The School for Formators “Mary, Mother of the Consecrated” celebrates its 30th Anniversary
Thirty years ago, Brothers Carlos Huidobro, Hilario Schwab and Rodolfo Bianciotti, together with other religious, started the School for Formators “Mary, Mother of the Consecrated”, in the premises of the Champagnat School of Buenos Aires (Province of Cruz del Sur). For 20 years, the school has been operating in the Salesians’ Domingo Savio College on the outskirts of the city of Cordoba. “And what began almost as a craft, today is a highly valued formative instance. We can literally apply what Marcellin Champagnat said about the Institute: Mary has done everything among us”, says Brother Rodolfo Bianciotti, who then tells us about the trajectory of this school for formators:
“As in all history, there is a prehistory since, in reality, the School for Formators had begun three or four years earlier in the Marist Novitiate house in Argüello, Córdoba, with a different modality, but as serious and demanding as today.
The objective of this School is to train religious men and women and priests who work in their respective houses of formation or seminaries, providing them with training in the spiritual, psychological and pastoral dimensions, so that they can carry out their work in the promotion, formation and human-spiritual accompaniment of their candidates. The complete course lasts 3 years, always during the month of January.
The community of Champagnat Brothers of that time deserves a special mention of gratitude, because during those ten years they put the College at our disposal, without ever wanting to charge us for rent or electricity, nor for toner or the photocopier service; in addition, we had daily cleaning staff who left the classrooms, the halls and the oratory spotless.
Since the beginning we have had, without interruption, students from different Latin American countries, from Nicaragua on down. So far, 87 religious congregations, both male and female, and priests from 12 dioceses in Argentina and neighbouring countries have benefited. As an anecdote, we can add that we have also had students from India, Africa, Spain, Portugal and Italy, who were carrying out their mission in our country. Some former students have reached positions of responsibility in their Institutes, whether as provincials, general councillors or even general superiors, and at least two bishops.
As time went by, new teachers from different disciplines joined the School. Likewise, the direction of the School passed through the management of different teams. Today, it is once again in the hands of a Marist, Brother Horacio Bustos, who presides together with a team made up of a Salesian priest and two nuns.
And celebrating this 30th anniversary, in January 2021, the first graduating class received the certification of the Diploma in human-spiritual accompaniment awarded by the Catholic University of Cordoba.
What had begun almost by hand, today is a highly valued training instance and is recognised by the UCA. Therefore, without fear, we can literally apply to the School of Formators what Marcellin Champagnat said of the Institute: “Mary has done everything among us”.