FORMATION FOR INTERCULTURAL AND INTERNATIONAL LIVING

INTERNATIONAL MISSIONARY CONGRESS OFM Conv. Cochin, Kerala, India January 12-22, 2006 ZDZISŁAW J. KIJAS FORMATION FOR INTERCULTURAL AND INTERNATIONAL LIVING 2006 1

ZDZISŁAW J. Kijas FORMATION FOR INTERCULTURAL AND INTERNATIONAL LIVING Translation by Daniel Pietrzak Dear confreres, at the beginning of this report I would like to thank the Organizational Secretariat of the Congress for having invited me to speak before all of you today regarding the formation of friars for living in a multi-cultural and international setting. It is a great blessing and joy to be here and to speak on a very important topic which is vital and difficult. It is such not only for us but also for the Church and the entire world. Even though formation for intercultural and international living is demanding, it is also something beautiful. It is also something very important for today s world. We can say that it contains within itself something of a primitive desire of man to construct a tower of Babel. In every era man has tried to make humanity into one sole family, a possibly perfect, stable and perpetual unity. The formation of friars for living in a multi-cultural and international setting embraces all the activities carried out by our Order, but also by every friar, friary or every formation house to favour mutual understanding and the deeper appreciation of our charism, the spirit of friendship and peace. It strives to promote the best mutual understanding among friars from different countries, their cultures, traditions, their problems and their hopes. This happens through personal contacts, trips, participation in International Congresses, lectures and exchanges of correspondence, and also through cooperation and participation in different activities and projects. The quality of being intercultural and international is in our DNA, though the problem, the questions and the challenges remain. We experienced it from the beginning of our charism, from the times of Saint Francis. In reality many of our presences have been international and multicultural houses for years (e.g. the Seraphicum, Assisi etc.). Here I would only like to focus a moment on how to live this reality better. Today it is no longer a question of whether or not to live in this spirit of international and intercultural exchange, to open such friaries or not, but rather to ask ourselves how to help young friars to grow in their human, Christian and Franciscan vocation in an international and multi-cultural setting. The challenges of international and intercultural living can be a way to go forward in hope, as Pope John Paul II told us in his letter Nuovo Millennio Ineunte. It is the hope of living our charism more deeply. And therefore, to respond to the signs of the times, one of which is also international and multi-cultural living, we must deepen our understanding of this concept and reality with regard to formation. The formation of friars for living in a multi-cultural and international setting requires continuity and seriousness, because it never ends; rather it is always subject to study and improvement. I would like to propose and examine with you some points which, I hope, will help us to better understand what is at stake for our Order in such formation. How do we help friars to continually grow in their human, Franciscan, priestly vocations in international and multicultural houses? I am of the opinion that we do not have to first of all answer the question: how to live better in an international and multicultural settings but rather, how live one s human, Franciscan, priestly vocation etc. in a multicultural setting. These are the goals we must reach. 2

In fact, in the first part I would like to develop certain themes, important according to my opinion, for a profitable formation in houses with a multi-cultural and international setting. I call them objectives of formation. They are then the themes which deal with the human and spiritual as well as the academic dimension of the one being formed. The second part will be more practical, where I underscore some personal observations a propos of formation in multi-cultural houses. Both the first and the second part are based largely on my personal experience, because I have lived and continue to live in multi-cultural houses. OBJECTIVES OF FORMATION Forming for a live faith Faith tells us that we are a community of Christian perfection, whose journey is to tend to holiness, promised by Christ in his Gospel. Faith is not only openness to God. It also leads to radical openness to man and to the genius of man s activity. Faith opens us not only to those who share the same vocational journey with us, but also to all others. In faith in God, the eternal Father of every living being, Jesus Christ, Redeemer of all and the Holy Spirit, who sanctifies every man, we understand the need and the continual reminder for an international and multi-cultural stance, because faith tells us that God is the ultimate Source of every culture, of every nation. Forming for the Church enriched by the Franciscan charisma It is not superfluous to remember that as Conventual Franciscan friars we form one sole family which gathers in the name of Christ and wishes to help its members, taken from different countries and cultures, to fully respond to the call of Christ, to become saints, the visible witnesses of the beauty of the Father. We then can call ourselves a small Church, rich in the diversity of its gifts. I like to call our seraphic Order a Movement, because it brings out better the dynamism of our call, the spirituality of the pilgrim, the identity of sons of God called to become His witnesses in the world. Movement better expresses that inner dynamism, which characterizes an organism full of vitality, joy, with a clear project for the future. We then are the Movement marked by great dynamism, which is the dynamism proper to the living God, which despite its 800 years, is always growing both spiritually and numerically and qualitatively etc. However, we are also a well organized and structured Movement. As such, our friaries and houses of formation encourage their respective members to grow ever more in the Church and in the love of the Church and to mutually help each other become more active members of the Franciscan movement, a people of God in communion with its pastors. Our task is important because to a great degree we are the credibility of the Church, credibility of its unity in and thanks to its multi-cultural aspects. This is a great vocation and this responsibility falls upon us. We are a friary with other friaries, a province with other provinces, a movement with other movements. We then form a multi-cultural community within our own family and also within the Church. The participation in this multi-cultural reality of the Franciscan family has a considerable and essential importance for the future of our Franciscan charisma and also for the future of Christianity. Forming for the unity of our Franciscan call The House of formation (but likewise each individual friar) cannot live in isolation. If it works thanks to the dedication of its members, it is also helped and strengthened by all the 3

Franciscan communities spread throughout the world with which we live in more or less close communion. It is a spiritual communion, of values, of the same call and charisma, but also a juridical communion. This communion goes well beyond the simple means destined to coordinate, animate, unite, sustain and serve the houses of formation. We are dealing with the grace of unity, from which we benefit. This unity is different from uniformity. It is translated into the desire to go forward together in the spirit of and in fidelity to the objectives of each formative project, for the purposes of our vocation, for the needs of the world today. This difficult but always important task, seen from the formative aspect, is composed of 'welcoming and 'hospitality extended to the friars who come from other cultures. It is important to welcome a friar in the richness of his culture. It is not a matter of mere physical hospitality, but spiritual hospitality, the welcoming of his values (intellectual, spiritual, cultural etc.). Serious commitment to multi-cultural and international aspects cannot do without an exchange of material gifts. It is therefore important that the jurisdictions of the Order make a material contribution according to their means, to help the entire Franciscan family fulfill its mission of truly being a community, united deeply in its charisma but also rich in its international character. We should be able to help (on the economic level, too) our communities or jurisdictions which are poorer than our own to grow in this multi-cultural and international aspect. We should help them participate in the various meetings which give them strength and dynamism to live the spirit of our Order and its international character more deeply. Certainly, every country, every house of ours can speak of a kind of poverty and need, but perhaps elsewhere, in other countries might not the needs be greater, the necessities more impelling? We already form one single family, even though physically dispersed, present in all the continents, united however around the same charisma. Forming to accept the differences and the complementarity of cultures We find ourselves gathered around the table overcoming the barriers of language, cultural distances, age and experiences. We immediately succeed in praying together, placing in common the essentials of our life, reaching a deep spiritual and unique sharing and studying a theme without its becoming a problem. It is an opportunity we have of experiencing both the differences of cultures and their complementarity. This commitment is very difficult but also very important. Every culture, which is represented by a person, enjoys a certain dignity, must be respected, valued and helped to grow and become every more enriched. This is an onerous task in formation, which requires a spiritual and cultural openness to reciprocal differences both on the part of the formators and those being formed. The difference and complementarity of cultures should be manifest in the daily program of a house of formation. It should be underscored in times of prayer and recreation, in the liturgical and civil calendar, in religious and national holidays. Every moment is favourable for evidencing the pacific aspect of the differences of cultures. Forming for the dynamism of preaching the Gospel It is clear that we all have a mission in the Franciscan Order, that of participating in the common commitment of allowing the ecclesial community to live and grow. We will not linger on this mission because it seems quite obvious. We also have a mission in the world because as sons of Saint Francis we are called to be the yeast of renewal and to show through 4

our witness that we are at the service of love, happiness, holiness, communion with all, independently of their origin, culture, language or economic possibilities. Only in the dynamism of the preaching of the Gospel should we look for ways and means for a more adequate formation in living in multi-cultural and international settings. These cannot be considered as the goals of formation, but rather as privileged means for the preaching of the Gospel. It is precisely the great desire to proclaim Jesus Christ, with greater human dynamism and genius, which makes us think about the necessary means and possibilities which the world today offers, of which the reality of multi-cultures and international settings are really special. There are friars who have been able to overcome difficult problems in their spiritual, fraternal, pastoral etc. life by openness to friars of other cultures or by going abroad. A great area of challenge also exists in the Church in the area of catechesis, teaching, the new evangelization or pastoral work where one can verify, perfect and strengthen that dedication to multi-cultural and international aspects. Forming in the hope of a more productive collaboration Whatever the reasons which have induced us to enter the Franciscan family, we know well that it is Jesus Christ whom we want to encounter. The friendship which reigns in our friary should not override our love for Christ. Christ becomes incarnate in each of our lives, in each of our cultures and in each of our moments of sharing. May these always be based on truth, depth and love. The hope of the friars, of the houses of formation today for a more productive collaboration among cultures and nations, cannot exist without specific points of dedication, which are not an inflexible law but which must be the object of a free commitment. They are signals we place on the road that leads to God. Our world has need of witnesses of hope. However, it is not only a matter of eschatological hope, rooted in Jesus Christ. The world today also needs to experience in a peaceful way, in an imaginative creative way, the reality of multi-cultures and international intermingling, which can enrich every person. We should be bearers of this type of hope through our life, actions, words, choices and formative projects. Let us not be afraid to say where our hope and spiritual dynamism, our human enthusiasm and our capacity to experience this multi-cultural dedication come from. It is a difficult commitment and at the same time a beautiful one. In the world of today, which has so many human and spiritual needs, we should give witness to what inspires us, to our faith which is our hope for the future, the hope for a life reconciled with the diversity of cultures. Our strength is our living faith in Love, our faith in God who is Love and has become one of us. A fact which is at our service. The man of the 21st century (but also the Franciscan friar) often needs to rediscover his dignity as man, his respect for himself. Wherever we are, in our houses of formation, in our personal life, in our pastoral work, we should be bearers of the Gospel. Forming for dedication to charity In his letter Novo Millennio Ineunte Pope John Paul II reminds us what charity challenges us to in our age. The needs are many and call upon our Christian and Franciscan sensitivity. As Christians, and all the more so as followers of Saint Francis, we cannot but be 5

sensitive to the needs of our brothers many of whom live below the minimum which is indispensable and are excluded by economic, cultural, technological and human progress. As spiritual followers of our Seraphic Father who used to go through the world preaching that Love is not loved, we must live an active love both with regards to who is near (confrere, co-worker) and also with regards to who are far off. Our charity must also go towards those of other cultures, other social or economic states. Certainly, we recall the fact that the charisma of our Order is to live the spirituality of brotherhood, possibly with everybody, with all of creation. Nevertheless, in so far as we already have made a certain effort in living in intercultural settings, we can now, outside of these houses, dedicate ourselves to the service of those who find it difficult to live in intercultural and international settings, placing at their disposal the tried means of our own pedagogy in this field: prayer, reading of the word, common prayer, mutual dialog, spiritual retreat, a clear rule of life. All these concrete points of engagement are so many means to help us experience the value of intercultural exchange without its impoverishing us, or becoming a risk to our security. These means can help us overcome the difficulties along this journey, which is at the same time beautiful and hard. Forming for patience in progressing It is difficult, almost impossible, to indicate the precise times to fully experience the reality of multi-cultures. It is not (and cannot) be imposed from without, as an obligation, command, external imposition, but rather as the fruit of interior conviction. Every friar, as also every community, every house of formation, requires adequate time for maturing so as to better live interculturality and internationality. This is why a certain patience is needed, the acceptance of everyone s progress towards internationality, so that the latter can be true and mature. PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS Formation toward personal and vocational maturity in an intercultural and international setting involves projects and programs on every level. It is difficult to propose concrete projects, because every friary, every house of formation, every country where the friars of different cultures live should elaborate its own projects, which correspond to their needs, taking into consideration the number of friars, their background, their spiritual, emotional, pastoral and cultural needs with the above mentioned themes in mind. The Seraphicum (here we also have the Pontifical Faculty) has always been a privileged place to experience the intercultural and international dimensions of the Franciscan Movement. It is perhaps the best place for the elaboration of further programs for human and spiritual growth in a multi-cultural setting. However, as for every project, this formative project requires personnel capable to carry it out, the right time to bring it to completion and material support, to make the proposed project work. In formation for Franciscan life, which corresponds to the needs of the times, one can also ask if and how one is to live the Franciscan charism in a setting different from that of Europe where it began. It is an important question but very difficult to resolve at a table discussion. Rather it encourages us to real life experiences, which alone can suggest some answers. In formulating them, we must consider different factors as culture, the real needs of the friars, the different requirements of the persons in our midst, the greater pastoral project, the situation of the local and universal Church, etc. The topics listed in the first part of this 6

paper can help us elaborate such a valid and real project, because the most important thing in intercultural formation is the complete and harmonious growth of the person being formed. Certain openings to intercultural and international formation are possible and can enrich only those who are interiorly mature, firm in their faith and in their own vocation. It is already obvious that formation in these times cannot take place in a closed, homogenous setting, ignoring the multi-cultural reality of the Order as well as the world. However, questions remain, how: where is it to be done?, at what level? and with whom (also with other Franciscans)? Perhaps these questions are too generic and therefore ones that defy exact answers. We should rather analyze each case on its own merits, evaluate each centre and see on the one hand what the needs are and on the other hand what such a centre can offer us. Conclusion To conclude I should like to underscore yet again, that for a more mature formation in an intercultural and international setting three things of prime importance must be considered: 1) in the first place, the need of continuity: newness should not be sought at all cost in the field of formation in a multi-cultural setting, for the sterile desire of novelty. Instead past experience in this field should be valued recognizing its importance, especially when the project linked with it is still very useful. 2) Together with continuity, we should develop the capacity of sharing: our experiences (also the experiences of our communities) and abilities should be placed in common (the experiences of the old and young friars, formators and the ones being formed, students and teachers etc.) with others in order to increase synergy for better and more productive collaboration. 3) And finally, we should count on collaboration: if we want our formation project in multi-cultural houses to succeed, we have to single out a capable friar (or friars) to whom the direction (care) of such a project is entrusted. Formative projects which aim to help those in formation to grow humanly and spiritually in multi-cultural houses must however be mindful of the different needs of the respective friars, the respective houses of formation and also jurisdictions. A formation project intending to educate friars in deeper Franciscan life within a multi-cultural and international setting, must turn to the above-mentioned directives. And I repeat, a very interesting formative project, which aims at deepest formation, generally embraces continuity, sharing and the cooperation of so many friars, jurisdiction and friaries. Such a network helps also to gain experience so as to further perfect the ongoing projects. Kijas Zdzislaw President of the SERAPHICUM - Pontifical Theological Faculty-St. Bonaventure 7