After 9 months of journeying together, on 7 Dec 2024, 8 friars from all over Asia completed the first-ever AFFT programme. Br Derrick Yap, the course coordinator, gave out certificates of completion at the Closing Mass at St Anthony Friary, Singapore, at the end of the 2-week Closing Residency Programme there. These 8 friars from Indonesian, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam, most of them currently serving as formators, completed 16 modules conducted both online and in-person. Each of them is also individually accompanied by a trained Accompanier and beyond this programme, they will continue to journey with one another in the form of Peer Support and Supervision.
During the 2-week Closing Residency Programme in Singapore (24 Nov – 6 Dec), they had experiential learning with 2 modules - Stages of Formation: Planning and Programming & Franciscan Formative Accompaniment. They also had the opportunity to connect online with the Curia offices (JPIC, Missions, Inter-Religious Dialogue) to integrate these areas better in their respective formation programme.
Minister General, Br Massimo Fusarelli, delivered an address via video, thanking the participants for their commitment, encouraging them to continue labouring in this crucial area of formation and even more so, to stoke the fire of Ongoing Formation.
It is with the constant support of the Minister General, the General Definitor for Asia (Br John Wong), the General Secretaries for Formation and Studies (Br Darko Tepert & Br Hieronimus Dei Rupa), the many trainers, accompaniers, group facilitators, digital team, staff and benefactors that this programme could take off and be completed with such success.
The next cohort will begin in Apr 2025 and will still be reserved for OFM friars during this pilot phase. For more information, please email afft.adm@gmail.com (attn: Br Derrick Yap).
