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DOMINICAN PERMANENT FORMATION
The Dominican
Constitutions call the members of the Order of Preachers to
continual study as a permanent and on-going fundamental element of
Dominican life. LCO 84 says that “the brothers ought to apply
themselves to study with perseverance, recognizing that they are all
colleagues, mutually indebted to one another.” LCO 87 admonishes
superiors to “cherish study and promote it energetically. They
should ensure that all the brothers have the means and opportunity
for study.” LCO 89 states that the prior provincial has the
responsibility to “foster the participation of the brothers in study
sessions suited to their duties or ministry…,” etc.
Pope John Paul II’s
Apostolic Exhotation, Pastores Dabo Vobis, uses some phrases
to explain the necessity of study for ministers in the church that
are quite striking: n. 70 – “Every life is a constant path toward
maturity, a maturity which cannot be attained except by constant
formation.” Then he says this: “Permanent formation is necessary in
order to discern and follow this constant call or will of God” – a
passage that links on-going discernment to our growth in religious
life and ministry. The final passage I want to cite here is also
very striking: “Thus permanent formation is a requirement of the
priest’s own faithfulness to his ministry, to his very being. It is
love for Christ and fidelity to oneself. But it is also an act
of love for the People of God…an act of true and proper
justice: the priest owes it to God’s People, [who have a]
fundamental “right” to receive the word of God…”
The
study guides offered here on a monthly
basis are intended to provide resources for study in our priories
and in other group contexts for Dominicans, including, of course,
our Dominican Laity. May the Spirit of God anoint your reading,
your reflection, your conversation, and your common prayer with the
light of God’s own revealed truth.
Paul Philibert, O.P.
Promoter
of Permanent Formation |
