Formation capacities

The 9 formation capacities reflect core characteristics at the heart of the earliest Christian communities. BCE schools seek to re-imagine these capacities in their contemporary contexts. The capacities:

are grounded in the scriptures and the story memories of the early Christian communities found in Acts;
give expression to the Jesus Communion Mission theological dimensions of the BCE Spiritual Formation Framework;
animate the BCE Vision ‘to teach, challenge and transform’ in everyday ways;
provide points of integration across the spectrum of Religious Institute charisms;
provide a lens for school communities to review the expression of their Catholic identity.
chart a pathway to nurture personal and communal spiritual life.

The whole group of believers was united heart and soul… (Acts 4: 32)

The 9 capacities unpacked

The capacities are hallmarks of our Christian communities and are grouped under the headings of Jesus, Communion and Mission.

Jesus

The capacities of Presence, Prayer and Principle are about the personal connection to Jesus and God in our lives. They are therefore linked to the ‘Jesus’ dimension of the framework.

Presence

Jesus showed his disciples what it was to be so connected to God it imbued every moment and every encounter. After the resurrection event, his followers could never look into another human being’s eyes in quite the same way again. They saw Christ there. The capacity of Presence gives focus to an incarnational understanding of the world – that God is among us, in the world and in the moment.

Prayer

The capacity for prayer and for a personal lived-in prayer life is central to any Christian vocation. For Catholic educators, it is the plank upon which is built the day to day witness to God’s presence. It is the sustaining centre-point for being and acting, for attending to who we are, and how we meet each day, each colleague and each student

Principle

This capacity is about walking the talk of Jesus’ vision. To be a person of principle is to know and practice the gospel values of justice, compassion, love, hope and forgiveness. These values are the guiding principles for our lives and are nurtured by personal prayer and the practice of presence.

Communion

The capacities of Welcome, Ritual and Journey are about the living of our connection in community and communion with our immediate ‘circle of companions’, the Church, the wider community, and all creation. They are therefore connected to the ‘Communion’ dimension of the framework.

Welcome

The capacity for welcome is about how we model inclusiveness and a deep ethos of hospitality that was so central to the person of Jesus and a stand-out characteristic of the early Christian communities. It is grounded in gratitude and charity to all.

Ritual

The capacity for ritual gives focus to the ecclesial dimension of community and the rich liturgical tradition of the Church, especially eucharist and the sacraments, as well as the broader sensibility for ritual celebration in our lives and in our work. This capacity is grown out of a sacramental understanding of life and reverence for the sacredness of all creation.

Journey

The capacity for Journey proclaims that we are a pilgrim people; that we are part of a tradition that understands we do not and can not go the journey alone. Rather we belong to a companioning tradition, that links us deeply to each other, to the world and to the great communion of saints that have come before and go ahead. This capacity is grounded in an understanding of the Church as people of God and of the global environment as sacred creation.

Mission

The capacities of Purpose, Commitment and Fidelity are about how we understand and live out our particular vocation in the world and so are linked to the ‘Mission’ dimension of the framework.

Purpose

This capacity is about having a clear sense of what we’re about. In our work in Catholic education as a critical part of the mission of the Church, it’s about knowing the big picture of lifelong education that has a fundamentally transformative purpose.

Commitment

The capacity for commitment is about having a strong sense of connection, ownership and identification with purpose. This requires the capacity to know and articulate one’s vocation and identify with it strongly enough to claim one’s place in this ministry. It is about the passion for making a difference in the world that comes from a sense of purpose that takes us beyond ourselves. Commitment is about the many ways we give public witness to this.

Fidelity

This capacity gives focus to a sense of faithfulness to all those who have walked the path in the ministry of Catholic education before us, and all who will follow us. It is nurtured by a sense of faithful stewardship to this precious vocation, and of gratitude for those who walk with us. As we live out the best of the Catholic Christian educational tradition, we stand faithfully with all those whose vocation is in the name of Catholic education

Formation capacities resources

BCE You Tube Channel

View staff from across our schools talking about how they integrate the nine framework capacities into their everyday life. (These date back to 2014 and some staff details may not be current yet the discussion remains relevant).

You can use one or more of the BCE clips as part of an exploration of the capacity with staff.

Prayer resources

The following prayer resources for each of the 9 capacities provide guides, prayers and other resources for you to lead prayer in your school.