Formation in the Lorenzo Mission Institute

(Forming Missionary Disciples)  

Introduction

The historical antecedents of the vision and mission of the Lorenzo Mission Institute help us view the mission of the Church in the Philippines in the Spanish times. It was the ardent mission of the first bishop of Manila, Domingo de Salazar to evangelize the Chinese in the Philippines whose presence became one of the pivotal impetus for moving missionary attention to China. In one of his letters to King Philip II dated June 24, 1590, he said: “I have long wanted to attempt the conversion of China. I came to these islands for that reason, knowing that they were near China and that many Chinese lived here.” Thus, the the raison d’être of the Lorenzo Mission Institute is indeed missionary and pastoral in nature.

Encouraging Statements

The mission of the Church which is “still far from completion” (RM 1) is given much attention in the Church today. Missio ad Gentes continues to be relevant in these contemporary times especially as various cultures now elicit complex changes even to the extend for drifting away from the values of the Gospel. With these changes marking our cultures new venues for discoveries in technology and science, the creation of new forms of advanced communications, the new groups of people created due to migration, the changes of geographical locations in human domicile due to climate change, and the new atmosphere of dialogue among followers of other religions, the Church continues to promote mission at the local church and local cultural levels to make the Gospel of Christ proclaimed and lived. John Paul II commented: “God is opening before the Church the horizons of a humanity more fully prepared for the sowing of the Gospel.” (RM 3)

 With the presence of the Chinese-Filipino communities, the numerous ethnic Chinese in the Philippines, and the challenging contemporary influx of Chinese in the country press a new frontier of mission in the local church in the Philippines. John Paul II said that “Today the Church must face other challenges and push forward to new frontiers, both in the initial mission ad gentes and in the new evangelization of those peoples who have already heard Christ proclaimed.” (RM 30) The Lorenzo Mission Institute draws its inspiration and rationale from the Church’s missionary activity. The Lorenzo Mission Institute exists for mission ad gentes. Lorenzo Mission Institute participate in the universal mission of the Church. Missio ad Gentes is the “permanent,” “essential,” and “never-ending” (RM 31).

The Second Plenary Council of the Philippines secures the basis of the existence of a seminary for mission that takes the priority of evangelizing the Filipino-Chinese and the Chinese communities beyond its shores. The Council encourages us to “intensify” and “look beyond our shores” and take the advantage of the “opportunities opened by the contacts that our Filipino-Chinese brothers and sisters have with East Asian Chinese communities…” Here, the Lorenzo Mission Institute is the actualization of such call to “intensify” mission ad gentes (PCP II 109).

Missionary Formation

With the raison d’etre the Lorenzo Mission Institute follows the path of missionary and pastoral formation in the seminary. The formation of the seminarians is important for the future mission of the priests following the vision of the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines as well as the documents of the Church which are pertinent to the formation of missionary disciples. The Lorenzo Mission Institute follows, develops, and pursues the 4 important areas of priestly formation namely: human, intellectual, spiritual, pastoral, and missionary.

Human Formation

The human formation in the Lorenzo Mission Institute is an essential part of the formation of seminarians. It is the basis of all priestly formation. According to John Paul II, “the whole work of priestly formation would be deprived of its necessary foundation if it lacked a suitable human formation” (PDV 43). There are 5 important reasons for considering human formation as the basis of priestly formation. The priest has to reflect in himself that he is human and appreciate his humanity in relation to Christ who is human and divine. Human formation promotes the integral growth of the person and allows the integration of all its dimension. a) physically, it refers an interest in health, nutrition, physical activity, and rest; b) psychologically, it focusses on the constitution of a stable personality, characterized by emotional balance, self-control and a well integrated sexuality; c) morally, it is related to the formation of conscience, d) aesthetically, their talents have to be cultivated in the service of the People of God and to guide seminarians toward appreciating the various modes of artistic expressions and the “sense of beauty”; e) socially, seminarians have to improve in their capacity for social interaction as well as to be aware of their social environments. (ratio fundamentalis 94)

Human formation includes the seminarians’ awareness of their personal life history and being ready to share it with his formators. This would include his childhood and adolescent experiences; the influences both in the past and the present that their families have on their journey of seminary formation. It also includes his ability to establish mature and balanced interpersonal relationships or his lack of ability to handle positively moments of solitude (ratio fundamentalis 95).

Intellectual Formation

The intellectual formation refers to the value of understanding the faith. John Paul II highlighted the importance of intellectual formation in relation to priestly ministry, mission, and evangelization. He said: “intellectual formation has its own characteristics, but it is also deeply connected with, and indeed can be seen as a necessary expression of, both human and spiritual formation: It is a fundamental demand of the human intelligence by which one “participates in the light of God’s mind” and seeks to acquire a wisdom which in turn opens to and is directed toward knowing and adhering to God” (PDV 51). The Church in the Philippines desires to become a missionary Church or a Church-in-mission thus, "for this to happen, missionary formation of future priests is indispensable." The Lorenzo Mission Institute has to foster the spirit and atmosphere for missionary training which includes the study of missiology as an necessary component of priestly formation. The Ratio Formationis Sacerdotalis Nationalis which was issued by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) states that seminary formation in the Philippines "requires that Missiology should be an integral component of the theological formation of future priests. As such, all major seminaries and school of theologies should offer courses on Missiology." (RFSN 425).

John Paul II underlines the importance of intellectual formation especially in the Third Millennium namely: 1) defense of the faith- candidates to the priesthood have “to be prepared to make a defense of the faith and to account for the hope that is in us (cf. 1 Pt. 3:15).” 2) salvation of man- candidates of the priesthood should be able to reveal and explain the mysteries of God to the people. In order for them to be saved, they have an experience of the mysteries of God. John Paul II said: “for the salvation of their brothers and sisters they should seek an ever deeper knowledge of the divine mysteries.” (PDV 51) 3) anti-Catholic environment- the contemporary environment may not be conducive for developing the faith. John Paul II said: “The present situation is heavily marked by religious indifference, by a widespread mistrust regarding the real capacity of reason to reach objective and universal truth, and by fresh problems and questions brought up by scientific and technological discoveries. It strongly demands a high level of intellectual formation, such as will enable priests to proclaim, in a context like this, the changeless Gospel of Christ and to make it credible to the legitimate demands of human reason” (PDV 51). 4) pluralism- the pluralistic environment where the Church exists requires an intellectual training that would be able to discern and decide. John Paul II continues to say: “Moreover, there is the present phenomenon of pluralism, which is very marked in the field not only of human society but also of the community of the Church herself. It demands special attention to critical discernment: It is a further reason showing the need for an extremely rigorous intellectual formation” (PDV 51). 5) proclamation of the Gospel- the Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis says that the reason for developing intellectual formation is for competence in Philosophy and Theology in order to proclaim the Gospel to the people of every context (ratio fundamentalis 116).

Spiritual Formation

Spiritual formation in the seminary focuses on each seminarian’s communion with God and his search for Christ. Human formation of each seminarian finds its completion in his spiritual formation. John Paul II considered these following points when we speak of spiritual formation in the seminary: 1) spiritual formation is primarily a journey and a process towards communion with God. Each seminarian has to see that communion with God as a “fundamental and irrepressible religious need.” 2) Spiritual formation involves the shaping of one’s life through the Word of God. John Paul II says that “in the light of revelation and Christian experience, spiritual formation possesses the unmistakable originality which derives from evangelical “newness” (PDV 45). 3) spiritual formation in each seminarian is attributed to the work of the Holy Spirit. It “is the work of the Holy Spirit and engages a person in his totality. It introduces him to a deep communion with Jesus Christ, the good shepherd, and leads to the total submission of one’s life to the Spirit, in a filial attitude toward the Father and a trustful attachment to the Church.” 4) spiritual formation includes one’s relationship with the Cross of Christ. It is all about union of the seminarian with the Paschal Mystery of Christ. John Paul II clarifies that “spiritual formation has its roots in the experience of the cross, which in deep communion leads to the totality of the paschal mystery” (PDV 45). 5) spiritual formation is the foundation of the intellectual, pastoral and human formation of each seminarian because “for every priest his spiritual formation is the core which unifies and gives life to his being a priest and his acting as a priest. In this context, the synod fathers state that “without spiritual formation pastoral formation would be left without foundation” and that spiritual formation is “an extremely important element of a priest's education” (PDV 45). 6) spiritual formation is directed at nourishing and sustaining communion with God and with our brothers and sisters, in the friendship of Jesus the Good Shepherd, with an attitude of docility to the Holy Spirit (ratio fundamentalis 101).

Pastoral Formation

The pastoral formation in the seminary is aimed at the communion with charity of Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd. John Paul II mentioned these points included in the pastoral formation of each seminarian: 1) pastoral formation is directed toward pastoral ministry. Each seminarian is trained to become a pastor. “The whole training of the students should have as its object to make them true shepherds of souls after the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, teacher, priest and shepherd” (PDV 57). 2) they should be trained through and for the proclamation of the Word of God, 3) they have to be trained for worship and the celebration of the sacraments, 4) they should be trained to be shepherds and represent Christ to humanity (cf PDV 57) 5) pastoral formation includes the relationship between theological studies and practical application. John Paul II said: “pastoral formation develops by means of mature reflection and practical application, and it is rooted in a spirit, which is the hinge of all and the force which stimulates it and makes it develop” (PDV 57). 6) pastoral formation is a lifestyle to be developed through the power of the Spirit. “Pastoral formation certainly cannot be reduced to a mere apprenticeship, aiming to make the candidate familiar with some pastoral techniques;” it is all about living out the values and virtues of the shepherd patterned after the life of the Good Shepherd.

Stages of Formation

The seminarians of Lorenzo Mission Institute take their Philosophy and Theology subject at San Carlos Seminary, EDSA, Barangay Guadalupe Viejo, Makati City. Those who will come to Lorenzo Mission Institute will follow these levels of formation

1. Propaedeutic Stage- at the Lorenzo Mission Institute, the propaedeutic stage is a stage of formation to prepare seminarians for the Discipleship stage. It is usually a stage where those seminarians fresh from high school or any candidate who have not undergone or experience seminary life pass through a period not less than a year and not more than two (cf Ratio Fundamentalis 59) to dispose and to introduce them to seminary life and formation. According to the Ratio Fundamentalis no. 59, its objective is "to provide a solid basis for the spiritual life and to nurture a greater self-awareness for personal growth" (Ratio Fundamentalis 59). it is also at this stage that the new seminarians be acquainted with prayer by way of the sacramental life; the Liturgy of the Hours; familiarity wih the Word of God, which is to be considered the soul and guide of the journey; silence; metal prayer, and spiritual reading. It is the time to familiarize the seminarians with the Catechism of the Catholic Church, to familiarize with doctrines of the Church and by developing the dynamic of self-giving through experiences in the parish setting and charitable work (Ratio Fundamentalis 59).

2. Discipleship Stage- the Discipleship stage in seminary formation refers to the period where the seminarians study Philosophy in preparation for theology. This specific period is characterized by the formation of the seminarian to be a disciple of the Lord who is destined to be a pastor. Special attention is given to the human dimension, in harmony with spiritual growth, so as to help the seminarian mature in his definitive decision to follow the Lord in ministerial priesthood, by embracing the evangelical counsels in a way proper to this stage. As a preparatory stage for theological studies, this stage allows for systematic work on the personality of the seminarian, in openness to the Holy Spirit. This is the stage where the seminarian should be accustomed to training their character, they should grow in their strength of spirit and generally speaking, they should learn human virtues, such as "sincerity of mind, a constant concern for justice, fidelity to one's promises, refinement in manners, modesty in speech coupled with charity" (Ratio Fundamentalis 63). This stage of formation includes to educate the person in the truth of his being, in freedom and in self-control. It is also the time to overcome all forms of individualism, and to foster the sincere gift of self, opening him to generous dedication to others (cf Ratio Fundamentalis 63). In the formation in the Lorenzo Mission Institute, this stage of formation will be four years.

3. Configuration Stage- The Configuration stage is the period where the seminarians in Lorenzo Mission Institute study theology. It is this stage of formation that the seminarian enter profoundly into the contemplation of the person of Jesus Christ, the Beloved Son of the Father, sent as Shepherd of the People of God. It is at this stage that theological studies are aimed above all at the spiritual formation proper to the priest. It is at this stage that a seminarian studies theology which will also introduce him to appreciate the life of a priest. In the Lorenzo Mission Institute, the seminarian takes Missiology subjects in order for them to appreciate the mission of the Church. Through these courses, the seminarians would be able to offer himself for the mission of the Church and the charism of the Lorenzo Ruiz Mission Society. The content of this stage is demanding and requires a great deal of commitment. It asks for a constant responsibility in living the cardinal and the theological virtues and the evangelical counsels. It demands a docility to the action of God through the promptings of the Holy spirit, according to an authentically priestly and missionary mindset. This stage of formation which will take four years will call for a gradual rereading of one's own personal history in the light of personal charity, which animates, forms and motivates the life of the priest (Ratio Fundamentalis 69). 

4. Orientation Year- The Lorenzo Mission Institute provides a year of orientation to the life of a missionary based on the directory of the Lorenzo Ruiz Mission Society, orientation to the community of priests who are members of the Society, orientation to mission ad gentes, missio inter gentes, and mission cum gentes, and a preparation towards being a Temporal Member of the Lorenzo Ruiz Mission Society. It will take a year after the seminarians finish their philosophical studies and in preparation for their theology courses, they will take a year of pastoral, spiritual, and missionary orientation to accustom them with the life of a missionary. At the end of this formation, they will take their temporal commitments before the Archbishop of Manila or to the Father Moderator as they initially incorporate themselves in the life of the Lorenzo Ruiz Mission Society.

5. Pastoral Stage- In the Lorenzo Mission Institute, there is a year that the seminarian who just finishes his theological studies, take a pre-diaconal experience in order for him to be prepared and fit for diaconal ordination. According to the Ratio Fundamentalis no. 74, this stage has a twofold purpose: first, it is about being inducted into the pastoral life, with a gradual assumption of responsibilities in a spirit of service; and second, it is about making a suitable preparation with the help of a specific accompaniment in view of the priesthood. During this stage, the candidate is asked to declare freely, consciously and definitively his intention to be a priest, having received diaconal ordination (Ratio Fundamentalis 74). Besides, a seminarian of the Lorenzo Mission Institute is assigned in the parishes to have their sufficient exposure in preparation for priestly ordination. They may also opt to have further studies in theology, missiology, or any course recommended to them by their legitimate superior.