South East Asia Major Superiors hold Congress in Tagaytay

THE South East Asia Major Superiors (SEAMS) representing six South East Asian countries held its XIII congress in St. Scholastica’s Center of Spirituality, Tagaytay City last November 19-25 reflecting on the theme “Religious Formation for Asia Today.”

The congress provided a venue for delegates to assess their own current formation programs and led them to a greater awareness on the challenges of religious formation in Asia today. Likewise, the congress gave participants the chance to find out various means available to formators to develop effective formation programs.

Most Rev. Luis Antonio Tagle of Imus diocese delivered the keynote address at the religious gathering. Other resource persons were Bro. Aidan Kilty, FSC who spoke on “Initial Formation: Inculturated Formation – an ‘affair of the heart’”, and Sr. Leticia Garcia, DC on “On-Going Formation: Accompanying Religious in Life’s Development Stages.”

Organized by the Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines (AMRSP), the congress was attended by 111 participants, 31 of which were official delegates from the Major Superiors’ Conferences of South East Asia. Other participants were observers from major superiors and formators of member countries.

SEAMS is composed of seven Conferences that include Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, East Timor and the Philippines. Smaller countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei are grouped into one Conference.

The organization acts as a coordinating body of men and women major superiors of religious congregations in South East Asia. It serves as a support group for the major superiors of the region through sharing and updating, expression of common aspirations and finding effective means and ways to spread the Gospel of justice, peace and love to the people they are called to serve.

The one-week congress concluded with delegates expressing through a common statement their renewed commitment to their specific mission of “animating initial and on-going formation in the hope that the religious may reveal the Asian face of Jesus Christ today.”

SEAMS holds congress every three years to establish course of action for the fulfillment of its goals and objectives.