← [[ocds-fh-04|The Principles and Purpose of Formation]] | [[formation-handbook-toc|Table of Contents]] | [[ocds-fh-06|Accompaniment]] → # The Formation Team The formation team is made up of the Formation Director and the formators, who are appointed by the Local Council, and are primarily responsible for conducting formation sessions and accompanying the candidates in formation. “The Community Council will take special care to select suitable seculars for the formation team, people of prayer and culture, open-minded and anxious to share their Carmelite experience with the candidates. Provided the formators all agree in their objectives and methods, the better qualified and even diverse they are, the more successful will be the education of the candidates. …” (Ratio 29). The Formation Director “The Director of Formation …has the responsibility of preparing the candidates for first and definitive promises” (Const. 53). “The principal task of the Director is to accompany, following closely the progress of each candidate. Next to the candidate, the director is the main contributor to the formation process. The director is in a privileged position, for which grace will not be lacking. For this reason, the director will consider himself or herself a humble disciple and a servant of the one Director, Jesus Christ. At the same time, the director is aware that he or she is fulfilling an important role of mediation between the candidate on the one hand and the Church and the Order on the other” (Ratio 34). Before the new formation cycle starts, the Council decides together which members would be the best choice for formators. The Formation Director also shares with the rest of the Council a list of candidates by group and the materials they will need (See Appendix, Keeping track of individuals — candidate files). The Formators The formators cooperate as a team with the Formation Director to carry out the directions given by the Council. Formators cannot offer true and effective formation to others if they do not take a personal responsibility for formation. The better the formators themselves are formed, the more they will feel the need to fully prepare themselves for forming others. First, the formator must be faithful to the Church and the Order. A good formator will guide the candidate along the path to holiness according to the spiritual traditions of the Discalced Carmelite Order. Hence, to be effective, each formator must have a sound knowledge of the syllabus, theme, and the discussion points of the formation level that is entrusted to him or her. As St. Teresa pointed out, it is better to have a learned director (formator) than a holy one. A formator who understands our spirituality as Discalced Carmelites can better accompany the 9 candidates than someone who is holy but does not grasp our charism and may not know of any spirituality beyond his/her own personal experience (see Life, ch. 5:3). “Learning is a great help for shedding light upon every matter” (The Way of Perfection, 5:2). Formation in Carmel looks to the soul and spirit, not just the intellect. Formation in Carmel concerns the human, Christian, and Carmelite development of the entire person. Formators are responsible for helping create the space in which each person feels comfortable sharing what they learned from the materials. Formators also ensure that necessary concepts, values, and attitudes are grasped and put into practice. They assist the group members in discussion, in helping them understand what the vocation entails, and in encouraging them in developing the qualities needed to live it. The formators’ task is to help the candidates to integrate the wisdom of Carmel into daily life. While the formators are responsible for the candidates’ formation, they are not authorities or owners, but servants. “You have but one Teacher and that is Christ” (Matthew 23:10). They serve as part of the formation team, working in collaboration with the Formation Director, the Council, and especially the Holy Spirit. Additionally, formators are expected to foster openness, approachability, readiness for dialogue and patience, and should always have a warm and welcoming attitude. Training Besides the workshops offered at the provincial level, local Councils need to have training sessions for their community’s formators before the formation cycle begins. These can be as formal or informal as the Council sees fit. At a minimum, there should be a thorough review of this handbook and the syllabus and goals for the year. First-time formators might be coached by an experienced co-formator for the first few sessions. It is usual for the Formation Director and formators to meet periodically and talk about how things are going with the sessions in general and the individual candidates in particular. Note to the local Council: It is important that the Council makes provision for the formators to receive their own ongoing formation. This is especially needed in smaller communities, where an individual member may be asked to serve as a formator several years in a row. --- **Source:** [[maps/bibliography#^biblio-ocds-fh|OCDS Formation Handbook]]