Salesian Youth Ministry is first and foremost a lived
response to an encounter with Jesus Christ. It is a movement from relationship into
action. St. John Bosco's encounter with Jesus Christ began humbly and practically through
the holiness of his mother Margaret. From her nurturing care he found God to be present in
the events of every day life, in the hardships and the beauty of the farm, in the Church,
in his friends, in his dreams. And one of his dreams had always been to bring his
experience of the love of God to the young friends around him. This dream grew into a bold
vocation of service to the young: finding salvation in serving Christ in young people.
Salesian Youth Ministry, then, is not merely a pedagogy or a style of ministry. It is a spirituality that is specific in its nature and particularly pre-disposed toward the young and those who love and serve them. Salesian Youth Spirituality is an integration of work and prayer, of relationship and outreach, of faith and planning. Seeking to journey with the young, the Salesian Minister journeys with Christ. The encounter makes Christ manifest to the young and to the minister simultaneously. And the encounter respects the various levels of growth and development in the young person on the journey.
Salesian Youth Ministry has four integrated components.
- It is a ministry which educates for life in the cultural milieu of the young person.
- It evangelizes by educating and educates by evangelizing.
- It centers on the Body of Christ and brings young people into that living community of faith where their gifts and their journey are given direction and support.
- And from this community the young discover their place in God's plan; their gifts, their community are called to transform the world into the image and likeness of Christ.
Salesian Youth Ministry is a gift to the Church and is for young and old alike, just as the encounter with Jesus is without boundary or condition. It is a ministry that is directed toward the young and includes the young, but is for all those of all ages who journey with the young.
