To provide better quality formation and to establish further stability in the international formation of the Society, the Superior General with the advice of his council has decided to purchase a house to accommodate for at least the next five years the Society’s international novitiate.
The present site of the novitiate, the formation house of the District of the Philippines in Dumalag, has been a temporary arrangement and the area has grown increasingly unsuitable as an environment for a novitiate.
The General Administration is in the final stages of purchasing from the Marianists their novitiate house in Eden, Davao City, the Philippines.
The cost, $US600,000 will be covered by the Marist Fathers Australia, a generous contribution to the future of the Society for which the Superior General, Fr John Hannan, and his council are most grateful.
Eden is a region on the heights above Davao City, in easy access to the city. The house is situated in pleasant, quiet surroundings, nearby to a national park.
It has spacious grounds where there is a large kitchen garden and space to allow for some recreational facilities.
A fine chapel is situated within the grounds and the house is ready to be used as a novitiate.
The house can cater for twelve novices as well as staff without any further major work done on the building.
The new novitiate house will operate on the conclusion of the present novitiate.
The Superior General has appointed the members of the current novitiate formation team to the 2014 novitiate: Fr Kevin Conroy as Master of Novices, Fr Fernando Ingente as his Socius, together with Br John Votaia.