Divine Word Missionaries

SVD Formation

SVD Formation

Brother Formation
in Indonesia

Brother Formation in Indonesia - by Wilfrid Kromen Report on Brother Vocation Promotion - by Bro. Edel Atalema, SVD National SVD Formation  “Manuale” Statistics and Charts

BROTHER FORMATION IN INDONESIA

By Wilfrid Kromen

1. POSTULANCY (1 YEAR)

Since the year of 2004, we receive only the Brother Candidates. In the previous years we received both the Brother and Cleric candidates. First we were a bit worry if we did get the candidates, but thanks God that the number of new Brother Candidates approximately stable (between 10 and 20 persons).

Most candidates come after being graduated high school. The entrance test materials are arranged by a National Team, we in St. Conrad are the ones who just run the test.

There were more than thirty applicants in the year of 2004, but not all of them come to have the test, some had changed their minds. But there were 15 persons passed the test, and being accepted in the postulancy.

This year (2005), there are more than thirty new applications, but, as it happened the previous year, not all of them come for the test. We have now 18 Candidates.

There is an “accident” happens this year. We usually run the test after the final exam in the High School (organized by the Government).

After getting the date of the final exam for the high school of this year, we announced the date for our test. And then the Government change the date of the exam in the high schools. So a lot of our applicants get the trouble to join the test. We still have a second round of the test. Let us pray that they will come.

It is strongly underlined that all member of the house, without exception, are the formators in any certain way. There are two persons who are directly working for the postulants (Bro. Edelbertus Atalema and Bro. Martin Mamaq).

Almost all of the candidates come from the region of NTT. The candidates from other region outside of NTT are usually joining our postulancy in Malang, IDJ. After one year of postulancy, they are sent to our noviciates: KUWU (IDR) or to NENUK (IDT). The postulants from Malang are sent to our noviciate in BATU (IDJ).

2. NOVICIATE

There are three noviciates of SVD in the country. Each Province has one noviciate, except Ende Province. We have the common noviciates.

The catalogus of 2005 writes the following data of Brother Novices:

KUWU (Ruteng): 10 persons
NENUK (Timor): 9 persons
BATU (Jawa): 4 persons
In total: 23 persons

Each noviciate has at least one Brother as formator.

3. FIRST YEAR JUNIORATE (one year)

Juniorate program has been changing frequently.

First those who had just made their first vows, return to St. Conrad House for two years. During this period, they got input and training on the religious missionary life, and did practice in our available work shops. After these two years period, they went to continue the studies. And then, since the year of 1999, they went directly from the noviciate to study after the first vows. According to the plan, after five years, this method should be evaluated. In the evaluation of 2004, we come to realize that such program had some serious weakness. The most disturbing one is that the new vowed Brothers need a period of calming down after the noviciate. They should first to experience the real SVD community life, not just as in the noviciate. Another disturbance is that the difficulty to join in any university. The school year starts in the month of July, while our vows are made in the middle of August. Then, the new method is now being practiced, that all the new vowed Brothers should spend one year time in St. Conrad Brother Formation in Ende. The first group of this program is now being practiced.

During this period they are given the lectures on the Religious and Missionary life, doing practice works in our work-units in Ende, while determining the subject of studies in the following year (considering their interests, talents and the need of the Congregation as a whole).

First the province of Jawa had their own program. All the new vowed Brothers spent one year time to join in the STFT (SEKOLAH TINGGI FILSAFAT DAN TEOLOGI = the High School of the Philosophy and Theology) as guest students. But from this year, they send the Brothers to St. Conrad Ende, having the same training together with the other fellows in Ende. After this one year, they return to Jawa Province.

4. DOING THE STUDY

After one year Juniorate, they are sent to study in various fields. They might be sent to another province if it is needed. The Province Council is the one who decides what to study and where, taking the memo of the Formation House into the consideration.

If someone has to go beyond his own home province, then the receiving province will take all the responsibilities regarding the formation and other things. The receiving province will take care of the young Brothers up to their final vows. It means that they have no business anymore with St. Conrad Formation house. Each province in Indonesia has a Prefect for the Brothers in temporary vows, including the Student Brothers. They are:

Ende Province: Bro. Benyamin Ade SVD,
Timor Province: Bro. Dominikus Doron, SVD
Jawa Province: Bro. Yonas Tukan, SVD
Ruteng Province: Bro. Aloysius Lanang, SVD

They have good contact with the National Director of the Brother Formation.

5. PROBATION

It takes six months for the preparation before the final vows. It usually takes place in St. Conrad Formation House, in the province of Ende. Take this year (2005) as an example: from these three Probanist Brothers, none is from the province of Ende (one is from Ruteng and two are from Timor Province). In this case, we can only help them in the field of reflection, nothing to do regarding the first mission application.

We have a list of capable persons who can be invited to help the Probanist Brothers in various fields. They are the SVD members, even the lay people (a couple), and a doctor, Muslim Guru etc.

6. ONGOING FORMATION

Like in many other provinces, the ongoing formation is very poor done. It could be understood, since they are already involved in various field and communities. They depend more on the Province planning rather than the Formation House’s. It happens also to the cleric confreres.

Almost every year the province offers some opportunities directly to all the confreres in the province. To mention some of them are: Arnold Janssen Spirituality workshops or retreats, Nemi Renewal Course, Dei Verbum in Nemi, and some other courses in national level.

ASIA PACIFIC BROTHERS ASSEMBLY (IV)

A REPORT ON THE BROTHER VOCATION PROMOTION
ST. CONRAD BROTHER FORMATION HOUSE
ENDE – FLORES – INDONESIA

Bro. Edel Atalema, SVD

I. THE HISTORY OF ST. CONRAD BROTHER FORMATION HOUSE IN ENDE, INDONESIA

To start my report on the Brother Vocation Promotion in the province of Ende, kindly let me give a short picture of the history of this house as an institute of the education and the formation of the SVD Brothers.

I consider that this is important, since this institute will reach the age of fifty years, a golden jubilee, in the month of July 2006. It will be very good if we, as a zone, could sing our joy, praising the Lord for the grace he has been giving us, and ask his blessing for our further journey.

Since the foundation of the Society of the Divine Word, St. Arnold Janssen had gathered the young men as Brothers for the internal and the mission needs.

The term of “Brother” means “Saudara” as we call it in Bahasa Indonesia. He is a part of a family, he is a “one-of-us” in a family, in the communities or in the missions.

In doing their services, Brothers always have good human-contact, while living-out the Christianity among their fellow workers in the various kind of fields and professions. It is there, in the middle of their human-contact, the message of Good News finds its place. A good human-contact is a nice place for the Word of God to start growing.

The starting of the house of St. Conrad

In the year of 1920, a student (of the trade school in Ndona at the moment) called Mikhael Bhoka from Jopu – Lio, expressed his desire to be a Brother. How did he come to know the Brother Vocation? As a student of the trade school, he worked beside Bro. Lambertus SVD and Bro. Willibrordus SVD. It was their spirit of working, their spirit of services, spirit of human-value in taking the consideration and decision that attracted this young fellow. This very poor start was really a starting point of the history of the Brother Vocation in this area (the Region of Ende). This young man just disappeared from the further history, but the idea of having a Brother Formation had been planted in the heads of our missionaries.

Then, in the year of 1939, right before the Second World War, came two candidates from East Flores. They are Fransiskus Pai da Silva and Salomon Koke. In spite of the poor condition at the moment, no program yet, no formator, the embryo of the Brotherhood in Indonesia is now on the way of growing.

With the strong push by Mgr. Hendrikus Leven, SVD, and with the support of Fr. Thijssen and Fr. V.d.Heyden, the Brother Formation was finally established in a corner of Larantuka, in a quiet parish called Kampung Tengah Lebao.

It is understandable that the first year of this institute was full of uncertainty, mostly because of the world war. Living together with the seminarians in Ledalero, both young candidates entered the path of being the SVD Brothers, being the first batch of the native SVD Brothers.

In a meeting of the Region Council of Ende, some important decisions were taken, namely:

1. To start a noviciate for the Brothers, as the member of the Congregation.
2. To accept the candidates into the noviciate, namely: Salomon Koke (Bro. Paschalis Koke) and Petrus Pitang (Bro. Marcelus Pitang) and Gabriel Fernandez (Br. Bonefasius Fernandez).

It was also decided the minimum criteria to be accepted into the noviciate. The candidate should have primary school graduated with a good record.

The new noviciate had just run for a short time when the war broke again. The Japanese Officer (who now takes control of the country) gave an order that all the attendants of Ledalero, had to move to Lela. Several months later, they were moved to Mataloko (1944). These three new Brother novices were also moved together with the seminarians and all other priests and Brothers.

There, in Mataloko, on the feast day of St.Petrus and St. Paul (29 June 1945) these three Brothers took their first vows. This was a historical event in the Congregation; the first batch of local SVD Brothers took the vows. What a grace. Further more, in the same year, three new Brother Candidates were accepted.

Finally the war ended, the independent was announced on August 17, 1945. The situation was getting better. All seminarians and the new Brothers moved back to Ledalero. But Ledalero was the place for the formation for the seminarians. So, where should these new Brothers go? There were two places raised for the decision makers to debate on: In Kampung Tengah (Larantuka) or in Ende.

The Region Council decided (in a meeting in the month of May 1946) that the native Brothers formation should take place in Ende. The main reason was that Ende has a quite well trade school. It will bring a big support and the benefit to the young Brothers for training. Then on June 1955, all the novice Brothers moved to Ende, but where in Ende? Since the special place for the Brother formation had not built yet, a wing of the house of St. Michael (Syuradikara) was taken for this purpose. Mean while the new building was in the process of constructing.

Canonically, St. Conrad House was officially stated as a formation house by the Vatican on June 14, 1955, and then on March 18, 1956 all the Brother Novices moved to St. Conrad House. This is the date on which the present St. Conrad Brother Formation House started functioning.

Let me bring you back to the year of 1948. In the Chapter of Ende Region, there was a discussion on the Native SVD Brother formation program. This is another historical stick of the Native Brother Formation in Indonesia. Praise the Lord! The Chapter also decided that:

1. The Candidates should be primary school graduated with good record.
2. To be accepted into the Postulancy, the candidates should have finished a vocational school or had got the teaching certificate, and being able to speak Dutch.

The period of 1956 – 1964 could be named as a prosperous time. There were 314 candidates joined the Candidates Program, with 92 Novice Brothers. With the growing number of the candidate for the Brotherhood, a better program had to be drawn, and an entrance test had to be done. Then in the year of 1965, a test had to be done for entering the noviciate. It is in the line with the Canon 642, that the candidates should be well selected. On the other hand, our Constitution (702) speaks on the same subject. This new method of selecting the candidates reduces the number up to about 50%.

II. POSTULANCY

Postulancy is a preparation period for the candidates before entering the noviciate. The main purpose is to help the candidate in their human-maturity, learn to live together with the others, to know better their vocations, and also to find out their talents and interests. In details, the Constitution says that our candidates should:

1. Physical and mental health
2. Sufficient ability and maturity to fulfil the tasks of the Society
3. A religious spirit corresponding to one’s age
4. Sociability
5. Active participation in the life of the church
6. Interest in and readiness for the missionary vocation and its tasks

There are two main goal of the formation in the postulancy:

The general goal

To help the candidates that by the power of the Holy Spirit, growing towards human maturity occurs in a progressive deepening of self-knowledge, in the unfolding of one’s personal qualities and in the achievement of that inner freedom which makes responsible decisions possible (C. 503)

The specific goal

1. To accompany them, for being able to know and to understand the Holy Bible deeper from the history point of view, anthropology, social-politic and theology.
2. To accompany them in realizing that the Bible contains the salving message from the Lord Himself.
3. To accompany them in appreciating to the holy Bible as the presence of the Lord among human being.

BROTHER VOCATION PROMOTION

In various meetings: in the province chapter of formator’s meeting in the local or national level or in the zone level, this very topic is always raised. It is the work of all member of the Congregation.

One resolution of the province chapter in Ledalero (July 2003) said: “To mandate the Provincial and the council to state that the house of St. Conrad in Ende is just for the formation of the candidates of the Brothers.”

So since last year (2004) we accept only the candidates for the Brotherhood. Through the promotion, we got the applications as many as 35. From this batch, 16 persons pass the entrance test. They are now waiting for the invitation from Nenuk or Kuwu to start their noviciate.

I. Vocation Promotion

We have several ways of promotion, namely:

1. Making use of the daily newspaper of FLORES POS; we put the advertisement in this media for several weeks (I have several Xerox-copies of it). There we put some photos, e.g. the activities of Brothers in the class, postulants studying, sports, inauguration in the universities, brothers working in the press, brothers working in abroad.
2. Leaflet. We distribute the special leaflet on the Brother Vocation to many schools. Brothers studying in any institute or working in the schools are supposed to be our best agents to reach the young men for the Brotherhood.
3. Our Junior Brothers, regularly visit the schools around us, to introduce the Brother vocation.

How could we judge if our ways of promotion bring the fruits?

Some candidates told us that they come to know the Brotherhood when they read the ad in the newspaper. While some others said that by accident they read our leaflet somewhere.

When we run the common postulancy, we got more than sixty applicants every year. Less than twenty candidates out of it, choose to be Brothers. Now, in these last two years when we run only the postulancy for the Brotherhood, we got more than thirty applicants every year. Usually, more than twenty applicants passed the entrance test, but less than twenty persons come to join us.

Each SVD province in Indonesia has a special team just for the Brother Vocation promotion, except the Province of Jawa. This Province has only one common team promotion for the SVD. Later on, in the postulancy time, the candidates are given the opportunity to decide: to go to the priesthood or to the brotherhood.

It is very important to record the reactions of the young men to our promotion. Their “standard” questions are as follows:

1. Why don’t you all Brothers marry?
2. Why you are not ordained to priesthood?
3. Is there a kind of certificate when we leave the SVD, to enable us to get the good jobs?
4. What are the differences between the priesthood and the brotherhood?
5. What are your experiences on the sex life?
6. Why does it cost us a lot to join the brotherhood?
7. Why do some perpetual-vowed religious leave their congregation?
8. etc.

We could say that these activities are like spreading the seed in the field. Nobody could guess what and how it will grow. We believe that the Lord, the owner of the garden will complete the further works. We are very convinced of it, it is not our but field, it is His field.

The subject thought to the Postulants

In the year of 1999, we drew a syllabus for the Postulancy, then approved by the Province Council. Here is the material and the teachers:

II. Accompaniments

Although there are only two persons who are called the “prefect” of the postulants, but all the final-vowed members of the house take part in the formation works. They take turn in giving the weekly conference, monthly recollection, bring the homily in Thursday mass etc. If there is a special case occurs, the Rector usually calls a meeting to discuses the matter.

III Closing

Vocation Promotion is the duty of all members of the Society. The changing of the time takes part in influencing the human life-style. It is unavoidable that many young men and women are dragging into the globalisation that offers lots of possibilities and promises. A choice to live a religious life is then gets a tremendous challenge. The formandi we are dealing with are the “product” of this time. Therefore we do need the formators who are really capable to step side by side with the formandi. We do need also the endless faithful effort to promote the vocation, most especially the vocation to the Brotherhood.

The human being is always in the process of growing. Such growing is not a day of work; it is a life-long process, the process in the way of pilgrimage. Likewise all the powers someone has, they do not just explode to reach an ultimate climax with a single explode. Some kinds of powers need a lifetime to reach the peak. Some other powers like the psycho-physic, psychosocial, psycho-sexuality, psycho-spirituality etc are sharpened in the social-life process in the middle of the keep-moving dynamic time. How can a formator do to deal with young formandi in such a challenging situation? He gle thing: the heart. He has to more work with the heart than the mind in the way of searching the will of God.

Ende, June 6, 2005
Bro. Edel Atalema, SVD

NATIONAL SVD FORMATION “MANUALE”
(JUST FOR THE PONTULANCY)
MALANG, INDONESIA, 28 SEPT TO 3 OCT. 2004

Statistics & Charts

I.  PARA BRUDER PROVINSI SVD TIMOR YANG BERKAUL KEKAL

II.  BRUDER-BRUDER PRAKTEK/PERSIAPAN KAUL KEKAL

III.  BRUDER-BRUDER STUDENT

IV.  BRUDER-BRUDER NOVIS

V.  INDONESIA -- BROTHERS WORKING ABROAD

VI.  INDONESIA NOVICE BROTHERS

VII.  BRUDER INDONESIA NOVIS

VIII.  INDONESIA BROTHERS IN TEMPORARY VOWS

IX.  INDONESIA BROTHERS IN FINAL VOWS