The methodology consists of assisting the novice directors to access their own experiences in the light of the magisterium of the Church and the Congregation, with the help of inputs, personal work, discussion and sharing.
The novice directors are mainly from Africa-Madagascar (AFE, AFW, MOZ, ZMB), South Asia (INB, INC, IND, INH, INK, INM, INS, LKC), and East Asia – Oceania (AUL, FIS, GIA, ITM, KOR, MYM, VIE), but there is also one from Interamerica (SUO), and one from Central & Northern Europe (UNG). Some of the participants are in their third term as novice directors while others are at the very beginning of their ministry, and one or two do not have any novices in the current year. The oldest is a sprightly 72 while the youngest is in the early 40s.
Besides the Rector Major himself, Fr Angel Fernandez, the animators included the former Rector Major Fr Pascual Chavez, general councillors Jean Paul Müller and Fabio Attard, and José Luis Plascencia, Mario Llanos, Andrea Bozzolo, Sr Bruna Zaltron, Bro. Raymond Callo, Eunan McDonnell, Carlo Maria Zanotti, Pier Fausto Frisoli, and Silvio Roggia, with other general councillors and members of the Generalate community dropping in at various moments of prayer. Bro Raymond Callo, formation coordinator of the East Asia – Oceania region, is part of the team responsible for the course, the others being the resident members of the Formation Sector.
The topics covered included challenges discernment in the novitiate (Roggia), and spiritual accompaniment (Callo).
