Pre Novitiate 2021

Pre-Novitiate Program

Br. Warren Perrotto MSC, Pre-novice Master

Pubished: 10th Nov,2021

If memory serves me correctly, in the January Fiji Diary, I mentioned that I was asked to be the Pre-Novice Master. Fr. Pone Luatuanuu, MSC, and Br. Colin Sinclair, MSC, and I coordinate the program.

In 1992, the MSC Formators met in Valladolid to discuss the congregation's formation programs. This meeting resulted in their formulation of what is known as the Valladolid Documents. It notes, the purpose of the pre-novitiate program is to help the candidate make a free and deliberate choice between the Christian states of life, to facilitate his human and spiritual growth, and to allow the community to assess the motives and readiness of the candidate for religious life. Normally this necessitates an experience of living in an MSC community for at least one year. (MSC Constitutions, 80, Guidelines for Formation, Valladolid Conference (VC), Spain, 1992.)

This stage of formation begins a journey to be a Missionary of the Sacred Heart (MSC). Thus, the prime motive of the candidate is to be an MSC. The pre-novitiate program begins planting the seeds for growth in the candidate's human and spiritual development. The Director and community members assist him in developing as an "integrated and integral human being." (VC, 1.1) The novice, indeed, is he, himself, the formator. His formation, thus, requires self-discipline, self-perception, openness for change, with a deep, internalised spiritual foundation to be one with the Sacred Heart, to be within and through His Sacred Heart, to be in Mission with the Sacred Heart, and to be His heart in this fragile and broken world.

Assessment of the pre-novice to move into the Novitiate Program involves evaluating his growth in his Emotional Maturity and Spiritual Life to be like Jesus "who loved with a human heart." Developing a Missionary Spirit is vital for becoming an MSC with a worldwide, integral mission to make the Sacred Heart known and loved everywhere. The novice must display a deep love for all persons with concern and compassion. Community living and community building are constituent elements of the Consecrated Life. Members must learn how to relate well with each other with charity and kindness. Intellectual Development and a Healthy Lifestyle likewise have a significant status for an MSC. Lastly, the novice is expected to have a growing sense of commitment to live the Consecrated Life as a Missionary of the Sacred Heart.

Here in Fiji, yours truly has "accompaniment" with the pre-novices every two weeks and group discussions, which include discussing concerns, evaluating the program at this moment, and evaluating their formator. They participate in the morning liturgy and community prayer with the professed members. They are to help with meal preparation for morning breakfasts and weekends. On Mondays to Fridays, they have three classes. The first is on the Consecrated Life, followed by two English classes. On Wednesday, Father Pone teaches Temporary Professed with the

Scripture. Br. Colin prepares the "examine" each evening. Tuesdays and Thursdays are workdays, and Mondays and Wednesdays are recreational days. Private prayer and study are required each day. This year's lessons on the Consecrated Life included MSC charism and spirituality, history, human development, human sexuality, and the meaning of the vows. (The vows and the Constitutions are more intensely examined in the novitiate setting.) In addition, the novices are required to give reflections during the Eucharistic celebrations. In English classes, they learn grammar, composition, how to provide oral reports and have debates. They learn to evaluate each other realistically after each does his presentation.

.............

Meet our Pre-Novices 2021

Mauri!!!

My name is Rutio Eterom, I was born on Christmas Island, June 18th 1999. I have seven siblings, and I am the second eldest in my family. Since high school, I have been thinking about becoming a Priest. After graduating from high school in 2018, I joined the Kiribati Pastoral Institute (KPI) to discern the will of God for my life. On December 5th, I first entered the MSC formation House in Kiribati to begin my aspirancy program. During this time, I felt homesick. I prayed hard to God to help me to get better. After a while, I felt normal, and I focused on my vocation. On October 10th 2020, I wrote a letter to the MSC Sacred Heart House in Fiji to apply to the MSC pre- Novitiate program to continue discerning the call of God. On March 8th 2021, I flew to Fiji for my pre- novitiate program. However, I did not go straight to where I was supposed to live due to the Covid pandemic.

After 14 days of quarantine, I finally reached the Wailoku formation house to begin my pre-novitiate year. I want to say that I am happy to live together with my MSC Brothers in this congregation because being in formation, self-discipline in prayer, human development, maturity, and awareness of different cultures are essential in the life of a Missionary of the Sacred Heart.

Living together as a community within this congregation, I know that it will help me become a better person with the help of God's grace and my MSC Brothers.

----------

Bula Vinaka,

I am David John Rounds, born on 15th September 1997, Suva, Fiji. I am the oldest of four siblings from a small fishing village on the coast of the Province of Serua, within the central division of the main island.

I just turned 24 recently, and I am currently in the pre-novitiate program. There are currently seven of us in the program, living together in a community with the professed members. Journeying along with my brothers has both been a challenge and a blessing. One of the biggest challenges I had and sometimes still face is cultural differences and the language barrier. And that is something we as a group are currently working on. Waking up early for prayers and Mass is also a challenge, which I am slowly overcoming. I enjoy the times we spend working together in the gardens. It is a time where we usually share our jokes and laughter. Mealtimes are always a particular time for me to share our stories and build our bond. The community sets up the programme; we also have our working days and prayer programs.

I am happy with my decision to join the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart from all the challenges faced. May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be everywhere loved...Forever. Vinaka.

Mauri!

My name is Iakoba Tarawa Matang. I am 23 years of age. I was born on June 28th in 1998, on the island of Tarawa in the Republic of Kiribati. I have four brothers and two sisters. My parents are still alive and live in Kiribati. In my life as an adult, I realised that there were many opportunities that I had experienced over the years. Sometimes I felt happy, other times, I felt sad. My life before was different from what I am experiencing now, inspired by the MSC brothers working or looking after the MSC parish. It is a new experience for me when I entered this year as an MSC pre-novice.

Life in a Religious community is challenging. However, the challenges I face can be overcome through my private prayer, community prayer, our work together to share and strengthen our love of Christ. Thank you, May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be loved everywhere, Forever.

-------------

My name is Atanikakia, and my parents are Tiotebwa and Atinta. I was born on May 28th 1997, on the island of South Tarawa at Betio village, Republic of Kiribati. I am the fourth child in my family. I have three brothers and four sisters, but one of them passed away in 2019, which makes them three at this time. I am 24 years of age and I am a pre-novice in the formation program to be a Missionary of the Sacred Heart. I arrived in Fiji on March 6th. After 14 days of quarantine, I and my fellow pre-novices were able to begin our program. Being an MSC pre-novice has been a great challenge and I have had to overcome many complex challenges.

It has been a good experience being in the pre-novitiate program. I am learning new things and learning about other cultures from my brothers of different ethnic groups. In addition, I see life in the MSC community as very much alive. The professed members always care for us by talking, sharing, joking and working with us. They even help us with our academic work. The most interesting part of the program is the prayer life. In the morning, we wake up and attend Mass. Following Mass, we have our breakfast.

A prayer starts all our programmes. In the afternoon, at 5:45 pm, we have Evening Prayer and, later, Night Prayer. When I see this kind of community, I am happy and proud to become an MSC. In the program, there are also challenges. The first challenge that comes to mind is adapting myself in communicating with others from different cultures. I found it very hard at first, but I am adapting better to it as time passes. Another difficulty I experience is speaking English. It has been tough for me to speak English every day because my brothers are from different ethnic groups with different English pronunciations. English is the only language we speak. I keep trying to speak in English so that I can keep up with my brothers.

At this very moment, I am now very grateful to be here to witness the sharing of God's love to the world by learning and experiencing the Spirituality of the Heart. Therefore, this makes me want to know more about the Spirituality of the Heart to spread it to those who haven't known it. May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be everywhere loved. Forever.

----------

Mauri!

My name is Marutia Teatanati, and I'm 22 years old. I was born in Tarawa at Nawerewere hospital in the country of Kiribati. I come from a nuclear family; I am the eldest child. There are seven of us in the Pre-novitiate programme, of which five come from Kiribati and two from Fiji. Our pre-novitiate director is Br Warren Perrotto, who is from the United States Province. We are finishing our pre-novitiate programme soon and are looking forward to going to Wainadoi for the novitiate. I usually wake up at 5:30 am to prepare myself before the morning prayer and Mass at 6:00 am. Straight after Mass, we prepare for breakfast and then for our classes. We start at 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, and after that, we say the rosary and then go straight to the dining room for lunch at 12:30 and then we rest until work at 2:30 pm. For work, we join the community on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

My experience here is very interesting because it is my first time living with different people from different countries and cultures. I am learning their languages. I receive their love, support, courage, and help, especially when we are joined together for social gathering on Friday evenings. More importantly, I am learning about the charism, spirituality, nature of Consecrated Life and vows for becoming a Missionary of the Sacred Heart.

My prayer life and human development have been strengthened through these concepts. In this programme, it is like I am living with my own family. I very much appreciate this experience. Please pray for my perseverance in my resolve to be a Missionary of the Sacred Heart.

------------------