POSPA: Commitment to the formation of formators of seminarians continues

A workshop on formation and synodality was held at the end of November in Bomana in Port Moresby, capital of Papua New Guinea, for those responsible for the formation of seminarians.

Strongly desired by the Episcopal Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, this course was attended by Father Guy Bognon PSS, Secretary General of the Pontifical Society of St. Peter the Apostle (POSPA), and Father Alessandro Brandi, a collaborator of POSPA.

“When we first came here to Papua last April,” Fr Brandi says, “we attended a meeting with the Commission of the Episcopal Conference that deals with seminaries, chaired by Bishop Douglas Young SVD, and made up of the rectors of the seminaries.  

During that meeting we perceived the commitment that is being made to improve formation, to make seminaries grow, and we therefore proposed to them that a course for all formators be held at the national level”.

Some 23 rectors, spiritual fathers, vice-rectors of seminaries in Papua and Solomon Islands, both diocesan and inter-diocesan, and those belonging to some religious congregations (including Vincentians, Montfortians, Verbites and Franciscans) took part in the course, which was held at the Holy Spirit seminary in Bomana.

The focus of the formation week was the “Ratio fundamentalis”, the document of the Magisterium that regulates formation in seminaries. It was presented in general terms and then some specific topics were explored, such as the role of the educative community of formators, personal accompaniment and the spiritual accompaniment of seminarians. The activities also included the testimony of Mrs. Grace Wrakia, Papua New Guinea's delegate for the Synod in Rome, who spoke about the synod's final document, proposing a synodal perspective on the formation of seminaries.  

The workshop took place in a very familiar atmosphere and in an atmosphere of recollection. There were opportunities for recreation and fraternal sharing such as a visit to the nature reserve and the national museum in Port Moresby. At the end of the week, Father Bognon and Fr Brandi visited the Apostolic Nunciature, which has at heart POSPA’s commitment to the formation of seminarians in Papua New Guinea.