THE AFRAM BOARD MEETING IN KINSHASA 2010

We are happy to say: Africa and Madagascar is blessed by vocations! For centuries this continent and the neighboring islands have been receiving missionaries from Europe and America and later from Asia. Some years ago the trend is changing. They are sending missionaries in all continents. When the SVD AFRAM Zone was born in 1990 one of its main preoccupations was formation. The Provincials, Regionals and Mission superiors met regularly specially for the creation of Common Formation Centers (CFC) for Theology students and Brothers in temporary vows. The dream was realized in 1994. Later the AFRAM Formation Board (AFB) was created as advisory body of the Provincials. At present it is composed of the prefects of CFCs of Nairobi-Kenya, Tamale-Ghana, Kinshasa-Congo and the chairmen of the formation boards of the provinces of Angola, Botswana, Togo, the Region of Madagascar and the Mission of Mozambique.

The 9^th AFB meeting was held in Kinshasa, D. R. Congo last June 13-18. We discussed on the new document from the Generalate “Re-imagining the pathways of our common vocational journey” and pointed out the elements that could enrich the revision of the Handbook of the Common Formation Centers (CFC) which already needed updating. We examined further the project of opening a fourth CFC in Angola for those who want to study in Portuguese language. Moreover AFRAM is willing to send formandi to other countries outside the Zone who appreciate the African presence in their Scholasticate.

Aside from CFCs AFRAM has “common Novitiates” in Ghana for the English speaking and in D. R. Congo for the French speaking. Soon Angola will reopen its Novitiate. Hopefully in the future it could also accommodate other Portuguese speaking Novices. It is interesting to note that all the six AFRAM provinces and one Region have houses for Philosophy and Postulancy programs. The Zimbabwe Mission has already taken steps to restart. Mozambique Mission wants to inaugurate soon its formation program.

One of the dreams the AFB still want to realize is the exchange of Formators in the Zone. Hopefully with determined programming this will come true in the near future. Next year a month’s course for future Formators and current Formators who need basic formation is organized in Ghana. As we train more confreres there will be a wider choice of AFRAM Formators.

During our evaluation we saw that all the recommendations made by the previous AFB meeting were implemented though some still need to be retained. We also appraised the implementations of the recommendations given by the Assembly on Brother Vocation (Cebu 2009) in our formation programs. The reports were positive and encouraging. We thank the Area Coordinator for Formation, the chairman of the CNG Formation Board and the Hosting Province for a well organized and fruitful meeting.

Xene Sanchez, SVD

AFRAM Zonal Coordinator