Learning the art of accompaniment

MANILA, Philippines - When the Monastery of the Transfiguration in Malaybalay, Bukidnon started the Formators’ Institute at Transfiguration (FIAT) in 2005, it was done as a response to a felt need of religious formators for some training and support. After all, religious formators have a very delicate ministry of accompanying for years those who are being formed to embrace religious life.

As instruments of God’s work, formators have also expressed the need for personal care, and that in helping the formands to assume responsibility for their growth in Christ, formators need to develop the necessary skills.

In 2007 (from May 1 to 7), FIAT offered — for the second consecutive year — the “Helping Skills for Religious Formators” seminar.

FIAT welcomed 23 religious formators from different religious congregations in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, including those from the Augustinians, the Franciscans, Carmelites, Canossians, Missionaries of the Immaculate Conception, Mission Society of the Philippines, and the Living the Gospel Community.

It was a varied group of participants. Some were just beginning to explore the ministry while others were experienced and seasoned formators who wished to be enriched further in their knowledge and in refining their helping skills.

The one-week seminar-workshop helped the religious formators to develop skills that would enable them to help their formands arrive at an expanded perspective, greater understanding, acceptance, and significant personal experiences. Interesting topics included “The Role of Formators,” “The Basic Helping Skills,” “Identifying Key Issues, Key Feelings & Key Behavior,” “Attentive Listening and Empathy,” “Communicating an Understanding of Feelings,” and “Probing & Challenging Skills.”

FIAT is different from other formation seminars because it is not only a seminar-workshop on religious formation but also a monastic experience. FIAT participants were able to join the monks of Transfiguration Monastery in the monastic liturgy, and experienced the peace, quiet and beauty of nature in this beautiful monastery in the hills of Bukidnon.

Facilitators of the FIAT seminar-workshop were Msgr. Ramon Masculino, head of the Commission on the Clergy of the Archdiocese of Jaro and also rector of the seminary, and Cynthia Baga, a well-known social psychologist who has been working with many religious congregations for 20 years now, and a recent Papal awardee. Coordinating the whole program was Dom Martin Gomez, OSB, monastery cellarer and guest-master.

“Caring to listen,” Msgr. Masculino said, “is an art of being present on holy ground.” He stressed that religious formators should be able to help their formands integrate the many aspects of life.

For her part, Baga explained that it is very necessary for a formator to be able to identify and explore the specific issues in a problem situation. A good formator will be able to do this, she stressed, if he or she has the necessary skills of empathy, probing and challenging.

The formation ministry is about accompanying the formand in the pilgrimage of the human journey and therefore requires learning the basic helping skills.

At the closing ceremonies after the formal dinner hosted by the monastic community where Fr. Prior Savio Siccuan, OSB, handed the certificates of attendance to the participants, it was stressed that after learning all of the helping skills, what is most important for a formator is to be authentic in his or her personal life and be a true follower of Christ. One’s lifestyle should always show the ideal, which one professes, and thus present itself as a living sign of God, and an eloquent, although often silent proclamation of the Gospel. “Without this,” Dom Martin emphasized, “we cannot even begin to start any work as formators. If we are not witnessing to the vows and values which we have professed and which people under our care yearn to see, then we are not prophetic witnesses. We become irrelevant.”

The whole FIAT experience was so aptly summed up by Sr. Lita Perez, ICM when she said, “This whole experience has really drawn us into a deeper awareness. We went through refining skills, expanding perspectives, understanding key personal experiences, deepening insights, realizing we are not alone, and all of this afforded us an extended vision of the majesty of the formation ministry entrusted to us.”

“It was like we were sitting on God’s front porch, with a long loving look at the Monastery of the Transfiguration. Our experience of the vast expanse of God’s creation all around inspired us, touched by the serenity and beauty of nature, the glorious chanting of the monks, the solemn liturgy of the hours , the well-laden nourishing food at table, and other feasts for the eyes and heart — our heartfelt thanks to Fr. Prior Savio and his community for giving us the FIAT experience!”

For information about the Formators’ Institute at Transfiguration (FIAT) or the Monastery of the Transfiguration, write to Dom Martin Gomez, OSB, Monastery of the Transfiguration, San Jose, Malaybalay, Bukidnon, or call (088) 221-2373, SMS 0917-510-5585 or 0927-936-6360, or e-mail dommartinosb@yahoo.com).