The PANAM Zone SVD Formators meeting was held from 18 to 24 July 2019. 26 formators and vocation promoters, coming from 10 different countries, representing all the formation stages, met in the Divine Word Mission Centre in Quito, Ecuador. This meeting takes place every three years and this year’s theme was “A Systemic and Relational Vision of a Missionary Formation. Exposition of a Human and Spiritual Formation, in the View of family ties and relations”. Fr. Higinio Yescas Martinez, SVD from Mexico Province, presented this theme.
Apart from the days dedicated to the on-going formation, the formators also had a moment to share their experiences in accompanying those desiring to opt for religious and missionary life in our congregation. This sharing was done according to every stage of formation as well as from every subzone. We felt that through the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges in the initial formation in every subzone, there is a development of a common path. There was also time dedicated to reviewing the implementation of the recommendations from the previous meeting, that took place in Bolivia in 2016. Finally, the formators and vocational promotors presented three names so that the Zonal Assembly can elect a new Zonal Formation Coordinator.
Currently, there are 125 students in the Zone: 78 in aspirant and postulant stages, 10 in the novitiate and 37 in the juniorate, spread in the various subzones;South, Brazil, Andina, Mesoamerica, and North. In the past years, the subzones have joined some stages, to give more attention to the formation process and due to the decrement of vocations in the Zone.
The meeting was also blessed with the presence of the General Secretary of Formation, Fr. Pushpa Anbu Augustine, the General Procurator, Fr. Peter Dikos and the PANAM Zonal Coordinator, Fr. Marcelo Cattaneo.
By: Fr. Vagner Uilson Apolinario, SVD (BRN)