Br Paul Noonan Formation Centre, Tamale: Reception of Novices

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Reception of Novices

Our fourteen new novices arrived at the Br. Paul Noonan Formation Centre in Tamale on February 6, but their formal reception into the novitiate did not take place till February 19. This marked the official start of the novitiate experience that will unfold over the next 21 months, culminating in the first profession of vows in late November, 2012. For two weeks the new arrivals were introduced to a new country and place (none of them are Ghanaians), new companions and mentors, and the particular way of life that goes with a religious novitiate. Two weeks is not enough for a complete introduction to so many new things, but at least heads had stopped spinning, and feet were more-or-less on the ground, for the ritual that signaled the beginning of this special time.
We were delighted to be joined by Christian Brothers from the Choggu community, and a cross-section of our religious brothers and sisters from congregations in Tamale, to witness the young men asking for admission and being accepted. The novices were presented with symbols of the journey ahead – a candle of encouragement and some of the basic sources of nurture and challenge for them on this journey - the Bible, the Constitutions and the 2008 Congregation Chapter document.

In the photos above (from top left going clockwise) we see Br. Tony, the Director, speaking at the Reception; Br. Kevin presenting the Bible to the novices; Br. Con pouring a libation for the ancestors; and the final blessing of the novices by the assembled community.

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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?”