Volume I: Psycho-Sexual Integration; Volume II: Celibate Maturity.
(Salesian Psychological Association & South Asian Formation Commissions of the Salesians, 2012. xxxiii+1047 pages.)
This two-volume set is, without doubt, the most up-to-date and comprehensive source we have on this topic. Its twenty-nine chapters, written by a team of competent and experienced religious, priests and Catholic laypersons, present the different aspects of the issue in a clear and appealing manner. It is not a textbook for beginners, but a source book. Each chapter carries, in addition to very useful material on the topic discussed, a detailed bibliography, as well as questions for discussion and names of relevant movies on the topic.
The book was prepared this way: Each writer wrote the chapter or chapters he/she had undertaken to write, and circulated it to the other nineteen writers. Then, the writers met for the first “book build.” Here, mutual feedback on the manuscripts was given. Based on the comments and suggestions received, each writer re-wrote the respective chapters and circulated them to the other writers. Then, the group met again, for the second “book build.” More feedback followed. Learning from it, each writer wrote a third draft of his/her assigned chapters. It is this third draft that was accepted for publishing.
The book, then, is no haphazard collection of random reflections, but a well-planned and systematic presentation of psycho-sexual integration and celibate maturity.
The titles of the 29 chapters give us and idea of the contents of the book:
- Psycho-Sexual Maturity and God’s Call to Wholeness and Holiness; 2. Human Maturity and Psychosexual Integration. 3. Healthy Emotional Life. 4. An Emotionally Integrated Person: Some Characteristics. 5. Disadvantage, Resilience and Human Maturity. 6. Stages in Psychosexual Development. 7. The Sexual Body. 8. Sexual Orientation and Sexual Behaviour. 9. Male and Female Experiences of Sex and Love. 0. Sexual Harassment and Sexual Abuse. 11. Healing from the Effects of Sexual Abuse: How Formators and Spiritual Directors can Help. 12. Celibate Chastity: A Different Way of Loving. 13. Psychosexual and Celibate Integration at Midlife and Beyond. 14. Psycho-sexual Integration and Happy Celibate Life: Conditions and Helps. 15. Celibate Friendship. 16. The Role of Spiritual Direction in Psycho-Sexual and Celibate Integration. 17. Role of Counselling and Psychotherapy in Psycho-Sexual and Celibate Integration. 18. Psycho-sexual Integration in Marriage. 19. Psycho-Sexual Integration, Mature Celibacy and the Spiritual Journey. 20. Formation for a Meaningful Celibate Life: Three Levels of Responsibility. 21. Assessment of Candidates to the Priesthood and Religious Life. 22. Accompaniment of Candidates Toward Priesthood and Religious Life. 23. Healthy and Effective Formator. 24. Professional Ethics and the Formator. 25. Respecting and Managing Personal and Professional Boundaries. 26, Gender Sensitivity and Celibate Maturity. 27. Indian Law on Sexual Abuse and Violence. 28. Canon Law on Sexual Abuse and Exploitation. 29. Psycho-Sexual Integration, Celibate Maturity and Formation.
We would recommend this two-volume set highly to religious superiors, particularly to those involved in the formation of religious sand seminarians. Considering the number of pages and the quality of productions, we find he price more than reasonable.
(The same team has also brought out six volumes on FORMATION TOWARDS PSYCHOSEXUAL AND CELIBATE INTEGRATION, to be used at the different stages of formation. These volumes are non-technical, clearly written textbooks meant for formees at different stages.)
Both the two-volume resource book and the six textbooks for formees are available from Kristu Jyothi Publications, Bangalore560036.
Jose Parappully SDB & Jose Kuttianimattathil SDB.
To subscribe to the magazine, click Subscribe
