On 15 March 2006 the Minister General, Fr. José Rodríguez Carballo OFM, issued the decree for the transfer of the Novitiate house of the Custody from the friary of Saint John «in Montana» in Ain Karem to that of Saint Catherine «ad Nativitatem» in Bethlehem.
On 1 July, the Custodial Discretorium appointed the formation staff of the new Novitiate house, composed of Fr. Noel Muscat, Master of Novices, Fr. Marcello Badalamenti, Vice-Master, and the members of the «coetus formatorum», Fr. Justo Artaraz, Guardian, Fr. Amjad Sabbara, Parish Priest, and Fr. George Lewett. The group of novices for the year 2006-2007 is made up of six young men. Three have concluded their postulancy year in Ain Karem. They are Br. Jean Choupin (USA), Br. Ariel Dubè (Argentina) and Br. Sergio Galdi (Italy). The other three have concluded their postulancy year and the two-year course in philosophy at the friary of Harissa, Lebanon. They are all Lebanese, Br. Ziad Assaf, Br. Jihad Krayem, and Br. William Makary. The young men were vested by the Fr. Custos on 2 September, during the celebration of the feast of the prophet St. Moses, on Mount Nebo. Three of the novices arrived in Bethlehem on 11 September, while another three came over from Amman, Jordan, on 29 September. The canonical novitiate year started officially on Sunday 17 September. The arrival of the novices is a welcome event in Bethlehem. This friary was a house of formation for temporary professed philosophy students until 2004. Since then the student quarters have remained empty. Now they are back to life as living quarters for novices.
The novices and their formators were cordially welcomed by the Guardian of Bethlehem, Fr. Justo and by all the friars. The presence of young men in the fraternity is certainly a boost to fraternal life and to the importance which the sanctuary of Bethlehem has in the Custody.
The project of life of the novices has been structured upon the requirements laid down in the Order’s documents, particularly the General Constitutions and Statutes and the «Ratio Formationis Franciscanae». It is essentially made up of the following points:
(1) Life of prayer. The novices take part in all the moments of prayer of the fraternity, including the Eucharist, Morning and Evening prayer, Meditation and the daily procession to the Nativity Grotto. They also pray together the other canonical hours of the Liturgy. On Thursday morning they take part in the sung Mass in the Nativity Grotto and in the evening they have one hour Eucharistic Adoration. On Friday afternoons they pray the «Via Crucis». On Saturday mornings they have Mass in the Novitiate chapel, presided by their formators. All novices are bound to go regularly to a spiritual director. Once a month the novices have a one-day retreat, and an experience of the Franciscan Rule for Hermitages will be organized in spring at St. John in the Desert. The programme also includes participation in the various moments of «peregrinatio» to the sanctuaries of the Custody, in the «Via Crucis» and in the celebrations at the Holy Sepulchre.
(2) Fraternal life. The novices are fully inserted into the life of the Bethlehem fraternity, through participation at meals, recreation and moments of manual work. Although the formators have insisted upon the privacy of the living quarters of the novices, all the friars are most welcome to join them for recreation on the occasions of feasts.
(3) Minority, poverty, evangelization. The Novitiate is not the year for apostolic activities. The Order, however, invites the novices to undertake a minimum of apostolate of charity in favour of the poor, as part of their calling to minority. The novices will be dedicating Wednesday afternoons for this aim. Arrangements have already been made for them to go regularly to the creche of St. Vicent.
(4) Formation. The formation programme includes regular lessons four days a week. Lessons will formally start on 11 October in the following subjects: The Franciscan Rule; Writings of St. Francis and Franciscan Sources; Franciscan History; Theology of Consecrated life; Lectio Divina; History of the Holy Land Custody; Franciscan presence in the Holy Land; Eucharist and Liturgy of the Hours. A week-long intense period of formation in the Admonitions and Testament of St. Francis is planned for the period February-March 2007, for which a Franciscan lecturer from Italy will be invited.
Last but not least, the Novitiate project of life dedicates time for a holistic formation of the novices. On Thursdays after Mass they are free to follow a varied programme, including one monthly outing together, and one day of personal freedom, with the aim of helping them to develop maturity in the use of free time. There is time for sports in the small gym as well as with the students in Jerusalem. The novices can also make use of internet at specific moments, particularly during the weekends. The parish of Bethlehem can also offer limited possibilities, particularly for the Arab-speaking novices. They will serve in the Sunday Masses of the parish. The novices have also started being introduced to the other realities of the apostolate of the friars of Bethlehem, particularly the parish, the Terra Sancta school, the work for justice and peace, the sanctuaries of Shepherds’ Field and the Milk Grotto, as well as to the reality of the local Church in Bethlehem.
Fra Noel Muscat
On 1 July, the Custodial Discretorium appointed the formation staff of the new Novitiate house, composed of Fr. Noel Muscat, Master of Novices, Fr. Marcello Badalamenti, Vice-Master, and the members of the «coetus formatorum», Fr. Justo Artaraz, Guardian, Fr. Amjad Sabbara, Parish Priest, and Fr. George Lewett. The group of novices for the year 2006-2007 is made up of six young men. Three have concluded their postulancy year in Ain Karem. They are Br. Jean Choupin (USA), Br. Ariel Dubè (Argentina) and Br. Sergio Galdi (Italy). The other three have concluded their postulancy year and the two-year course in philosophy at the friary of Harissa, Lebanon. They are all Lebanese, Br. Ziad Assaf, Br. Jihad Krayem, and Br. William Makary. The young men were vested by the Fr. Custos on 2 September, during the celebration of the feast of the prophet St. Moses, on Mount Nebo. Three of the novices arrived in Bethlehem on 11 September, while another three came over from Amman, Jordan, on 29 September. The canonical novitiate year started officially on Sunday 17 September. The arrival of the novices is a welcome event in Bethlehem. This friary was a house of formation for temporary professed philosophy students until 2004. Since then the student quarters have remained empty. Now they are back to life as living quarters for novices.
The novices and their formators were cordially welcomed by the Guardian of Bethlehem, Fr. Justo and by all the friars. The presence of young men in the fraternity is certainly a boost to fraternal life and to the importance which the sanctuary of Bethlehem has in the Custody.
The project of life of the novices has been structured upon the requirements laid down in the Order’s documents, particularly the General Constitutions and Statutes and the «Ratio Formationis Franciscanae». It is essentially made up of the following points:
(1) Life of prayer. The novices take part in all the moments of prayer of the fraternity, including the Eucharist, Morning and Evening prayer, Meditation and the daily procession to the Nativity Grotto. They also pray together the other canonical hours of the Liturgy. On Thursday morning they take part in the sung Mass in the Nativity Grotto and in the evening they have one hour Eucharistic Adoration. On Friday afternoons they pray the «Via Crucis». On Saturday mornings they have Mass in the Novitiate chapel, presided by their formators. All novices are bound to go regularly to a spiritual director. Once a month the novices have a one-day retreat, and an experience of the Franciscan Rule for Hermitages will be organized in spring at St. John in the Desert. The programme also includes participation in the various moments of «peregrinatio» to the sanctuaries of the Custody, in the «Via Crucis» and in the celebrations at the Holy Sepulchre.
(2) Fraternal life. The novices are fully inserted into the life of the Bethlehem fraternity, through participation at meals, recreation and moments of manual work. Although the formators have insisted upon the privacy of the living quarters of the novices, all the friars are most welcome to join them for recreation on the occasions of feasts.
(3) Minority, poverty, evangelization. The Novitiate is not the year for apostolic activities. The Order, however, invites the novices to undertake a minimum of apostolate of charity in favour of the poor, as part of their calling to minority. The novices will be dedicating Wednesday afternoons for this aim. Arrangements have already been made for them to go regularly to the creche of St. Vicent.
(4) Formation. The formation programme includes regular lessons four days a week. Lessons will formally start on 11 October in the following subjects: The Franciscan Rule; Writings of St. Francis and Franciscan Sources; Franciscan History; Theology of Consecrated life; Lectio Divina; History of the Holy Land Custody; Franciscan presence in the Holy Land; Eucharist and Liturgy of the Hours. A week-long intense period of formation in the Admonitions and Testament of St. Francis is planned for the period February-March 2007, for which a Franciscan lecturer from Italy will be invited.
Last but not least, the Novitiate project of life dedicates time for a holistic formation of the novices. On Thursdays after Mass they are free to follow a varied programme, including one monthly outing together, and one day of personal freedom, with the aim of helping them to develop maturity in the use of free time. There is time for sports in the small gym as well as with the students in Jerusalem. The novices can also make use of internet at specific moments, particularly during the weekends. The parish of Bethlehem can also offer limited possibilities, particularly for the Arab-speaking novices. They will serve in the Sunday Masses of the parish. The novices have also started being introduced to the other realities of the apostolate of the friars of Bethlehem, particularly the parish, the Terra Sancta school, the work for justice and peace, the sanctuaries of Shepherds’ Field and the Milk Grotto, as well as to the reality of the local Church in Bethlehem.
Fra Noel Muscat