Background

As part of its commitment to promoting a spiritual and human formation of quality for its members, the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament organized, for the first time, a session that brought together all the formators from our various formation houses and African foundations, in order to standardize and harmonize the SSS formation programme for future religious in Africa.

The opening of this session took place in the parish of the Blessed Sacrament at Kinshasa during a solemn mass (on the Baptism of the Lord and 66^th anniversary of this parish) celebrated by Father Anaclet Bambala, the Vicar General, and concelebrated by all the African formators.

On Monday, after breakfast, we were honoured by the visit of Father Serge Kimbeni with his group called ‘Les petites filles d’Eymard’ (‘Eymard’s little daughters’) who performed the dances as a sign of welcome.

1. On entry into the room, everything began with the speech of Father Emmanuel Kingwane sss, the superior of the community of Mont Ngafula where the Eucharistic Centre is located; this was followed by some words of Father Olivier Ndondo, president of the African Conference (AC) and provincial of the Bakanja province.

2. After the rich word of the president of the AC, there was the encouraging online intervention of Father Philip Benzy, the Superior General. He emphasized ensuring the good quality of formation, for which asked the formators to form the young people with love.

3. Father Anaclet Bambala for his part presented two themes:

• SSS formators for a SSS formation, and
• a Vade-mecum on sexual abuse.

We add that the afternoon was set aside for discussion before Mass on the first days, during which we took time to deal with questions in groups.

4. Before midday on the second day, Tuesday 7 January, two themes were tackled:

• Shadows and lights of religious life – talk by Father Olivier Ndondo, and
• Forming young people in financial self-management – talk by Father Hubert Alone, the provincial treasurer of Bakanja.

5. The third day was reserved for relaxation. All of us went to the Bateke plateau, a farm in the Isidore Bakanja province 150 kilometres from the capital.

6. On the fourth day two themes treated were:

• The art of accompanying young people today: practical advice by Father Rigoberta Kingu, the provincial of the Jesuits, and
• At the school of the Eucharist by Father Noel Mayamba sss, the superior of the community of the martyrs.

7. On the fifth day, there were two conferences:

• Training young people in the digital and ICT era: what trainers need to know, and
• The psychosomatic health of young people as an element of vocational discernment by Father Agostinho Maholele, a former General Consultor.

And Saturday was kept for the pooling and adoption of the points.

This historic meeting brought together the formation leaders of our various African houses and establishments. It made it possible to lay the foundations for a coherent and unified approach to the formation of young religious, which considered local cultural and pastoral features while remaining faithful to the fundamental principles of the Congregation.

A common goal: to consolidate religious formation

The main objective of this session is to ensure a solid, coherent religious formation adapted to the contemporary challenges faced by young Africans in formation. This includes keeping a balance between the spiritual, intellectual and pastoral dimensions of religious life, while being aware of the specific social and cultural contexts of each country. The standardization of formation programmes is therefore regarded as a response to the need for better coordination between the different formation centres and greater unity in the mission of the Congregation in Africa.

The formators endeavoured toge-ther to develop a common module, share sound practices and propose solutions to common challenges, such as spiritual accompaniment, academic formation and attenti-veness to specific local conditions in religious life. This process is also a way of ensuring that each young religious in formation, regardless of their location, benefits from the same quality of formation.

An overview of the discussions

During the session, several crucial points were addressed:

• Unity in diversity: How to reconcile the cultural and linguistic particularities of African countries with the objectives of religious formation?

• The pastoral dimension: How to form religious capable of responding to the specific pastoral needs of their communities while remaining faithful to the values and charism of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament?

• The role of spirituality: What place has prayer, community life and meditation in the formation programme, while attention paid to the reality of each country?

• Personalised and spiritual accompaniment of young religious in formation: need to set up tools and strategies so that each formator can best accompany each candidate according to their spiritual and human needs.

The Results hoped for

The discussions and decisions taken during this session are aimed at having a significant impact on the formation of young religious in Africa. The harmonization of the programme will promote better collaboration between our different houses of formation, and will allow for the sharing of resources and experiences. In addition, this unification will facilitate interprovincial exchanges, thus strengthening the feeling of belonging to the same religious family.

This first session is therefore a fundamental step for the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament in Africa, by making it possible to consolidate the quality and coherence of the formation of young religious. In short, this effort will contribute not only to the mission of the Congregation on the continent, but also to the building of a Church that is more alive and more engaged in contemporary challenges.

Conclusion

This historic session marks a turning point in the way the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament accompanies young people in their religious formation in Africa. By unifying the formation programmes while respecting local realities, the Congregation expresses its intention to prepare solid religious, adapted to the requirements of the Christian mission in Africa and bearers of a true spirit of communion and service. The fruits of this approach should be felt in the years to come in the way in which these young people, who have become religious, will work in the service of God and their brothers and sisters on the continent.

The session of African formators, which began on Sunday January 5, was closed on Sunday January 12 with a Mass celebrated by Father Olivier Ndondo, the President of the AC at the parish of Blessed Anuarite, where the Emmaus inter-African scholasticate is located.

Father Hubert Alone Luntete, sss