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Cebu, November 2024
Situated in the city of Cebu, Philippines, the Scalabrinian Postulancy Formation House invites individuals discerning a life of service, spirituality, and community. Under the guidance of Fr. Alvirio Mores, C.S., as Rector, and Rev. Deacon Hugo Antonio Facio Hernandez, C.S., as Animator, the 2024-2025 program is rooted in an international community dedicated to nurturing each postulant's vocation. This year’s cohort includes 16 postulants, comprising seven from Vietnam, four from Indonesia, and four from India, all embarking on a transformative journey toward deeper faith and purposeful living.
What Is the Postulancy Formation Program?
The Scalabrinian Postulancy Program bridges the gap between initial philosophical studies and the novitiate, providing a critical phase in the journey toward religious life. Focused on guiding postulants to a “mature and responsible choice” in line with the Scalabrinian way, the program emphasizes intentional growth in five core pillars: Human, Spiritual, Religious Life, Intellectual, and Apostolic dimensions. Through each of these areas, postulants receive deepened insights into themselves and their faith, empowering them to embody the Scalabrinian spirituality and mission to serve migrants and communities around the world.
Key Pillars of Formation
Human Dimension
The Postulants will continue to grow in their process of self-knowledge in a holistic way. Thus, they will profound their sense of belonging in the Scalabrinian community through: a) participating actively in everyday life; b) sharing their talents and expressing their affectivity and sexuality in a mature way through healthy relationships with their confreres, Formators and people in their communication.
Actions: Dialogue, integration, fraternal correction, companionship, and counseling.
Spiritual Dimension
The Postulants may have Jesus Christ as the center and as constant reference in their lives. Thus, they will deepen their personal relationship with the Lord and strengthen that relationship through an active sacramental life and interiorizing their prayer life.
Actions: Daily Eucharist, weekly adoration, spiritual direction, confession, rosary, and monthly retreats.
Community Religious Life
The Postulants will be opened to build and to live in Postulancy community through: a) appreciating their own “cultural values”; b) living in simplicity, detachment, poverty; c) opened to Scalabrinian Spirituality.
Actions: Community projects, discernment, regular meetings, and dialogues with formators.
Intellectual Dimension
The Postulants may master English language, deepening knowledge of our Founder, Saint Scalabrini, history of our Charism and Congregation, cultivation intellectual capacity for higher education.
Actions: Writing a Personal Project of Life, growing in personal vocational discernment, moving to University educational level, growing in intellectual methodology.
Scalabrinian Apostolic Dimension
The Postulants will exposure themselves in Pastoral experience in the migrants field; become able to prepare for cultural pastoral ministry: Catechisis, Preaching; and learn how to live and work in a team approach.
Actions: To know the life of our Founder, Congregation, Charism; To know about migrants, refugees, seafarers, fishers; To take up the experience of being migrants all their life; To care about their vocation; To live and work in intercultural world.
Program Goals
The overarching goal of the Scalabrinian Postulancy Program is to help postulants clarify their vocational path and confirm their suitability for religious life. Specifically, the program aims to:
Deepen vocational commitment through immersion in community life and apostolic life according to the Scalabrinian Charism.
Foster personal responsibility: to deepen awareness requested to join religious life;
Develop competence in the five key dimensions of Scalabrinian formation, preparing postulants for the next steps on their spiritual journey.
Since its first cohort in 2010, the Cebu Postulancy Formation Program has guided countless postulants toward discerning their calling with a spirit of purpose and service. The program continues today, inspiring the next generation of Scalabrinian missionaries dedicated to serving the migrants with compassion and faith.
Fr. Alvirio Mores, CS
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