último, se pasó a tener un momento de trabajo en grupos por idiomas sobre la conexión entre la pastoral y la animación vocacional. Cada uno de los 4 grupos seleccionó las 3 líneas de acción más necesarias para su sector. Concluimos el encuentro online despidiéndonos hasta que tengamos la próxima oportunidad de encontrarnos.



2022/07/10

Ingredientes de la animación vocacional SaFa 3

 ¿Qué es para ti la vocación?                

Seguimos hablando de la vocación y esta vez veremos qué significa para las personas de la Familia SaFa la vocación.

Todos nacemos predestinados a cumplir una misión en favor del entorno del que formamos parte, de la sociedad, incluso de la humanidad. La vocación más que un viaje que emprendemos, es una misión de vida.  Está enraizada en la dimensión más profunda del ser humano; lo centra y lo realiza en su propia existencia. El responder a ese llamado es lo que da sentido a la vida.

La vocación es un don, un llamado que hace Dios en el corazón de cada persona y un misterio que ilumina la vida. Es un diálogo de amor, de un Dios amoroso que llama y una libertad que responde. La vocación permite atender la llamada de Dios ahí donde es necesaria, es decir, estar siempre disponible a llegar allí donde Dios necesita de ti, que surge desde las sensibilidades y dones que Dios ha puesto en cada uno y de la propia experiencia personal de fe.

Es un acto creativo que surge de la voluntad libre de Dios que llama para un proyecto, para una misión concreta, implicando poner en juego los dones y talentos de la persona llamada. Es un acontecimiento misterioso que implica descubrir y discernir los signos que dan seguridad de la presencia Divina en el llamado. Es una realidad dinámica donde el Amor nos pone en camino de salida hacia los demás, es pasión, es enamoramiento, llena toda la existencia, integrando todos los aspectos de la persona humana. Es ante todo ser elegido por Dios, quien llama a la vida, a formar comunidad, a seguir a Jesús, a ser santos, a identificarse con el proyecto de Dios, trabajando en la construcción del Reino de Dios. Es dar una respuesta a la invitación que Dios  hace para ser felices, es poner al servicio del prójimo los dones que nos ha concedido.

Es una escucha constante y una confianza en Dios, es no sucumbir al miedo de huir. Es una bendición y una gracia divina que el Señor en su amor misericordioso nos regala e invita. Es la respuesta que todo ser humano da a una llamada de Dios, una llamada personal y continua. Es una respuesta diaria a la pregunta: Señor, ¿Qué quieres que haga? Significa sentirse portador de una misión propia que invita a vivir con pasión

Nace desde el interior más profundo de cada uno, desde la conciencia individual y la presencia de Dios que ilumina la vida de cada persona dando claridad y seguridad para obrar, es una fuerza que impulsa a vivir lo que uno siente en el corazón y a hacer posible el proyecto que Dios tiene para cada uno de nosotros.

Se descubre mirando el propio camino en la vida, que va creciendo. A veces es incomprensible, misteriosa, pero cuando se la lee haciendo oración con la propia vida se descubre la presencia de Dios en todo momento. La vocación es servicio, entrega alegre, es mostrar el amor que Dios tiene a todas las personas, a toda la creación.

Y qué significa la vocación religiosa para los consagrados:

La vocación religiosa es un don especial y una llamada de Dios a entregarse totalmente, que se recibe desde la fe y se cultiva y discierne en la oración. A veces es un misterio que no se sabe cómo empieza y cómo termina, pero hay un propósito, ya que los religiosos también son necesarios para el mundo. Es un regalo que Dios da al hombre libremente, son elegidos desde el vientre materno y moldeados según Su voluntad para una misión concreta. Es como una carta de amor de Dios para la persona, como una invitación a participar en la fiesta de bodas de la misión.

La vocación es una comunicación o un diálogo en el que Dios quiere involucrar al ser humano en su plan de creación y salvación. En esta comunicación Dios llama y espera una respuesta. También puede decirse que la vocación es una ocupación particular o un estilo de vida particular al que Dios llama al ser humano.

La vocación es la respuesta a la llamada de Dios y el cumplimiento de la voluntad de Dios en una persona, es un camino de fe en el que Dios nos llama a continuar esa fe en tiempos de dificultades y a vivir para la salvación de las almas.

El proceso de formación permite crecer y madurar la respuesta a la llamada de Dios. Es Dios quien concede esta vocación a quien considere oportuno. El Señor prepara, mueve y ayuda a quienes llama, concediéndoles la gracia y los talentos necesarios para abrazar el estado religioso y perseverar en él. La vocación es un don de Dios que siempre se da a cada uno para que sea responsable de utilizarlo, como un buen tesoro, con la responsabilidad de ser fructífero, porque esa vocación  llevará al reino de Dios.

También se considera la importancia de esta tarea para el futuro del Instituto y, al mismo tiempo, la preocupación por ser fecundos, es decir, por tener "descendencia". Dios llama, pero nosotros tenemos la responsabilidad de poner los medios para que esta llamada se canalice y cristalice. La cooperación con la gracia es indispensable.

En definitiva la vocación religiosa es ser feliz amando libremente a los demás y siguiendo la voluntad de Dios.



2022/07/08

Indonesia: candidates and scholastic Brothers.


Hello vocational animators of the SA-FA family. From Indonesia we are sending you our monthly report regarding the SA-FA vocational animation. We have done some activities in the community of Kupang. From April to June we have continuously phoned some candidates. Until now, nine of them want to join our Institute. According to our plan, on 14th of July 2022 they will come to our community of scholastic Brothers and then on 16th of July 2022 they will continue their journey to enter the formation house in Nita-Maumere.

 

In this occasion, we want also to make a short report about the new scholastic Brothers who will continue with their study in the Widya Mandira university. They have done the entrance test on 9th of June 2022.  The other new scholastic Brothers will take the theology course at the pastoral center of Kupang diocese. They will do the entrance test after their First Profession. So, that’s all for the report for this month. Thanks so much. Fraternal greetings.

2022/07/03

Ingredients of SaFa vocational animation 2

 Perspectives of Vocational Animation

The work of vocational animation is inserted in the continuity of the mission of Jesus; therefore all evangelization must be impregnated with a vocational sense. The work of the evangelizer is to be an accompanist, a mediator between God the Trinity who loves, guides and saves and the recipient of the mission. The vocation promoter is therefore "a mediator". It is God who gives the vocation, therefore, he must walk alongside the young person, allowing him to be the protagonist of his own path, respecting the freedom he has in his discernment process and offering him the tools to do it well.

Our Institute, from the particularity of the gift of the Spirit received, promotes vocation animation as an ecclesial service. In this way it does its utmost to ensure that there is no lack of those who continue to enrich the Church with the charism of Brother Gabriel.

The pastoral agents and all the people of the SaFa Family involved in vocation promotion live it in different ways according to their areas of influence or places of work.

We can see some testimonies received in the course of vocational animation, which can enlighten us at the time of acting. They shared with us interesting answers to the question:

From what perspective do I get involved in vocational animation?

From the certainty of having received a gift from God that fills life with fullness, knowing that God does not call those who are ready, but prepares those who are called, working through a humble and fraternal service, trying to make life a proclamation of God, of Jesus Christ and of the Nazarene Taborine charism.

Being available for whatever is needed, dialoguing with colleagues and young people, bringing a look of faith, hope and love in the complex realities in which we live. Trying to be a bridge and to accompany, adapting to the conditions and situations of the local environment. From the vision that each and every one of us who make up the educational communities, beyond our role, are pastoral pedagogical agents and vocational animators, bearing in mind that we are instruments in God's hands, providing support and working in the different projects that help the people who are part of them. All these spaces are valuable as a personal experience and, at the same time, as a concrete testimony of life for children and young people, so that they can discover the passage of God in their lives.

Being also bearers of the good news of Jesus and of a charisma inherited from Brother Gabriel: "The heart of a Christian should often, or rather always, be under the humble roof of Nazareth", so that it spreads in families. Committing day by day and making available the necessary human and material resources to be able to reach the children, young people and families who make up the communities, as best as possible.

In the morning prayer, in conversations with them, there is always a moment to enlighten them about their vocation and help them to discover it and to learn to discern the meaning of their lives and to make them see that they are called by God.

From the perspective of trying to bring more workers into the harvest, that is to say that the Institute and the whole Church can count on more workers for the vineyard of the Lord. That all the baptized see that in life we have the mission to follow the teachings of Jesus in pursuit of a more fair, supportive and merciful world, as an ecclesial service, with the conviction that the Spirit continues to raise up vocations and with a collegial perspective, that is, with a team dynamic, realizing that the basic work is done by us, but it is God who makes the seeds mature.

2022/07/01

India: vocation camps

In the month of June we had four vocation camps in Madurai, Pondicherry, Vishakapatinam and Eluru. Good number of boys attended the vocation camps: Madurai 19 boys, Pondicherry 8 boys, Visakhapatinam 20 boys and Eluru 7 boys. Finally at the end of the vocation camps there were 7 boys in Tamil Nadu, 1 boy from Karnataka and 1 boy from Andhra Pradesh who decided to start the formation process in our formation houses. 

At the end of the month a vocational camp was conducted in our formation house in Eluru for those who had interest but couldn’t attend the previous vocation camps. In this three days camp there came from South Odisha 6 boys, North Odisha 4 boys, Jharkhand 2 boys and Meghalaya 14 boys; so in total there were 26 boys. 



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