AGENTS OF FORMATION F. The Spiritual Assistant The Spiritual Assistant through the witness and sharing of his/her own life is a key agent of Formation.

What do the General Spiritual Assistants have to say? In a new manual they have recently written, they state among the duties: The assistant’s specific area is spiritual: Fostering communion with the Church Bearing witness to Franciscan Spirituality To co-operate in formation and to nourish the Christian life of the fraternity.

He/she may serve in one or more of the following areas depending on the needs of the fraternity. As a member of the Formation Team. Initial and On-Going. 2. As a resource person for the Formation Team.

As an educator of the Initial and On-Going Formation Team. 4. As an evaluator of the Formation programs, both Initial and On-Going.

G. The SPONSOR The sponsor is a professed member, suitably qualified, who “walks with” the candidate through the studies and activities during the time of Candidacy.

The sponsor may be chosen by the Formation Team or by the candidate. The sponsor becomes a most valuable agent of Formation because of the personalized attention given to the candidate.

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H. Higher Levels of Fraternity Higher Levels of Fraternity (Regional, National, International) also participate in the formation and updating process of individual members and of local fraternities.

They may: provide guidelines for the formation programs; suggest styles and techniques of teaching; recommend resources and bibliography; and may also evaluate processes of formation used on local levels, and suggest improvements.

In situations where there is lack of personnel prepared for formation at the local level, several options are possible: a) A Formation Program held in common with several near-by Fraternities may be organized;

b) a travelling Formation Team might be responsible for the local Formation until a Formation Team is organized; c) a program to train Formation Teams may be established.

3. Where these or similar alternative types of formation are used, there must be no minimizing of the fundamental relationship between the candidate and the local Fraternity to which he/she belongs. The candidate must always be an active part of the local Fraternity, and the Fraternity must always be an important agent in the candidate’s formation.

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DISCUSION QUESTIONS 1. In your fraternity, how could a/the Spiritual Assistant help you? 2. How could you improve the teamwork aspect of a council and Spiritual Assistant in your fraternity? 3. How do you understand the sponsor program? 4. How do you understand that the SFO is a hierarchy with levels of governance? 5. Have you surrendered to your vocation as brothers and sisters of penance?