Br Paul Noonan Formation Centre, Tamale: INTRODUCING TAMMY

Monday, March 3, 2014

INTRODUCING TAMMY

The blog in 2012 chronicled the death of Rex, the novitiate dog. At the start of 2013 we got a new female puppy which, after some uncertainty, was named Tamale (or Tammy for short).

Under the devoted care of Martin, Tammy has grown and flourished. She is out and about after 6 pm each evening, helping the watchman keep the compound secure. Sometimes chasing a local cat which ventures onto our property distracts her, but otherwise she co-exists happily with the human and animal residents of our property and is a reassuring and friendly presence. She has never caught up with that cat, so maybe there is no real animosity there, either!

The Dog's Master and Handler - Big Martin feeds Tammy...

Martin prepares Tammy for a walk!

Like all professional dog handlers, Martin takes Tammy for a walk around the compound.

Martin and Tammy resting!

Tammy takes a loving hug before going back to the kennel.

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What do we want this novitiate to be?

There is a saying that goes something like this: “If we don’t do what we believe in, then we’ll end up believing in what we do”. Without a vision that is authentic and alive to guide our actions, then we can settle for rationalizing the status quo or what is convenient and comfortable.
One of the first things the new team in Tamale did was to spend time beginning to articulate its vision of a novitiate beyond the basics laid down in our Constitutions. Here are some elements of what we came up with:
Novitiate is a journey, a process that involves KNOWING, EXPERIENCING and CHOOSING.
It is an INITIATION into Christian Brother religious life, so a “rite of passage” into a new identity, a time of learning and testing.
Novitiate confronts the novices with the Brother’s vocation as a call to brotherly solidarity and community, not to privilege, status and security.
It involves exploration of the basic values of faith and vocation, and the challenge to embrace these out of personal conviction and free choice.
Novitiate means understanding that a religious vocation makes a claim on the whole of the person and his life, including his inner life, his relationships and his professional activity (ministry). Furthermore, it challenges the novice to see the dynamic inter-relationship of these areas and to learn what their integration means.
Novitiate is a time of DISCERNMENT. The novice learns more deeply who he is, and what this Christian Brother life is. There is a constant back-and-forth movement between these two poles as an answer is sought to the question, “Is this where I am meant to be? Is this the life that will enable me to find my true self in God?”