Meeting of the RIMOA /Europe Regional Training Team Lebanon - November 2013

Dear Sisters,

Sincere regards from RIMOA/Europe training team convened in Lebanon. We are happy to tell you, dear Unit and sector leaders what we are up to.We met from November 16 to November 20, 2013 in Beirut at the provincialate of Lebanon/Syria. The purpose of the meeting was to “think and reflect together in order to recognize our role (as delegates of the units in the RIMOA/Europe regional training team) and apply it step by step to the training”.

We had a rich meeting. As representatives of RIMOA/Europe, we shared our experiences as lived in our units in terms of application of the holistic model to the training. We came to know that although many achievements have been made in our units, there was still a long way to go in the process of applying this model to the training. We pondered over our role and tasks as trainers on how to be members of the congregation. We also thought about how to share our resources with other regions in terms of training, thus discussing our orientations for the training on the mission. Our meeting was held in the presence of Sister Marie Claude, the coordinator of RIMOA and Sister Dorothy, our link person for the training at RIMOA level.

The culture was one of the main issues which concerned us during the meeting. In our opinion, we need to refer such issue to the RIMOA/Europe leaders so that something is made in this regard. We suggest that we all organize a training workshop about the culture’s involvement in the training, the leadership, the community life and the culture of “Bon Pasteur” (the Good Shepherd). This would help us better perceive our tendency towards a common noviciate through language and the relevant problems.

Tangible suggestions at the meetings:

1. Training on the accompaniment by language group: French/ English
2. Organization of a session about the RIMOA/Europe culture for a better comprehension of ethnicity, tribalism.
3. Release all trainers of different stages for a training in order to perfectly achieve their mission.
4. On going Formation of the sisters of perpetual vows.
5. Training on the Good Shepherd culture to be given in the spiritual center of Angers in order to better exploit our riches in spirituality for example over the prayer as per Saint John Eudes.

We must point out that every evening, we had a discovery tour to 5 communities in Lebanon. And every time, we would share the dinner with the community and visit different apostolates established by our sisters: boarding school for children and shelter for young girls and women in difficult situations, as well as free clinic and multi-purpose social center. On November 21, we went on a pleasure trip during which we visited St. Charbel monastery in the morning and took a boat trip in the afternoon.

We have already scheduled our next meeting in Angers or Burkina in August 2014 in order to go deeply in the following issues:

1. To see how far each unit has gone in the updating of the training plan with the elements of the holistic model.
2. To deepen the Good Shepherd culture and our strong lines as Sisters of the Good Shepherd with the spirituality of St. John Eudes.
3. To invite the representative of Asia, Sister Tess to find out where her region is now in their experience with the application of holistic model to the training.
4. To look for a contact person who will make a statement on the challenges of the culture in the training.

We would like to thank Sister Marie Claude NADDAF and her province for having assumed all the costs of our stay.May God bless their spirit of sharing and grant peace for Lebanon/Syria and the entire Middle-East.

Your Sisters,

Martha, Santa Maria, Bernardine, Yvonne, Marie France, Annie andLeticia

Main source: buonpastoreint.org...

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