With boldness and prudence

“For the past 25 years, following the appeal of the Second Vatican Council that sought an adequate response to the needs of candidates to ordained ministry, a series of initiatives were undertaken in France”. “Propaedeutic years were thus set up to prepare candidates in view of their entrance in the seminary, with different contents and pedagogical approaches”. The statement was rendered by the bishop of Versailles, Msgr. Eric Aumonier, in the past issue of the French quarterly “Eglise et vocations”, presenting different experiences in this context. We illustrate a few. Granite and the wind. “Everyone is familiar with these two natural elements, that are so common in the Breton region where the house of Charles de Foucauld is located. Granite and the wind represent the image of the things we intend to do during this year of spiritual foundation in the province of Rennes”, affirmed Olivier Ray, superior of the “Maison Charles de Foucauld”, whose “adventure – he explained – was launched past September”. Granite “evokes the rock on which a solid building can be erected”; the wind “is the wind of the spirit”. In this perspective, the “Maison” offers candidates to priesthood a “a favourable environment for silence and prayer”, in order “to freely respond to God’s calling”. “Praying with the Church and participating in the Eucharist; personal prayer; community life” where “fraternal charity” can be practised; along with individual or team sport activities are the commitments which mark the schedule of the youth aged 20-32 attending the Maison, father Ray explained. These, he said, “are young people” who “wish to deepen their spiritual life” while at the same time “avoiding separations between their daily lives and their ecclesial commitment”. Among the poor. “The “annéè Saint-Joseph” was established by the Emmanuel community as “a stage of discernment enabling the youth to share the life and charisma of the community, to verify whether their calling to priesthood will be accomplished within Emmanuel or not”, explained Cristophe Liony , in charge of the “Maison Saint-Joseph” in Namur (other three are in Rwanda, Congo and Côte d’Ivoire). There are four pillars in the life of the Maison: prayer, fraternal life, formation, accompaniment. “Discernment is the work of the Holy Spirit – Liony affirmed -, hence the importance, in the course of the year, to hold a ‘trial month’ during which the youth will be devoted to helping and living with the poor. It is either one of the homes of Arca or of the Young Sisters of the Poor. Another crucial moment will be “the ten days of Saint Ignatius’ spiritual exercises”. “Withdrawal” from the world. There are 17 youth who past September 28 began the “year of spiritual foundation” in the “Maison Saint-Augustin” (Msa) in Paris. “This project – explained superior Jacques de Longeaux – envisages a true withdrawal from the world for a year, a real fracture with the previous way of living”. In fact, young people can return to their homes on Wednesday evenings and on Sundays, they can invite their relatives and their friends to their Saturday lunches”, but “during most of the week they cannot be reached, neither on their cell phones nor through the Internet”. This path, the superior explained, develops around three major axes: “prayer and spiritual direction; lectio divina; visits to the sick, the handicapped and the elderly; liturgy and community life”. To these is added “the knowledge of the diocese of Paris and of the concrete conditions in the practice of the ministry”. To this purpose the year envisages also “three pilgrimages or visits in the capital’s parishes”.Boldness and prudence. In the diocese of Namur, “the first preparatory year to priestly formation dates back to 2001”, recalls father Joël Rachette, rector of the local seminary, founded in 1658. Since then, the seat chosen for this experience has been the ancient Cistercian abbey of Notre-Dame du Vivier. “The crucial element in the formation of propaedeutic seminarians – Father Rachette explained – consists in the development of their spiritual life. For this purpose, they meet their spiritual father every five day. Twice a day they devote half an hour to personal oration and take part in the liturgy of the hours and in the Eucharist”. They also attend courses in the history of spirituality, theology and philosophy. “In addition to spiritual and intellectual formation – the seminary’s rector explained – ‘propaedeutic’ seminarians spend one day every week as social workers or performing acts of charity in places such as the hospice of the Young Sisters of the Poor or the care centre for the homeless of the Charity brothers in Gand”. Lastly, there is the pastoral dimension “through which they establish contacts with the parish or with a pastoral sector of the diocese”. The balance of these first seven years is positive. Although, admits father Rachette, there are still difficulties to be overcome: “to this regard it’s necessary to bind boldness and prudence. But the game is worth the candle”, he concluded.