Father Armada Riyanto CM (Commission of Vincentian Charisma and Culture of Asia Pacific) reports on the 13th meeting of Vincentian Formators from the Asia-Pacific  Region.

He writes… Priestly Formation is the very charisma of Saint Vincent de Paul. New Evangelization is now the urgent call from the Church to be responded. Within this context Vincentian Formators from Asia Pacific Regions has just held a beautiful gathering in Mysore, India, in March 2-12, 2015. They study and share to one another reflections and experiences of being formators within the main theme: “Vincentians in the 21^st Century and New Evangelization.” The theme is providentially also in correspondence with the next Assembly General of 2016.  The gathering is commonly known as APRF, Asia-Pacific Regional Formators Meeting; it makes up historically the 13^th meeting (the first gathering was 1995 in Manila). The meeting of formators takes place every 18 months as the former Father General, Robert Maloney, and the APVC (Asia Pacific Visitors Conference) set it up in a historical agreement.

Father Visitor Provincial, Fr. Mathew Onatt CM, and the organizers (confreres) from the province of the Southern India have been generously welcoming and entertaining the formators with inspiring programs: inputs, studies, group sharing, visits, cultural nights, and a day of touristic outings.  They are 48 participants coming from Solomon Islands, Fiji Islands, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan, China, Vietnam, the Northern India, as well as from the host province; there are also the Daughters of Charity from provinces of the Northern and Southern India as well as Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul invited to be present in the sessions of inputs.

The theme is dealt with in different sessions with diverse perspectives, such as “Evangelization: historical development”, “Various approaches to Christian Mission and possible responses”, “Principles of New Evangelization and Leadership”, “New Evangelization in relation to Evangelii Gaudium”, and “Formation of New Evangelization in Saint Vincent de Paul’s Approach.” Resource persons who accompany the formators to delve into the theme are Mgr. Simon Kaipuram CM (Bishop of Balasore), Father Vincent Kundukulam (Professor of theology from Pontifical Institute Alwaye, Kerala), Baiju Chittuparamban CM (Southern Indian Confrere working in the International School), Francis Puthanthayil CM (Northern Indian Confrere working for Vincentian Family), Daniel Franklin Pilario CM (Professor of systematic theology from Saint Vincent’s School of Theology, Manila), and Armada Riyanto CM (Indonesian Confrere teaching philosophy in Widya Sasana School of Philosophy, Malang). Inputs are then applied in formation strategies in seminaries of different provinces of Asia Pacific.

Formators’ Meeting is also blessed by the gracious presence of the Bishop of Mysore, Bishop Thomas Antony Vazhapilly as well as Bishop confrere, Bishop Simon Kaipuram (Bishop of Balasore) who generously supported us with beautiful and inspiring homilies.

The gathering ends with drafting recommendations and proposals to APVC (Asia Pacific Visitors’ Conference) that will follow up with policies of some renewals in formation matter of the region.

Reported by:

Armada Riyanto CM

(Commission of Vincentian Charisma and Culture of Asia Pacific).