Inter-cultural and Creational Community at the Novitiate

The present group of novices started their novitiate year on two different days. It first set out on July 15, 2018 with three postulants joining from East Asian Delegation, specifically from China. They are Zhang Luheng, Chen Yuanman and Wang Denggao. The second occasion was the 7th of September, 2018 with the entrance of ten postulants among whom seven are from Sri Lanka, namely: Iruthayaraj, Kirishanth, Merinraj, Suganthan, Rajeevan, Stephenraj, and Kingsly; two postulants from the Indonesian Delegation, namely: Dominikus and Johannes, and one from the United States/Canada province, Norbert. In addition, brothers Aquinas Culas and Maria Thevan, whose novitiate period was extended, are a part of the novitiate community. It’s obvious that the novitiate community of this year is diverse in cultures, countries, age, experience, etc.
The orientation programme prior to the entrance to the Novitiate was held from the 25th to the 30th of August. Then on the following six days the postulants attended the retreat as a preparation for the entrance, which was preached by Fr. Milfer Vaz, CMF.
The core part of this formative experience is portrayed in the objective of the novitiate year 2018-2019: “We strive through our integrated multi-cultural and creational community with prayer, contemplation and active listening like Mary to develop a deep missionary love of Christ by following the footsteps of our founding Father Claret.” Each programme of the novitiate is focused to achieve this objective, which touches the areas of inter-culturality, ecology, Claretian spirituality and the missionary life.