THE DIALECTICS OF “AUTO -GUIDED ” FORMATION : THE SEMINARIAN AS AN AGENT OF FORMATION
Formation is an intricate phenomenon involving the interaction of the different agents of formation. At the centre of this interaction is the formandi/seminarian who is, himself, an agent of his own formation. The input of the formandi is fundamental to the overall output of the formative process since the output of the formative process is a synthesis of the inputs of all the different agents of formation. Understood in this sense, formation is a dialectics. The formandi, being the central focus of formation, and at the same time an agent of his own formation, his response and/or disposition to formation either compliments or negates the inputs of the other agents of formation. Therefore, the formandi can single-handedly make or mar the formative process. The dialectical dynamics of formation is not just between the other agents of formation and the formandi (external), it also internal, as the formandi struggles to resolve his personal ideas with the quadruple requirements of priestly formation. This paper adopts the method of critical analysis to evaluate the dialectics of auto-guided formation, it investigates how the formandi interacts with the agents of formation towards achieving the character of another Christ, and concludes that the extent to which the formandi is properly formed depends on the extent to which he positively disposes himself to formation. The aim of the paper is to encourage the formandi to dispose himself appropriately towards formation and get the maximum output from his programme of formation.
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