Br Paul Noonan Formation Centre, Tamale: From Novices to Brothers

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

From Novices to Brothers

Victor steps forward to make his vows.

Novitiate is a time of initiation, discerning and preparation. By definition, it leads to a decision and a commitment. The Tamale novitiate group of 2011-12 took the final step in their journey of initiation on Saturday, November 24, when they made their First Profession as Christian Brothers at Sts. Peter and Paul church.

Special guests, Br. Chris Teh from Sierra Leone (2nd from left) and Br. Alfred Banda (right) from Zambia.

This public and solemn act of self-giving took place, fittingly, in the setting of a Eucharist, the celebration of Jesus’s giving of himself in perfect love to God. The Archbishop of Tamale, Philip Naameh, presided at the Eucharist, and linked the step being taken by these ten young men with the Year of Faith being celebrated by the Catholic Church.

After the profession comes the moment for congratulations.

The vows were formally received on behalf of the Congregation Leader by Br. Chris Teh, the District Leader of the West African District within the Africa Province.

Ten men, eight from Africa (one from Sierra Leone, three from Kenya, four from Zambia) and two from Papua New Guinea (part of the Oceania Province), took the vows of Evangelical Poverty, Chastity and Obedience for one year. They have at least six years of annual profession to experience the life of a professed Brother and to be confirmed that this is where God is calling them. They then will have the chance to ask to make a life commitment through Final Profession.

The ten new Brothers at the reception after the Mass.

By the end of the day they were all experiencing a mix of joy, excitement, relief and satisfaction. The novitiate is over, and now begins the new challenge and adventure of life as a professed Brother in their countries of origin. We say Thank You for the way they have entered into the novitiate experience and offer blessings for the year ahead.

Br. Tony Shanahan CFC (Director)

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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?”