During the last General Chapter (July, 2018) information was sharedabout ongoing formation, including a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. It was noted that participation in the pilgrimage is for anyone in formation ministry, not just those taking part in the extended program in Rome. The pilgrimage will follow in the footsteps of Fr. Dehon. The Formation Program at the General Curia is coordinated by Frs. Zeferino Policarpo, Sergio Rotasperti and Ricardo Freire.
Who may take part in the pilgrimage?
The pilgrimage is primarily designed for confreres who are attending the Dehonian Formation Course in Rome organized by the General Curia, and for confreres who, in the entities, currently work in the field of initial formation (Postulancy, Novitiate and Scholasticate). If there is space, the invitation will be extended to other confreres. The trip can accommodate 35-40 people.
Program
This lifelong learning initiative will be in three stages:
First part: Preparation
Participants must arrive at the Generalate (Rome) by July 1, 2019. In the following days (2-8 July) there will be several morning meetings; afternoons will be free for reading and personal formation. The meeting topics:
02/07: History of the Holy Land: yesterday and today – Fr. Ricardo Freire, SCJ
03/07: Religions in the Holy Land. Holy Land today – Marwan Youssef (Lebanese Melchite priest)
04/07: Father Dehon in the Holy Land: Fr. Francisco Costa, SCJ
05/07: The role of the Holy Land in the life of Father Dehon – Fr. Juan José Arnaiz Ecker, SCJ
06/07: The itinerary of the Pilgrimage – Fr. Zeferino Policarpo, SCJ
07/07: Free day
08/07: Departure from Rome to Tel Aviv
Second part: Pilgrimage to the Holy Land
After initial preparation in Rome, we will make the pilgrimage to the Holy Land following the steps of Father Dehon from 8 to 24 July. This pilgrimage theme: “In the Heart of Jesus with the heart of Father Dehon” and we will take as inspiration the phrase from our Rule of Life: “His way is our way” (Cst 12). See the specific program attached.
Third part: Conclusion
After the trip to the Holy Land, we will return to Rome to conclude with the following program:
25/07: Father Dehon in Rome: Dehonian Places. Conclusion with the commissioning of Christ the King
26/07: Father Dehon and the Rome conferences – Fr. Stefan Tertünte, SCJ
27/07: Evaluation. Final Mass and festive dinner
28/07: Departure
Registration and contacts
Registration is open online until November 15, 2018, at:
www.luoghidehoniani.org/terra-santa
For more information, please contact Fr. Zeferino Policarpo: zino@dehonianos.org
