Claretian Formation
A lifetime process of conformity with Christ, audacious in mission
We conceive the formation of Claretians as an undivided process of progressive conformity with Christ and joyful sharing in his mission, a journey of life that lasts until the last breath of a Claretian.
Four pillars of Claretian formation
The General Plan sets the frame, the Manual turns it into practice, the books deepen it, and the Church documents anchor it in the Magisterium.
General Plan of Formation
The Magna Carta on formation that the Congregation, as mother and teacher, offers to its members and above all to its new missionaries.
Formation Manual
The Forge of the Missionary: six dimensions, four stages, accompaniment and discernment, and practical tools for formators.
Formation Books
Books and booklets written by Claretians for formators, those in formation and every member of the Congregation.
Church Documents
Church teaching on formation from 1954 to today, with the passages that bear on formation and links to the full texts.
Everything for each stage, in one place
Each stage joins its chapter of the General Plan, its section of the Manual, and a companion book.
Pre-Novitiate
Aspirancy and postulancy: discernment, human grounding and vocational awareness.
- General PlanChapter 7 · Stage of preparation
- Companion bookClaretian Vocation Directory
Novitiate
Initiation: prayer, Claretian identity, the evangelical counsels and community life.
- General PlanChapter 8 · Stage of initiation
- Companion bookInitiation into the Missionary Life
Post-Novitiate
Development and consolidation: study, community, ministry and affective maturity.
- General PlanChapter 9 · Development and consolidation
- Companion bookInitiation in the Ministry of the Word
Ongoing Formation
Lifelong re-forging: renewal, fidelity and missionary creativity at every age.
- General PlanChapter 11 · Ongoing formation
- Companion bookletOngoing Formation in Claret
Six dimensions of transformation
The Formation Manual's map of the whole person, grouped as human, Christian and Claretian.
Human Formation
Core skills and self-capacities
Intellectual Formation
Study as a formative practice
Spiritual Formation
Virtues and life in the Spirit
Pastoral Formation
Mission, service and leadership
Charismatic Formation
Claretian identity and charism
Community Formation
Fraternal life and shared mission
Looking for the earlier articles on the affective, somatic, moral and apostolic dimensions? They are kept in the dimensions archive.
Essential reading
Texts of the Magisterium every formator should know, with the passages that bear on formation.
Vita Consecrata
John Paul II on consecrated life and its mission in the Church and the world.
Read the formation excerpts →Starting Afresh from Christ
A renewed commitment to consecrated life in the third millennium.
Read the formation excerpts →Psychology in Formation
Guidelines for the use of psychology in the admission and formation of candidates for the priesthood.
Read the formation excerpts →Formation is not the management of behavior, but the awakening of freedom in Christ.Claretian Formation Manual
Animating formation across the Congregation
The Prefecture assists the Superior General and the General Government in the animation of formation, the preparation of formators and the application of the General Plan.