The Monastic Formators' Program

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The Monastic Formators' Program

The Current staff
- Sant’Anselmo, Rome
  
  Father Edward Mazuski has departed recently for Italy to participate in a three-month program for monastic “formators.” The program is based at Sant’Anselmo, the Benedictine center on the Aventine in Rome. The annual formators’ course prepares monks and nuns who are slated to take charge of the formation of postulants and novices in their communities, a role Fr. Edward has taken on as our Novicemaster. The program has been offered for over twenty years and includes participants from a variety of Benedictine communities. Since its beginning in 2002, the program is represented by Trappists, Cistercians of the Common Observance and Benedictines.
  
  The website for the Monastic Formators’ Program describes the “MFP 2022” as an opportunity where
  
  …monastic men and women from all over the world have the experience of being instructed by some of the important monastic teachers of our time. The Program is designed to meet the needs of those working in the field of monastic formation or are preparing to do so in the future. It was set up in 2002, at the instigation of the Abbots' Congress and is run with the full support and encouragement of both the Abbot Primate Dom Gregory Polan and the Abbot General OCSO, Dom Eamon Fitzgerald. So far, there have been nearly 360 participants from every continent and diverse monastic traditions.” (MFP 2022)
  
  Assisi, Italy
  
  The aims of the program are “academic, pedagogical, and pastoral,” as it seeks to provide scholarly foundations in the monastic tradition, combined with training in how to communicate this tradition “with love and enthusiasm.” MFP also addresses “questions of discernment and human and spiritual development.” The activities include lecture, group reflection and discussion, as well as excursions to monasteries and historic Christian sites. The first half of the program is based at Sant’Anselmo, while the final weeks move to the Oasi Sacro Cuore in Assisi, all the while incorporating various side excursions. The program is attended by Benedictines from around the world, allowing for valuable cultural exchange and a rich experience of community living and prayer.