PATTAYA, Thailand (UCAN) -- To help fellow bishops of Asia address the needs of their priests, Archbishop Orlando Quevedo of Cotabato offers practical advice based on the experience of the Church in his own country.

According to the 68-year-old Oblate prelate, who is secretary general of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC), "The Updated Philippine Program of Priestly Formation" in the Philippines was developed in response to "sexual scandals involving a number of priests and some members in leadership position" in the period 2000-2002.

The Philippine bishops "worked quickly to stop the damage to the Church and to introduce measures that would effectively address the issues," he told about 70 prelates on Aug. 31 at the seminar on "Caring for Priests - Especially For Those with Difficulties." Organized by the FABC Office of Clergy of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences, the event was held Aug. 27-Sept. 1 at Redemptorist Center in Pattaya, 150 kilometers southeast of Bangkok.

The full text of Archbishop Quevedo's presentation follows:

CARING FOR PRIESTS: ONGOING FORMATION AND HELPING MEASURES

Introduction

Conventional wisdom in the past held the view that problems which our priests agonized through could be resolved by persevering prayer, a sincere, sorrowful comprehensive Confession and tough penance. A refreshing extended vacation far away from sources of temptation could also help. A transfer to another assignment was a common helping measure. Another solution was an extended spiritual theological, pastoral updating course. In very serious cases, we would also recommend a holy and God-experienced thirty-day retreat. Solitude and prayer, we were convinced, could resolve the most serious problems.

Indeed, we can not underestimate the value of prayer and asceticism in resolving priestly problems. But in the light of all the talks that we have heard in the past few days, we have become more aware that many of the problems are not resolved simply by "prayer and fasting." The causes of some priestly problems lie deep in personalities, upbringing, reinforced by environment. How mistakenly did we simply take the usual course of action, quite unaware of the deep-rooted and complex causes of sinful priestly behavior.

We now know more than ever that we have to discern very carefully the whole process related to vocation, attending closely to personality traits, family, upbringing, and environment. These greatly impact the recruitment and selection of candidates to the priestly and religious life, their initial formation and their own-going formation. Similar factors play a role in the kind of helping measures that would effectively benefit priests with special difficulties. Spirituality, Canon Law, guidance and counseling, psychology and other social sciences all combine to help us in this process of discerning, nurturing and helping vocations.

My task is to inquire into one part of this process, namely, the on-going formation of priests and the helping measures that relate to priests in especially difficult situations. These two issues are distinct but they are not unrelated.

The questions I shall treat are: what kind of ongoing formation do our priests need? What kind of helping measures do we provide priests when they are in crisis situation?

I shall speak from the experience of Philippine Bishops and simply share with you what they have done.

A. Ongoing Formation of Priests - the Need for Vision

In the confusion and vocation crisis that followed Vatican IL the issue of ongoing formation became a constant preoccupation. Countless programs were designed and initiated. Much of these have been relegated to the bin of good intentions and wishful thinking. As in the pastoral priority of building Basic Ecclesial Communities (BEC), the difficulties of implementation stood in the way.

Ongoing formation programs offered by updating institutes generally consist of a list of courses, like a cafeteria menu, that might attract individual tastes and interests. We find a plethora of courses such as quantum theology, gender sensitivity, feminist reading of Sacred Scripture, contextualized spirituality, eco-spirituality, inclusive liturgy, participatory leadership, and the like. In themselves such courses might have great validity.

But the real imperative, the conditio sine qua non, is the why and wherefore of updating and renewal courses. The context of ongoing formation is likewise imperative. There has to be a vision of ongoing formation within which individual courses and even processes become desirable, necessary, relevant, and useful for the priests in their particular situation.

But a vision of ongoing formation depends very much on the vision of priesthood that we need to have. From this perspective one realizes the central importance of the conference by Fr. Vimial Tirimanna, CSsR, on the first day of this Seminar: "Identity and Vision of Priesthood the Asian Context." A vision of priesthood of Asia has to consider its relationship to the realities of Asia. I do have to add that we also need to look at the identity and vision of priesthood in our own particular regional contexts. Some particular aspects of what priests should be in my own archdiocese that is poor and rural Cotabato (48% Catholic and 47% Muslim) would surely be different from what priests should be in urban, highly technological majority-Christian Manila.

By the same token, we need to have a vision of formation that would be quite particular to Asia, and even to different regions and dioceses in Asia. Obviously there are fundamental features of priestly ongoing formation common to the West and the East, to the North and South. But certain particularities are needed for ongoing priestly formation in the East and South, or in Thailand and Indonesia, or in Manila and in Christian-Islamic communities in Cotabato. It just makes no sense for me to send a priest to take up an updating course on "ministry to secularity" when our crying need is for priests who are able to minister tradition-centered rural areas or can engage in inter-religious dialogue and peace.

It is in the perspective of this vision of Church and of priesthood that we can integrate our seemingly disparate activities in the on-going formation of the presbyterium, such as monthly spiritual recollections, monthly pastoral and business meetings, annual retreats, occasional theological and pastoral conferences, visits to priests, pastoral seminars, etc. All these are towards a particular vision of Church and priesthood - a holy Church with holy priests.

B. A Vision of Church and of Priesthood in the Philippines

In 2005 Rome approved the Updated Philippine Program of Priestly Formation which had been in the making for a decade. This revised Program articulates a Philippine vision of the priesthood which considers:

• the pastoral context of the Philippines;
• the vision of Church that the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP-II, 1991
  

  articulated in 1991;

• the pastoral priorities that the National Pastoral Consultation on Church Renewal (NPCCR)
  

  drew up in 2001.

PCP-II envisioned a renewed Church in the Philippines as a:

• Community of Discip1es of Christ (in the midst of social division and dichotomy between faith
  

  and life);

• a Church of the Poor (in view of the widespread neglect of the poor and the scandal gap
  

  between rich and poor);

• a Church with a Mission of renewed integral evangelization (a mission of salvation an
  

  liberation).

In this vision, inculturation and contextualization are fundamental elements.

In the light of the pastoral situation and of the vision of Church, priests as sacramental representatives of Christ, configured to him by virtue of ordination, are to be truly leaders of the community but leaders in servanthood. They are to be animators and builders of the community of faith. They are to be poor in spirit, in solidarity with the poor, prophetically dialogue with the poor in collaboration with peoples of other faiths. In sum, they are to build the community of God's people so that it may reflect the vision of Church in the Philippines.

Their spirituality as servant-leaders is to be rooted and centered in Jesus Christ. It is ministerial, growing in union with God through a faithful performance of ministry. It is collegial, forging bonds of communion with the Bishop, the presbyterium, men and women of consecrated life and with the faithful. It is lived in the spirit of the evangelical counsels. At the service of the local church, priestly spirituality is at the same time missionary. It is finally Marian, Mary having a special place in the priestly heart.

Towards this vision of Church and of the Filipino, priest, the formation of priests in all its stages and in all areas as described in Pastores Dabo Vobis is to be directed. The Updated Philippine Program of Priestly Formation emphasizes three basic features of formation: the holistic nature of priestly formation, the community context of formation, and the continuity of the stages of formation.

A program of on-going formation of priests in the Philippines has to incorporate all of the above. It is not a process that responds ad hoc to some problematic situation that has emerge

It is nothing more and nothing less than a fundamental part of the life-time formation of pries towards holiness and effective ministry.

We need to be more fully aware of this since various aspects of the human formation of pries come up again and again after seminary formation, such as:

• self esteem and self-giving;
• attitudes towards authority;
• celibate chastity and sexuality;
• detachment and a lifestyle of simplicity;
• motivational maturity;
• a sense of justice;
• a moral conscience.

For this reason the place of ongoing formation is crucial. Made more so by the complexity busyness of an evolving pastoral ministry, the rapid advances of culture and technology in the midst of tradition resisting social change, the increasing role of priests in the formation of the laity, the challenges of building community, the needs of integral evangelization, and the inadequacy of traditional modes of on-going formation (e.g., recollections, retreats, updating conferences and courses).

In brief, what is needed today is a systematic program of ongoing priestly formation, with a support system (resource persons, finances, etc.).

C. Ongoing Formation of Priests in General

And here may I present a Philippine effort toward a systematization of ongoing formation.

In 1993, following the inspiration of Pastores Dabo Vobis, the Archdiocese of Manila designed a prototype five-week program of ongoing priestly formation, entitled "Intensive Renewal Program for Priests." Its objectives were:

1. To experience real and meaningful fellowship among priests;

2. To process pastoral and human experiences for greater integration of personal life and priestly ministry;

3. To be updated in theology and spiritual-pastoral areas of priestly life and ministry; and

4. To experience spiritual deepening through the integration of the whole renewal experience.

The content of the five-week program included:

• First Week - Community Building, to make the participants aware of the need for community
  

  among themselves through human relations training on self-discovery, stress and conflict management, effective communication skills, problem solving techniques and teamwork.

• Second Week - Human Formation, to focus on issues and concerns
• related to the priest's personhood, in light of the humanity of Jesus. Topics include human
  

  development, affectiv intimacy and sexuality.

• Third Week - Christology, with particular emphasis on the priest's configuration to Christ, Head
  

  and Shepherd.

• Fourth Week - Ecclesiology, focusing on the priest's role as servant-leader with in the Church
  

  from the perspective of the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines.

• Fifth Week - Integration, to synthesize and integrate the whole process by giving the
  

  participants the basic principles of pastoral leadership and management. is period includes a Holy Retreat spent in prayer and solitude. Planning and a re-entry process into active ministry conclude the program.

Following Pastores Dabo Vobis, the approach taken by the Program is the integration of the total formation of the clergy - human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral.

Spirituality is emphasized throughout the process by means of meaningful liturgies and prayer sessions. A daily Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament is an essential part of the program. The health and well being of the participants are also looked into through medical check-ups.

In 1994, the CBCP Commission on Clergy collaborated with the Archdiocese of Manila in institutionalizing the program for the whole country. Participation was limited since optimum individual interaction and priestly bond were desired. In its first 10 years of operation, almost 300 priests selected from almost all the dioceses of the Philippines have undergone the weeks of intensive, renewal.

In the latter half of the 1990s, moved by the PCP-II call to renewal by and assisted by the Servants of the Paraclete (a U.S. based religious congregation that specializes in the renewal priests), our CBCP Clergy Commission drew up some modules for the renewal of Filipino priests. Priests were classified for this purpose according to age brackets: Young Clergy (1 -5 years in the ministry), Junior Clergy (6-10 years in the ministry), Middle Clergy (11-24 years the ministry), Senior Clergy (25-and above in the ministry). Many dioceses followed these modules with adaptation to their own circumstances.

The program for the Young clergy consisted of a residency program during their period of transition from seminary to parish ministry. A Spiritual Director would "accompany" the young priests. They were guided by a yearly theme which would be the topic of their regular Spiritual Direction. The second part of the program is on "Skills Training in Pastoral Ministry."

The program for the Junior Clergy recommended a process of value-clarification, since the first years of pastoral ministry are a period when values are gradually imbibed and begin to take root. They are challenged to test these values in light of gospel values and the gift of the priesthood. Group sharing and peer counseling would clarify the values and subject them to testing and affirmation if so desired. In the process a sense of accountability to and stewards for each other is developed.

Some topics for value clarification are: Priestly Communion, Material Possessions, Intimacy Mission, Prayer in the Ministry. A vicar for the clergy would help in facilitating the process.

For the Middle Clergy, the five-week intensive Renewal Program in Manila that has already been described above (see pp. 5 - 6) is offered. It is designed to be both a renewal and updating course, providing a holistic approach to the needs of the clergy.

The Senior Clergy are divided into two age groups: group 1 (25-33 years in the ministry and are still active), group 2 (36 - above in the ministry, who can still be active or available for ministry).

Group 1 members are invited to a have a second look at their priesthood, the gifts the have received, the quality of the gift of priesthood and their gift of self in the ministry, the challenges that they experienced, what the priesthood has done to their person. The also look forward to prepare for the next phase of their ministry as members of the senior clergy: to embrace the Cross, to nourish one's life as a priest, to rekindle the commitment to be a servant-leader, to be an integrated person in light of sorrows arid joys in the ministry. This five day module for the senior clergy is offered every other year with a pool of speakers and spiritual directors.

Group 2 members require a new kind of affirmation and a sense of relevance in light the blessings they have found in their lives. They focus on the growth of the parish or diocese to which they have contributed. The "fullness of life" part of the module helps them tie loose ends and identify areas needing healing and strengthening. It also helps them identify areas where they could still be of help as they face retirement from active ministry. This is a three-day module, where the dynamics is more on sharing and voicing out thoughts and feelings.

D. The ASSIST PROGRAM: Caring for Priests with Special Difficulties

A second intensive renewal program was introduced in the latter half of the 1990s, through the expertise of the Servants of the Paraclete. This is the Assisted Intensive Renewal Program (AIR Program), or simply ASSIST Program.

It is intended for priests and religious who have special human, emotional, spiritual and vocational needs and issues, having affective or feeling component such as depression, anxiety, anger, personality and vocational issues. These include psychosexual issues that might or might not involve abuse and boundary violation of others. For those involved in boundary violation of others, the program offers a qualified recovery program in accordance with generally accepted professional standards and authentic Catholic teachings on sexuality and celibacy.

The Assist program has three phases:

1. Assessment Phase: this lasts for three days, with the use of psychiatric, medical, psychological and spiritual evaluation. This helps the individual to make a decision regarding entry into the second phase of the program.

2. Residential Phase: this is a three-month intensive, residential program that helps participants to work on their issues in the atmosphere of caring, safe, confidential, faith-filled community. Participants go through three stages:

a) Initial awareness and acceptance of issues to be dealt with;

b) In-depth exploration of issue(s);

c) Implementation or working out of the plan for recovery.

Towards the end of the residential program, the Bishop or Religious superior or Vicar) participates in a planning conference. An accountability partner, chosen by the participant and approved by the Bishop or Religious Superior, also joins the planning conference.

The components of the Residential Phase include:

2.1. Individual Counseling: twice a week, which usually runs from 45 to 60 minutes per session;

2.2. Group Counseling: Thrice a week, which usually runs from 2 to 1/2 hours per session;

2.3. Individual Spiritual Direction: twice a week, which usually runs from 45 to 60 minutes per session;

2.4. Group Spiritual Direction: twice a week, which usually runs for 2 to 2 1/2 hours per session;

2.5. Conferences, workshops and therapeutic readings.

2.6. Spiritual exercises and communal celebration of the Liturgy;

2.7. Medical Check Evaluation and other health care services.

2.8. Community Activities and bonding.

For those who need longer care, an Extended Care program is available.

3. Continuing Care Phase: this consists in implementing the plan decided on at the end of the Residential phase. Typical of the recommendations for continuing care are individual counseling and/or spiritual direction, the help of a support group, re-entry visit by an Assist Staff member, return workshops, continuing psychiatric consultation. Other recommendations depend on the needs of the individual. The continuing care phase normally lasts for two years.

The success of the program depends very much on the openness and cooperation of the participant, the quality of community life and support group established, the renewed prayer life of the participant, the quality of counseling, psychiatric help, and spiritual direction, and the kind of continuing care monitored and facilitated by the accountability partner.

E. Support Programs

Two programs were also created to support the Program for General Ongoing Formation and the ASSIST Program.

The first was an intensive training program for a pool of personnel who could provide some initial assistance to priests with difficulties and could serve as accountability partners. Today we have trained priests in every region in the Philippines.

In 1998 our Episcopal Commission on the Clergy, assisted by the Servants of the Paraclete, gave a mini-ASSIST Seminar/Retreat to the Bishops of the Philippines. This was designed to familiarize the Bishops not only with the technical aspects of the program but also to solicit their positive support and personal interest in the renewal of priests, both in general and also in particular relation to priests with difficulties.

Among the topics developed during the seminar/retreat were:

• Deepening Sensitivity to the Victims of Failures in Consecrated Celibacy;
• Differing Patterns in the Effort for Consecrated Celibacy;
• Presenting a Viable and Authentic Model for Sexuality, Celibacy, and Intimacy for Priests;
• Human Development as a Foundation for Consecrated Celibacy;
• Human Development in the Priest with Homosexual Tendencies;
• Alcoholism
• Pastoral Intervention
• Civil Jurisprudence and Canon Law in relation to Priests with Difficulties;
• Boundaries in Ministerial Relationships;
• Child Abuse and Pedophilia,
• Neurotic Personalities in Religious Settings.

Each day of the Seminar/Retreat had time for individual reflection, sharing, and an hour of Eucharistic Adoration.

Conclusion

In the years 2000-2002 the Church in the Philippines was rocked by sexual scandals involving a number of priests and some members in leadership position. The CBCP worked quickly to stop the damage to the Church and to introduce measures that would effectively address the issues.

The long range remedial measure was to fast-track the work of updating the Philippine Program of Priestly Formation. The short range remedial measure was to draft a protocol on priestly sexual misbehavior. The latter was particularly difficult since it had to consider factors particular to Philippine culture, as well as the attempts of many Episcopal conferences to draw up similar protocols in the wake of the scandal that continues to shake the Church in the United States. To date the Philippine protocol is unfinished, but some of the general I Mies and directives are now in place in many dioceses.

This whole presentation has been about efforts by bishops at the national level led by the Episcopal Commission of the Clergy. But we are more than aware that in many Philippine dioceses efforts towards effective "permanent" formation arid helping measures for priests with difficulties are ongoing.

At the same time at the CBCP level, we have formed special Committee that handles Bishops' Ongoing, Formation. This has been quite helpful in organizing yearly symposia for bishops and the bishops' annual retreat. From these activities we learn from one another and support one another.

References:

The only printed reference used is: Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, The Updated Philippine Program of Priestly Formation, Episcopal Commission on Seminaries, 2006, 108 pp.

All other materials consulted are undated hand-outs and notes from the ASSIST Ministry.

END

(Accompanying photos available at here)