Formation issues over coffee

My return flight to Rome yesterday was the same as that booked by Paul Formosa, who has come to Italy for a series of formation meetings in Turin. I met Paul at his house — St Alphonsus — at 7.00… and after a quick cup of coffee, Eric Cachia brought the two of us to the airport.

Paul Formosa, Salesian leader of Malta

Malta's airport is stupendous: open spaces, a great atrium, marble floors, spacious areas for clearing security… and there it was basically empty when we got there. So we had a chance to have another cup of coffee as we waited at the gate. How cool is that? Instead of tight chairs crowded in the gate area, Malta's departure lounge if filled with tables and chairs. There are diners and cafes here and there, and you can sit at a table and chat with friends while you wait for your flight to be called. Amazing, really.

Paul and I reviewed the events of the last few days before he went on to speak of his purpose in coming to Italy. Malta has two young Salesians in the second year of theology at the Crocetta in Turin, and one novice at Monteoliveto in Pinerolo. There are consultations these days of all the provinces that have young people in these formation programs, and Paul wanted to arrive early so he can speak personally with the two Maltese theology students before the meetings take place.

The problem of choosing the right formation program is felt very acutely by the Maltese Salesians. They are too small to have their own novitiate or theology school, so they must send their novices to other provinces. In the past they have sent them to England, to Ireland, to Sicily (for novitiate) to Rome, to Ireland, to Israel (for theology). Now they are choosing formation houses in the environs of Turin. This is where Don Bosco started… where the Salesians started. It is not a glamorous place, as Maynooth, Rome, Bethlehem or Jerusalem would be. But, do you know what? The young Maltese in formation really like these communities (Monteoliveto and Crocetta).

Salesian house at the Crocetta in the 1970s

What is wrong with the program in Jerusalem or Rome or All Hallows in Ireland? Great programs, all of them, but they leave a feeling of discomfort for the Maltese Salesians, says Paul. The Salesians in Malta live in environments that are small and very personable. Rome is big and dispersive. All Hallows has a great academic program in pastoral theology, but Ireland itself has no young Salesians, so to study there is to forego a peer group. Jerusalem is … well, besides being a bit dangerous at the present time, is not as organized as it could be. It offers a program in English, but all the resources remain in Italian.

It may seem strange to say that formation in Turin is more on the small, personable side which appeals the the Maltese. Turin has a population of two million people, but there is a small town feel to it.

This comes through with the theology program at the Crocetta. It is community based. Studies in theology are done in an environment of discernment, vocational and personal. The community is international, with about 60 students, but everything is oriented to the same goal. This differs from Rome, where each person works out his own program in a university setting. Rome stresses degrees; Crocetta stresses preparation for a life of ministry in community.

So this was the gist of the discussion between Paul and I. We spoke of all this and more over coffee, and during that time several people came up to greet him… several of them cousins, actually. At 9.10 we began to the boarding process for our flight to Rome, and continued the discussion of formation, of youth ministry, of education and catechesis, of the life of the Salesian Family in Malta, in Ireland, and a few English-speaking countries where we have common friends. 

Once we arrived in Rome, Paul continued to Torino for his week of meetings, and I took the local train to Rome's northern end. I got off at Nuovo Salario and walked back to the University. It was clear, sunny, windy, wonderful. It took me 20 minutes to make the uphill trek, and I had just enough time to clean up for the mid-day meal: Sunday dinner. For the rest of the day I washed clothes and got nostalgic for Malta.