Claretian Formation

III. Fr. Peter Schweiger (1949-1967)473

1. Urgency of Vocations

The concern for vocations and for the numerical growth of the Congregation would become one of Fr. Schweiger’s concerns. In this sense, Fr. Schweiger addressed to the Congregation his circular letter “On the Search for, Selection and Cultivation of Vocations and on the Esteem of One’s Own Vocation” (1955).474 The title itself indicates its objective and contents.

1.1. Vocational Situation

Fr. P. Schweiger, referring to the recently published Catalogue of the Congregation,475 believes that the Congregation’s growth, although it appears constant in the last years, is not adequate to attain the aim of the Congregation. Taking in consideration the time of its foundation, over a hundred years ago, the increase of the Congregation is slow and the number of vocations that attend our formation centres is still meagre.

Within his universal vision of the Church he has a desire, typical in him, to universalise the Congregation further, spreading it throughout the world and he deeply regrets the scarcity of personal resources. Hence, “It is therefore absolutely and urgently necessary to foster and promote the increase of the Congregation by all possible means.”476

According to Fr. Schweiger, too, fostering and promoting by all means the increase of the Congregation is a necessity that does not admit delay.477 The fact of being one with the Church, the wide range of our apostolic mission478 and the insufficient number of missionaries in the Congregation479 for the fulfilment of its mission, are motivations that should urge the Congregation to work for vocations more intently.

Although it is a fact that the number of missionaries will always be insufficient, there are two elements at the base of Fr. Schweiger’s worry about its scarcity: The slowness of our growth (“too slow for the more than centenary age of the Congregation”) and the low perseverance of those who enter (“too small for the number of apostolic schools and of Postulants attending them”).

1.2. Means to Foster Vocations

Fr. Schweiger calls the attention about two dimensions: spiritual life and apostolic generosity. A spiritual life that is a reflection of, and leads us to live out our own missionary identity, “vere nominemur et simus” [that we may truly be and be called], will be blessed by the Lord with new vocations.480 Also, an apostolic generosity on the part of individuals, communities and provinces will be rewarded by the Owner of the harvest and will always be a source of vocational appeal to the youth.481

2. Vocational Screening

The urgency of having abundant vocations should not lead us to the admission of persons whom the Lord has not called, persons who have no vocation. This would be a great harm for the Congregation.482 Therefore:

“(…) as the numerical increase of the Congregation is sought, at the same time the qualitative growth should also be sought with all care and diligence.”483

For this reason, in the process of vocational discernment, the general and congregational criteria for screening should be taken into account.484

3. Vocational Acceptance

For Fr. Schweiger, an initial screening of vocations is not sufficient. Once vocations have been admitted to our Congregation, they should be “cultivated and formed with painstaking care.”485 Although Fr. Schweiger does not give any formation norm in this respect and follows the congregational tradition of admission of vocations, he underscores some pedagogical criteria.

The talents and the gifts of the postulants are the greatest wealth of the Congregation. For this reason they should be developed from the very first moments of their formation. If they are well developed, they will be greatly
profitable for the Congregation and its apostolic mission.486 To this effect, the formation has to be personalised to the maximum, avoiding gregariousness. Each postulant should be given the attention he needs in accordance with
his character, his gifts and personal talents.

These natural talents should be integrated in a vocational supernatural perspective within which they will be meaningful, avoiding any kind of formative dichotomy.487 Since education is a preparation for life, the formation of the postulants should be a formation for the religious life, that is, toward living the imitation of Christ who thus becomes the norm of life.488

The formation centre should be like the second family of the postulant. Therefore, the atmosphere lived and breathed in it should be a family atmosphere that will make living together and staying in the Congregation
something attractive and pleasant.489

4. Fostering the Esteem for Vocations

One of the worries that most afflict Fr. Schweiger is “the decline of the esteem for vocation” that, in the last years, has been acquiring ever-growing dimensions.490 Times have changed and are different from

“those times when religious vocation was appreciated as a heavenly treasure, a pledge of eternal salvation, corroborated by a divine promise on behalf of all who persevere in our Congregation till death. Religious Profession was considered as
a bond that could only seldom be dissolved, something similar to the priestly bond.”491

The causes of this decline in the esteem of one’s vocation are: deficient screening of candidates to religious life;492 deficient religious formation;493 the belief in the doctrine itself on the non-obligatory character of religious vocation, and the lack of religious spirit and of habitual spiritual life, that renders the religious incapable of enduring the sacrifice of the perfect imitation of Jesus Christ.494

As a remedy, we should, in the first place, insistently recall and try to internalise what our Fr. Founder tells us in the Constitutions about the “absolute need of being faithful to our vocation.” In the second place, vocational promoters should strive to make a truly painstaking screening of vocations and formators should offer and demand an ever more solid and complete formation from the first formative stages. The Superiors of the Congregation, in the third place, should assist those who are in danger of losing their vocation, to save it and to overcome
infidelity.495

Lastly, “the care for the fidelity to one’s vocation” should be fostered by means of prayer for one’s own perseverance and that of the brothers, and the creation of a positive spiritual and family atmosphere that may strengthen each one’s vocation.496