IN IVORY COAST
This article presents in turn the different dimensions of life in the Scholasticate: spiritual life, community life, academic life, Mennaisian.and pastoral life

1. SPIRITUAL LIFE IN THE SCHOLASTICATE OF ABIDJAN
The Scholasticate, which is a continuation and deepening of the experience of the Novitiate, is not the top of the Religious Life, or a break after a year of Novitiate. On the contrary! The realities of religious life are just beginning both at Community and spiritual levels. Despite the different responsibilities that we have at the community level and the density of work and the courses at CELAF, we try every day to make our times of prayer, our meetings with the Lord more uplifting,and more prayerful. In other words, we take "new ways" to live the spiritual dimension that we are often tempted to neglect.

Our community project allows us to meet twice a day to pray together the Lauds and Vespers. The shared prayer, the reading of the texts proposed by either the Church or the Congregation, help us break the monotony. The Eucharistic celebrations at the Parish or in the Community strengthen our faith by configuring us to Christ. The sacrament of reconciliation at the end of each month reconciles us with ourselves, with our Brothers and with God. Short and long retreats (highlights of the liturgical year) allow us to become more aware of the signs of God in our lives. In addition to this we have the spiritual guidance, the Marian prayer, and the communitarian spiritual reading that has great importance in our lives despite its brevity, 45 minutes per week. It allows us to take a break because we are tempted to read only secular books related to our courses. It nourishes the soul through the reading of the writings of spiritual authors. Our configuration to Christ, and our religious vocation depend on this dimension that we are called upon to adjust each day.

Bro Paul ELFIS, 1st year Scholastic.

2. FRATERNAL LIFE IN THE SCHOLASTICATE OF ABIDJAN
"The love of Christ has gathered inunity many followers so that like Him and through Him, in the Spirit, they can, through the centuries, respond to the Father's love by loving '' with all their heart, with all their soul, with all their strength'' (Dt 6:5) and loving the neighbour as they love themselves (cf. Mt 22, 39) "

Fraternal life in community is a place to learn to accept the differences (difference of generation, culture, temperament) but also a place of humane deepening. It's the same at the Scholasticate in Abidjan. We experience this deepening in a nearby school and differences in several areas that constitute our daily community life. However, we will focus more on those that form the backdrop to this fraternity that is the time for meals, birthdays as well as community outings.

2.1. COMMUNITY MEALS
Three times a day, we meet for the communal meal. This valuable time is for each of us a good time to recuperate. However, the academic requirements prevent us sometimes to find ourselves all at noon, for various reasons: the courses in the afternoon, group work or other extracurricular activities. Nevertheless, in the evening we take enough of our time not only to eat but also to review our day. As a Community of Brothers students, most of our conversations often revolve around courses, homework and other topics related to the courses or exchanges with teachers or other student friends .

LONG LIVE FRATERNAL LIFE!

courses, homework and other topics related to the courses or exchanges with teachers or other student friends . Note however that this exchange helps us to have an overview of what each of us has experienced during the day and is therefore a good opportunity to cheer up colleagues who have experienced difficulties during the day or who have experienced frustration during the course.

In addition, current political, economic and sports issues also furnish our conversations. These topics help to form us and also to inform us of what is happening around the world. We profit by this information to encourage one another and support each other in case of a fortunate or unfortunate event that happens in our different countries of origin. Furthermore, caution is taken in this kind of conversation not to shock some sensitivity but also, in fidelity to the founding Father who prohibited the Brothers from talking about politics at table to avoid division.


2. 2. ANNIVERSARIES
Birthdays are celebrated heartily at the Scholasticate. It is always with great joy that we meet in the evening to show our brotherly affection to a Brother celebrating his birthday. This is a good opportunity for the community to tell the Brother how much he is loved by his consecration to the Lord. Several highlights mark this festive time: the gift of a pot of natural flowers is a symbol of life, health and happiness; it is a symbolic gift that commemorates the valuable day in the life of the Brother; a few cultural dances of our respective countries do also make the evening more festive.

Moreover, beyond the festive aspect, we give a particular tone to the birthdays of the Scholasticate. This blessed day in the life of the Brother is filled with friendly thoughts about him as well as prayer requests that are engraved in his heart as a souvenir that nothing can tarnish. United to him and his family, friends and acquaintances, the Community in great joy, is grateful for his collaboration in its growth as an active and dynamic member.


2.3. OUTINGS
To break the monotony, community outings are planned sometimes on Sunday evenings or on holidays when the Brothers find themselves outside the scope of academic activities to rest and get some air. These outings are often programmed to various destinations in the area, namely the sights of the city (the zoo, botanical garden, uptown, ...) but also at the beach. Note that the outing to the beach is the most loved by the Brothers. It not only allows us to fraternize but coming from different backgrounds, this time also gives us the opportunity to learn more and share our cultural wealth by chatting.

However, our intention is far from praising a perfect community life lived in Scholasticate. Life in Community is and remains a way to real humanization. Every day across our differences, we come to know ourselves. Sometimes, the divergence of views helps us to strengthen our fraternal life. However, this life remains a place of deepening the roots of our life in Christ and a force that propels us to the heart of the world to live the Gospel in the manner of Christ as true disciples of Jean-Marie de la Mennais.

Bro Gilles MBOLIHINIE, a 3rd year Scholastic.

2.4 THE SPORT
Three times a week from 16:30 to 17:30, we meet for the relaxing community sport. In most cases, we form two teams spontaneously, without regard to any criteria and we playing between ourselves. Sometimes we play against a fraternity of another Congregation. On Friday afternoon, the priests of the Parish, using their talents come to improve the quality of our game These are moments that strengthen the bonds of brotherhood between the Community and the Parish.

Bro Gabriel Kangni-DOSSOU, a first year Scholastic.

3. ACADEMIC LIFE IN THE SCHOLASTICATE OF ABIDJAN.
One of the daily concerns of Scholastics is no doubt studying in CELAF (Centre Lasallian Africain), a Higher Institute of Pedagogical and Religious sciences, abbreviated ISSPR. Since the academic year 2010-2011, the Scholastics are facing a new system of study. This is the famous system L.M.D. (Licentiate = 3 years, Master = 5 years, Doctorate = 8 years). What does it really consist in at the CELAF Institute? As in most Universities of West African States, the system L.M.D. in force at CELAF these last two years has the same objectives. Its uniqueness lies in its role to become the international common repository. Its operation is more oriented towards the self-education of students.

Indeed, the amount of time allotted to courses for each subject is divided into two. Only a part is taken up by the teachers and the other part is left to the care of students who use it for validation of the material in question. This makes the task really hard for students since they are demanded to do more by the system than the teachers . While advancing in the curriculum, the student's personal work rises while the supervised work decreases. Moreover, this famous system aiming at adding more value to the degrees it grants to its candidates remains intransigent towards them. It requires research work, presentations, practical work or guided work for each subject. To this end, each teaching unit is validated by the student when he scores greater than or equal to ten out of twenty (10/20).

It goes without saying that we encounter some difficulties in our course of study. Indeed, in our High Schools, each student had more or less the required skills, either for the literary or science series, while the L.M.D. system at CELAF makes no distinction between types of students. All are subject to the same requirements. This also partly explains the concerns of everyone especially at the beginning.

However, notwithstanding these difficulties we face, we can succeed thanks to hard, rigorous and methodical work,. With this in mind, in our Community, we set up sharing groups by level so as to enjoy the skills of each other in different disciplines. It is true that we experience various shortcomings, but experience has proven that where there is a will there is a way. The satisfactory academic results are the reward of the efforts made.
Bro Albert Namani, a 2nd year Scholastic.

4. PASTORAL LIFE IN IN THE SCHOLASTICATE OF ABIDJAN
The pastoral ministry is one of the four dimensions of life in the Scholasticate. It aims to prepare Brothers scholastics for the apostolic mission in active life. The places of the pastoral ministry are the Community, the catechesis, and the MEJ (Eucharistic Youth Movement).

4.1. PASTORAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY
This includes, first and foremost, the courses on the Congregation that help us to imbibe its charism and spirituality.
The Community has set up a commission to receive and listen to the young and the poor who seek assistance. It opens its doors to groups and movements of the Parish on Saturday and Sunday, and the youth and children in the neighborhood who come to play on Thursday and Saturday. Besides the two Brothers delegated by the Community in the Parish Vocations Committee, all the Brothers are involved in the reception and support of young people who want to know the life of the Brothers.

4.2. CATECHESIS AND M EJ
On the catechetical level, we live in hope and as sent Mennaisiens, filled with dynamism and liveliness in our apostolic circles (catechesis and MEJ). This year, we work in six Parishes of the Archdiocese of Abidjan. The aim is also to make our Congregation known in those Parishes with the hope of getting some vocations. We participate in various activities according to our availability: animation of retreats for youth and children, accompanying large gatherings and pilgrimages, and training other leaders of catechesis. Concerning the M.EJ, the Community sent three Brothers Scholastics for the spiritual animation of young MEJISTS.

4.3. VOCATIONS MINISTRY
The entire Scholasticate is committed to Vocations Ministry headed by Bro Gerard Hounyetin. A well developed schedule was established to reach out to young people who should constitute the FIC vocational group of Abidjan. Interventions are planned in all the Parishes that surround the Scholasticate to approach young people. With the know-how and dynamism of Bro Gerard supported by all the Brothers Scholastics and Formators, we have gone beyond the framework of the Archdiocese of Abidjan to reach out to young people of the Diocese of Yopougon.
All told, the pastoral life in Abidjan is alive because each Brother scholastic with the support of the Community of the Scholasticate, gives the best of himself for the success of the Vocations Ministry. As for growth and fruit, we rely on the Lord (1 Cor 3.7 to 8). Thus, we rely on God and the prayer of the entire Congregation for an abundant and quality harvest in Ivory Coast.

Bro Justin LOKANA, a 2nd year Scholastic.