Source: http://www.claretianformation.com/1998-inter-institute-collaboration/
Timestamp: 2019-04-23 11:04:10+00:00

Document:
Instruction from Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
1. Attentive to the conditions of the present moment and under the guidance of the Lord, the Church is continuously required to provide, in view of the growth of the Body of Christ,(1) for the formation of her members.
At the same time, in many cases there was a need to carry out initial formation in a setting not alien to the culture of the candidates, so as to promote a positive integration between the life of each institute and the culture of the members received into it. Such a need, encountered in diverse geographical and cultural settings, found an effective answer in “inter-institute(7) centers”. These have helped to avoid an exodus of candidates into other cultures during the initial process of religious life.
In this way, the Holy Father re-affirms the fundamental orientations of Vatican Council II in relation to formation. These have been ratified by the experience which religious life has known in recent years. The doctrine taught by the Council and found in subsequent documents of the Magisterium shows the profound integration which exists among formation, renewal, and the mission of the religious institutes.(11) Even more, he underscores the fact that formation is a primary factor for the renewal of the institutes and for a more vital assimilation of their charismatic identity in view of the continuing evolution of our time. High quality formative programs are indispensable for carrying out the mission of the institutes in a world which poses fundamental questions about faith and consecrated life, in relation to scientific, human, ethical, and religious problems.
4. In order to understand and accompany the development of these initiatives, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and for Societies of Apostolic Life has gathered extensive documentation on the inter-institute centers which already exist. Study of this material has helped us reflect on some fundamental conditions for the educational effectiveness of the centers and their various initiatives: clarity about the purpose of the center, determination of ultimate responsibility and of the authorities for running the center, quality and preparation of professors, integrated design of the program and of its gradual implementation. Of fundamental importance for creating an atmosphere which helps in the living and deepening of the call to consecrated life, however, is the presence of the formators in these initiatives, and the smooth meshing and complementarity of the inter-congregational program with the programs of the individual institutes.
7. Before entering into specifics, it seems necessary to recall that formation is an inalienable right and duty of every institute.(14) This fundamental principle is basic to this entire document and needs to be given prominence right from the beginning so that collaboration among institutes in the overall formative process can be properly understood.
8. The principle of collaboration(29) and solidarity among the various institutes, especially among those present in a determined geographic-cultural area, also needs to be emphasized, in connection with the preceding principle. In fact, religious life has acquired a deeper consciousness of the uniqueness of each charism, of its specific ecclesial role, and also of the characteristics and responsibilities common to all institutes.
Further, collaboration finds its soul in the pneumatic-mysterious dimension of the Church from which, by the work of the Spirit, arises the multiplicity of charisms and toward whose communion and mission the life and missionary mandate of the institutes converge. It is founded on the richness, vitality, and beauty of the Church,(31) and it is fruitful because the various charismatic initiatives complement and illumine one another; one uncovering for the other its own gifts by being together and by sharing,(32) in fraternity.
A concrete expression of collaboration and solidarity among religious families is the initiative, now spread in various contexts, of creating inter-institute centers of formation, especially where individual institutes do not have sufficient means to offer a complete formation to their members.
Experience gathered suggests that, when this collaboration is well done, it contributes to a greater appreciation of the charism of one’s own institute as well as that of others, manifests concrete solidarity among communities which are richer and poorer in both members and means, offers an eloquent testimony of the communion to which the Church is called by divine vocation, and helps formation achieve the level and breadth that the mission of religious life requires in today’s world.
– the inter-institute character of the centers requires a special respect for the aspects which are common to all. At the same time, collaboration and solidarity also require respect and appreciation of the diversities. If this were not so, the centers would probably contribute to a sameness which would impoverish them and would bring about the risk of spiritual and pastoral uniformity, inadequate for the complexity of the world which is to be evangelized, and harmful to the specific identity of each institute. In this case, the centers would lose their identity as a service to religious life.
The formal establishing of an inter-institute center of formation requires the written consent of the Ordinary of the place.
All inter-institute initiatives should be run directly by a team, under the responsibility of one person, who enjoys assured stability and is competent in formation.
The organization of the programs ought to offer effective help for doctrinal formation and for the vocational growth of the candidates, according to the criteria indicated by the Code of Canon Law(48) and by complementary norms issued by competent authorities.
13. Given the diversity of human experience and of religious formation in the candidates, preparation for the novitiate, in today’s socio-cultural circumstances, is seen to be ever more necessary and demanding.(51) Inter-congregational initiatives should offer candidates from the various institutes programs which address, with competence and solidity, the fundamental contents of human and Christian formation so as to promote an integral formation and satisfy any existing gaps. Further, formators themselves need to be able to take part in programs designed to enliven religious life and to apply instruments and criteria for careful vocational discernment. This collaboration is particularly helpful for formators who work in cultures different from their own or who accompany candidates from diverse cultures.
15. Inter-institute collaboration in the novitiate phase is one of the “complementary services”. Not included under the category of collaboration is the creation of so-called “inter-congregational novitiates”, which would have male and female novices living in the same community. Indeed, such an arrangement does not correspond to the proper character of the beginning of religious life, which ought to introduce the novice to what characterizes the patrimony of every institute. Consequently, every institute should have its own novitiate.
b) The program should offer basic courses on different subjects in such a way that institutes can choose those which will complete the formation they themselves give. The program should be well structured and harmonious, include fundamental elements of Sacred Scripture, spiritual theology, moral theology, ecclesiology, theology and the law of religious life — in particular of each of the evangelical counsels — liturgy, and also fundamental concepts of anthropology and psychology which should give to the novice, at the beginning of the formative journey, the possibility of knowing himself or herself better, particularly in those areas most needing formation.(56) These subjects should be treated as contributors to formation.
c) During the novitiate, the courses should not be programmed with a frequency or intensity which impede the purpose proper to this phase of formation.(57) They should be carried out in such a way that residing outside the novitiate is avoided. In the event that novices must go to another place for this purpose, for brief periods of time and sporadically, the Major Superior shall observe canons 647.2, 648.1 and 648.3, and 649.1.
e) Formators, according to their specific responsibilities,(59) are to meet at regular intervals with the team responsible for the center — also listening to the views of those in formation — to monitor the program and, in relation to the reports received from the various parties, the purpose of the courses. Because of their primary responsibility in formation, Major Superiors should follow these initiatives attentively.
a) In this phase also, inter-congregational initiatives are designed to promote the training of young religious in relation to their consecration and the deepening of their spiritual, doctrinal, and pastoral formation, with particular attention to the history, theology, and mission of consecrated life, and to their pastoral preparation. This is especially so for institutes which are unable to provide for their needs in other ways.
b) In particular, in order to respond better to the demands proper to this phase of formation, inter-institute initiatives of collaboration should be mindful of the characteristics and circumstances of life of those professed of temporary vows.
In fact, the time of temporary profession is characterized as a propitious moment for the maturing of an intimate relationship with Christ(64) and the maturing of a faith-filled vision of the world, the Church, and history. It is a time for committing oneself to the kingly, priestly, and prophetic mission of the People of God. It requires, in a kind of sapiential integration, both a study of theological disciplines and a deepening of the biblical foundations of a vocation to the radical following of Christ. To this must be added adequate knowledge of the means and steps which lead to human and Christian maturity. Thus, this phase of formation continues the study of Sacred Scripture and other theological subjects such as Christology, ecclesiology, Mariology, moral theology, and the theology of history, and the additional fields of spirituality, ascetical theology, and human sciences, which contribute to a maturity in Christ of the human person,(65) should also be included.
c) Because community life, right from the beginning, should disclose “the essential missionary dimension of consecration”,(66) and because this stage is characterized by the apostolic commitments taken in the name of the community, courses in catechetics and pedagogy, especially for pastoral work with youth, will be of great value. Apostolic commitments require a deepened knowledge of some themes of the ecclesiology promoted by the Second Vatican Council, e.g. the pastoral collaboration of religious with priests and lay persons under the guidance of the Pastors,(67) the law of the Church, the missio ad gentes, ecumenism, inter-religious dialogue,(68) the relation of the Church to the world, the social and political duties of Christians and the specific responsibility of consecrated persons in this sector.(69) All these themes should offer a solid foundation for the pastoral and missionary action of the Church-mystery and communion in the New Evangelization. In this phase of temporary profession, it will be helpful to deepen the charismatic contribution by which the various institutes share in the mission of the Church.
e) Religious who attend other centers of study, especially civil centers (universities, academies, etc.) in order to study the humanities or engage in other scientific or technical studies can find in the inter-institute centers the possibility of integrating their formation, especially by courses in theology and pastoral studies.
The Instruction Potissimum institutioni and the Exhortation Vita consecrata give ample space to continuing formation,(75) describing its nature, identifying its objectives and contents, asking Superiors, according to the norm of the Code, to provide for their members the “assistance and the time”(76) necessary and to designate a member as responsible for continuing formation.
Inter-institute collaboration can be helpful for organizing temporary and permanent services which should give new impulse to the spiritual life, to theological-pastoral updating, and to a renewed professional training for carrying out the responsibilities entrusted. It will give an important place to deepening the general lines and pastoral priorities of the Church for carrying out better her mission of evangelizing today’s world. Hopefully, religious families will offer their best trained members for this purpose.
19. In Part I and Part II, some fundamental criteria referring to inter-institute initiatives of formation and some forms of collaboration in the various phases of formation itself were considered. In Part III, institutes of religious sciences and institutes of philosophy and theology which provide a complete academic formation and have their own juridic structure and particular organizational requirements will be considered.
It is helpful to recall that the formation of religious brothers, sisters, and permanent deacons, and the formation of religious who are candidates for priesthood, all have specific requirements which must be respected. In order to respect the identity of each one, it is necessary to distinguish between priestly formation, diaconal formation, and the formation required for other ecclesial services.(77) Consequently, in organizing the contents of its programs, a center of studies which prepares such religious should be mindful of the characteristics proper to each group.
It is necessary to offer the participants a solid philosophical and theological foundation; to prepare them to be educators of the faith; to prepare them for the explicit proclamation of the Gospel and for human and social promotion; to make them sensitive to the relationship between the Gospel and culture, to ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue, to discerning the signs of the times, to being part of an overall pastoral program, and to missionary openness in communion with the universal and particular Church.
a) Canonical erection. Before proceeding to the canonical erection of an inter-institute center of philosophical and theological studies, it is necessary to receive approval both for erection of the center and for its Statutes from the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and for Societies of Apostolic Life(83) which, prior to giving approval, will request the authoritative judgment of the Congregation for Evangelization of Peoples for territories of mission and the approval of the Congregation for Catholic Education(84) regarding the programming of philosophical and theological studies as well as academic degrees. In this connection, institutes of philosophy and theology reserved for candidates to the priesthood are encouraged to affiliate to a philosophical or theological Faculty(85) respectively.
In relation to studies, special attention shall be given to the completeness of the subjects and to the content prescribed for the six year period of philosophical and theological studies.(94) While respecting the demands proper to priestly religious life and to the “intrinsic unity of the Catholic priesthood”, whether secular or religious,(95) these studies should be carried out in light of the plan for priestly formation established by the Holy See and by the episcopal conference of the country,(96) and provide that there always be included a course on the theology and spirituality of the religious life and the theology of the particular Church.(97) Also in this case, possible civil recognition should not prejudice or alter the program of studies prescribed by the Church.
Where centers for the formation of religious candidates for the priesthood, for serious reasons, also admit as students candidates for the permanent diaconate or religious brothers or sisters preparing for other apostolic activities, the program of studies for future priests must appear as a unit which is special and fully recognizable,(98) in such a way that the formation not be a generic ministerial formation common to all. Thus, the specific requirements of the other students are to be respected, offering them an appropriate program which prepares them for the ministry of permanent diaconate or for the other ecclesial services consistent with their vocation.
d) Professors. The formative validity and the consistency of the initiatives described depend in great part on the professional quality, on the sensus Ecclesiae, and on the religious qualities of the professors, in addition to the organization of the programs and the life of the center itself. The professors should be mindful that their teaching ought to “open and communicate to others the understanding of the faith, in the last analysis in the name of the Lord and his Church”.(99) Major Superiors shall be mindful of this in their choice of professors. Above other pastoral commitments, the preparation of future generations is to be privileged, assigning to them the best professors and formators. This is an ecclesial responsibility which they may not neglect, for the good of the People of God, of religious life, and of their own institute, both in the present and in the future.
In addition to academic competence, the professors shall be attentive to the didactic art required by their office. (100) There should be special care to assure the quality of teaching for the disciplines which constitute the fundamental part of the curriculum of studies.
e) Admission. For admission to a center of philosophical-theological studies, it is necessary that the candidate have achieved the level of studies indicated in the Statutes, taking into account the canonical norms and the needs of places and times. Written authorization of the Major Superior or of the Superior of the house of formation to which the candidate belongs is also necessary.
g) Proper initiatives. The initiatives of inter-institute collaboration described are distinct from a philosophical or theological center erected under the responsibility of one religious institute which, maintaining its own autonomy, admits as students religious of other institutes. (103) These centers follow their own norms.
25. The experiences of inter-institute collaboration reveal a broad panorama of models in the preparation of formators. There are centers at the level of university or comparable institutions with systematic programs offering the possibility of academic degrees or degrees recognized by the Congregation for Catholic Education; intensive courses spread over a year or a semester, designed for formators at the beginning of their charge as well as for those already serving in formation communities. There are courses for updating, regular meetings for formators engaged in the same phase of formation and sessions of study, exchange, and reflection on specific educational topics. Many of these courses are organized by the Conferences of Major Superiors, others by a consortium of institutes, or are initiatives promoted by specialized centers or by university Faculties.
c) Formators should learn how to prepare the members of their communities for the task of the New Evangelization: announcing Christ, the Good News of the Father, to all men and women. This implies preparation for the evangelization of cultures, for pastoral work in favor of life, the family and solidarity, for the evangelical option for the poor, for the formation of youth, for the mission ad gentes, for ecumenical commitment and inter-religious dialogue, social communications, etc. (117) They should learn to welcome the hopes and questions of youth, children of our time, who are entering communities and prepare them to incarnate the best of their own epoch and give a response of holiness and of effective charity to the needs of our times. To form is always to prepare for the service which the Church and society need in a determined epoch and cultural setting.
A formation which is integral, precisely because its hinge is in the education of faith and in maturing the commitment of consecration-mission, must be mindful also of the new forms of poverty and injustice of our time. In this area, inter-institute courses, without falling into simplistic formulas, can be a helpful support for formators.
The work of formation is carried out along the axis of the following of “Christ chaste, poor, and obedient – the One who prays, the Consecrated One, and the Missionary of the Father” (118) – and has at its center the Paschal mystery. Thus the preparation of formators may not be merely intellectual, doctrinal, pastoral, and professional; it is, above all, a deep, human, and religious experience of sharing in the mystery of Christ while respectfully approaching the mystery of the human person. In Christ is the experience of sonship before the Father and of docility to the Spirit, of fraternity and sharing, of fatherhood and motherhood in the Spirit: “My little children, with whom I am again in travail until Christ be formed in you!” (Gal 4:19). In this light it is helpful that formators be able to meet among themselves as consecrated persons, to support one another on their journey of faith, to pray together, to let themselves be questioned by the Word, and to celebrate the Eucharist. They can be enriched by experiencing the goodness and wisdom of the Master who, by the outpouring of his Spirit and by the mediation of the maternal action of Mary, continues his work and, in a privileged way, by means of their own mediation in the life and experiences of those whom they help to live as “fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” (Eph 2:19).
In offering the criteria and the directives presented in this document, the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and for Societies of Apostolic Life, has intended to evaluate, order, and promote the vast and varied experience in the area of inter-institute collaboration, supported by the Second Vatican Council and developed in these years.
(1) Cf. LG 7; ChL 21, 24.
(2) Cf. LG 43-44; VC 1-3.
(3) Cf. Potissimum institutioni, CICLSAL, 2 February 1990.
(4) Cf. PC 8; can. 675.
(7) By “inter-institute centers” of formation (sometimes called “inter-congregational centers”) is understood the diverse forms of collaboration among religious institutes, at the service of formation.
(8) John Paul II, Message to the XIV General Assembly of the Conference of Religious of Brasil, 11 July 1986, n. 2. Found in L’Osservatore Romano (English version) 1986, n. 35, p. 2.
(9) Ibid., n. 4; cf. VC 53.
(10) Ibid., n. 4. Found in L’Osservatore Romano (English version) 1986, n. 35, p. 10.
(11) Cf. PC 18; ET 52; VC 68.
(12) Cf. RM 2; VC 67, 73.
(13) Cf. PC 1; RHP 22; ChL 18-21, 32.
(14) Cf. can. 646-53 and 659-61.
(16) Cf. MR 14b; can. 574.1; VC 4-5, 29, 33-34.
(18) Cf. PC 1; can. 577; VC 19, 47-48.
(20) Cf. can. 586.2; VC 48.
(21) PI 98; cf. can. 587.1, 646, and 659.
(22) Cf. PI 46, 90-91; can. 577.
(23) John Paul II, Address to the Bishops of Northeast Region II of the National Conference of Bishops of Brasil, 11 July 1995. Found in L’Osservatore Romano (English version) 1995, n. 29, p. 5.
(24) Cf. can. 646-53 for the formation of novices; can. 659-60 for the formation of those temporarily professed; can. 661 for continuing formation.
(25) Cf. VC 52, 53.
(26) PC 2; can. 576, 578.
(27) VC 3, cf. VC 29.
(28) Cf. LG 44; MR 11; can. 576-578; 587.1; VC 25, 35, 92-95.
(30) Cf. VC 66, 93; Pontifical Work for Ecclesiastical Vocations, New Vocations for a New Europe (Final Document of the Congress on Vocations to the Priesthood and to Consecrated Life in Europe: Rome, 5-10 May 1997), nn. 15-19.
(31) Cf. St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, IIa-IIae, q. 184, art. 4.
(33) John Paul II, Address to the International Union of Superiors General (UISG), 18 May 1995. Found in L’Osservatore Romano (English version) 1995, n. 23, p. 3.
(35) Can. 659.2 and 659.3; PI 103.
(36) John Paul II, Address to the Bishops of Northeast Region II of the National Conference of Bishops of Brasil, 11 July 1995, n. 6. Found in L’Osservatore Romano (English version) 1995, n. 29, p. 5.
(38) Cf. EE 47; PI 60.
(41) John Paul II, Address to Women Religious, Florianopolis, 18 October 1991, n. 6. Found in L’Osservatore Romano (English version) 1991, n. 43, p. 14.
(42) Cf. EE III 12; MR 46; RHP 9; can. 659, 665. 1.
(43) In this document, “inter-congregational centers” of formation (as indicated in note 7) are all inter-congregational institutions which collaborate in the formation of their own members, whether they offer complementary courses or complete programs of study. In this document, centers which give a complete academic formation are called “institutes of religious sciences” andor “institutes of philosophical and theological formation”.
(46) Cf. MR 28, 31; VC 46, 50.
(47) John Paul II, Address to the Bishops of Northeast Region II of the National Conference of Bishops of Brasil, 11 July 1995. Found in L’Osservatore Romano (English version) 1995, n. 29, p. 5.
(48) Cf. can. 646, 659-61; PDV 42-59.
(49) Cf. OT 14; VC 14-16.
(50) VC 49; cf. PI 24-25.
(53) Cf. PI 45; can. 646.
(54) Cf. can. 646, 652.2, 652.3, and 652.4.
(55) John Paul II, Address to the Bishops of Northeast Region II of the Conference of Bishops of Brasil, 11 July 1995, n. 6. Found in L’Osservatore Romano (English version) 1995, n. 29, p. 5.
(57) Cf. can. 646, 648, 652.5.
(58) Cf. VC 46, 52.
(60) Cf. PI 13, 39-41.
(61) Cf. can. 659-61; PI 58.
(64) Cf. VC 16, 65.
(67) Cf. MR 18, 36, 37, 40, 56-58; can. 675.3, 678, 680, 680.1, VC 16, 31, 54-55.
(74) Cf. FLC 43, 54-57; VC 64.
(75) Cf. PI 66-71; VC 69-71.
(79) Cf. John Paul II, Post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Africa (14 September 1995), 55-71.
(80) It is necessary to distinguish institutes of religious sciences (which are considered in this document) from higher institutes of religious sciences which are erected by the Holy See and are sponsored by a Theological Faculty. Cf. Norms for Higher Institutes of Religious Sciences, Seminarium 1 (1991), pp. 194-201.
(81) Cf. John Paul II, Apostolic Constitution Sapientia Christiana, 1979, Part I: Common Norms, art. 62 § 1, and Part II (Congregation for Catholic Education), Applied Norms, art. 47.
(83) Cf. can. 237.2. Given the lack of specific law in this area, canonical references should be interpreted “by analogy”.
(84) Cf. Apostolic Constitution Pastor Bonus (28 June 1988), 108.2.
(85) Cf. Sapientia Christiana, Part I: Common Norms, art. 62, and Part II: Applied Norms, art. 47.
(86) Cf. Sapientia Christiana, Part I: Common Norms, art. 24.
(94) Cf. can. 250, 252-58; 1032.
(95) Cf. OT Introduction; RFIS I, 1-4; PI 108-09.
(96) Cf. can. 242; RFIS I, 2.
(102) Cf. can. 248, 253. Apostolic Constitution Ex Corde Ecclesiae On Catholic Universities (15 August 1990) Part II General Norms, 4, 3. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction Donum Veritatis On the Ecclesial Vocation of the Theologian (24 May 1990), 6 and 7.
(106) Cf. 1 Cor 11:1; 1 Thes 1:6. Cf. Jean Galot, S.J., “Mutual Esteem in Community”, Informationes SCRIS 1980, 269-74.
(107) John Paul II, Message to the XIV General Assembly of the Conference of Religious of Brasil, 11 July 1986, par. 4. Found in L’Osservatore Romano (English version) 1986, n. 35, pp. 2, 10. Cf. also John Paul II, Address to the Plenary of CICLSAL, 1 December 1988: Insegnamenti, XI4 (1988), pp. 1703-06.
(108) Cf. “Directives Concerning the Preparation of Seminary Educators”, Congregation for Catholic Education, 4 November 1993, nn. 79, 82; CD 5, 35; MR 31, 37; VC 53.
(109) Cf. VC 73, 94.
(111) Cf. VC 94, 95.
(112) Cf. VC 41-42; 72.
(113) VC 46; cf. RHP 24.
(114) Cf. MR 37; VC 4, 15, 31, 56.
(117) Cf. VC 77-83, 96-99; 101-03.
(119) John Paul II, Message to the XIV General Assembly of the Conference of Religious of Brasil, 11 July 1986, n. 4. Found in L’Osservatore Romano (English version) 1986, n. 35, p. 2.
(121) Cf. LG 46; VC 18.
(124) John Paul II, Message to the XIV General Assembly of the Conference of Religious of Brasil, 11 July 1986, par. 1. Found in L’Osservatore Romano (English version) 1986, n. 35, p. 2.
(125) Cf. RM 2; VC 110.

References: art. 4
 art. 62
 § 1
 art. 47
 art. 62
 art. 47
 art. 24