The Preventive System is the source and inspiration of our manner of
living the Salesian mission which we call the Salesian Youth Ministry.
Responding integrally, as did Don Bosco, to the whole evangelizing
action of the Church in the world, we offer a specific charismatic contribution: we give
priority to the world of youth; our pastoral activity is specifically directed to the
young, with the characteristics proper to our Salesian spirit.
Even though the preventive system is the source and inspiration of our
youth pastoral ministry, there are some concrete characteristics which need emphasis:
3.1 A decisive choice: the young and
their world
Don Bosco directed his work uncompromisingly towards the young; and
among them he deliberately chose those who were poorest, in danger and on the margins of
the Church. He adopted the gospel attitude of going to those at a distance, looking for
them in the streets and squares, workplaces, playgrounds, and meeting places like bars,
cafes and shopping malls, where a religious topic can be easily introduced into a
conversation; he welcomed them without prejudice or exclusion, recognizing and exploiting
their positive qualities; he walked with them, adapting his pace to theirs. He shaped his
project to the measure of the young, to help them to grasp the rich nature of life and its
values, to equip them to live in this world and make them more aware of their eternal
destiny (C 26).
This preferential option for the young, and especially the poorest of
them, prompts us to turn also to the densely populated areas where these youngsters live;
and so we give our attention also to the lay people responsible for the evangelization of
their local area, and to the family where different generations come together and build
the future of mankind (cf. C 29).
The Salesian pastoral work is useful because it is directed to the
young and is carried out with a youthful dynamism. This characteristic was wonderfully
present in our Founder, Don Bosco and in the origins of our Society ( C. 10). This
dynamism is lived in every work of the young because we have a special predilection for
them (C.14).
Since we have chosen this ministry, we develop a specific way of looking
at reality and a special way of reacting to it. We learn to understand reality from
the standpoint of the young. We become sensitive to those aspects that foster their
education and evangelization. This certainly implies risks. We pay attention to the
positive aspects, new values and possibilities that emerge. We develop an attitude of
listening, dialogue and empathy for the young.
And so in our analysis of reality, we keep in mind:
the different situations of poverty which seriously compromise the
education of the young and their reactions to them;
educational institutions and the relationships they establish with
the young: the family situation and its educative capacity, the educative system and the
quality and integrity of the formation it offers, the means of social communication and
the kind of mentality and culture they foster, etc.;
social aspects which have a greater influence on the youth situation,
such as the possibilities and quality of work offered to young people, opportunities for
the use of free time, possibilities of group activity, etc.;
the religious phenomenon of the neighborhood, the presence and action
of the Church, what it offers young people and their situation in its regard; the presence
of the various religions and other forms of religious practices;
the cultural reality of the people with its ensemble of values and
limits, experiences, languages and symbolisms which form its mentality and sensitivities;
the main characteristics of the youth condition, and the urgent needs
to which they give rise.
3.2 A task: educate by evangelizing
and evangelize by educating
Don Bosco’s pastoral concern arose from the process of
humanization which seeks the integral growth of each young individual and the construction
of society; "we educate and evangelize according to a plan for the total well-being
of man directed to Christ, the perfect Man. Faithful to the intentions of our Founder, our
purpose is to form ‘upright citizens and good Christians"’ (C 31).
Salesian Youth Ministry emphasizes the deep relationship between
educative activity and evangelizing action because it is founded on an
experience of faith: life as a gift in which God is present even under poor and paltry
appearances. The Christ event is the proof of this. And so the choice is made: to remain
on the side of life, of its meaning and dignity, of its fullness, even to the extent of
opening it to the Lord of Life, Christ Jesus.
This implies the making of some precise options:
A positive directing of the whole educational process of the young
towards their configuration to Christ, the perfect man, making of him and his
Gospel the point of reference at the level of mentality and life.
Enriching with evangelical values and Christian dynamism the
processes of the maturing of freedom and responsibility, the formation of conscience and
of criteria of evaluation and judgement, the development of the social dimension of the
person with an attitude of service.
Presenting the Gospel in a manner strictly linked with concrete
existence, harmoniously inserted in the growth processes of the person and deeply
bound up with the values of culture, like a true educative mediation which stimulates,
promotes and supports authentic personal growth.
Encouraging the growth of an operative faith, characterized by
the social dimension of charity for the advent of a culture of solidarity.
The goal which the YM proposes to the young person is that of
building his own personality with Christ as the fundamental reference, a reference which,
as it becomes progressively more explicit and interiorly recognized, will help him to see
history as Christ sees it, to judge life as he judges it, to choose and love as he does,
to hope as he teaches, to live in him the communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit
(cf. GC 23, 112-115).
The Salesian plan of Christian education, i.e. the process of education
to the faith, is thought out as a unified process towards this goal. The process has an
internal dynamic element expressed in the four characteristic dimensions of the Salesian
Educative and Pastoral Project or SEPP (the educative and cultural dimension, the
dimension of evangelization and catechesis, the vocational dimension, and the dimension of
group experience).
Here are the characteristics of this internal dynamism of the Salesian
Pastoral Plan:
The starting point is the meeting with the young at the point where
they are to be found, listening to their demands and aspirations, exploiting the talents
which young persons have within themselves, offering them an educative environment full of
life and rich in proposals. Such an environment:
encourages and accompanies them in the development of all their human
resources and brings out their deepest aspirations, even for a craving for the
transcendent,
guides them towards the meeting with Jesus Christ, the perfect man,
matures in them an intense sense of ecclesial membership,
discover gradually their own vocation in the transformation of the
world in line with God’s design. (cf. C 32-37; GC 23, 116-157)
3.3 A community experience
The community experience characterizes our apostolic work and educative
style, in which:
the community is the subject of the pastoral mission (C 44);
we set young people on the way to an experience of Church by enabling
them to take part in a community (C 35);
the family spirit, personal relationships, mutual confidence between
educators and youngsters are characteristics of our style of educating and evangelizing;
promoting group life and activity, and youth leadership (C 16, 35).
This community, the subject of the Salesian pastoral mission, is a well
defined community, which starts from the Salesian community and opens up to broader
realities in concentric circles (C 5):
The Salesian community, which realizes the Salesian mission through
its religious life.
The Salesian Family, the ensemble of groups instituted in the Church,
which feel and realize the Salesian vocation; they share the Salesian spirit and
spirituality and share also the responsibility for the Salesian mission, with each group
contributing its own particular characteristics and vocational richness.
Many other lay people, who share the spirit and mission of Don Bosco,
and collaborate at different levels in educational and pastoral responsibilities.
The Salesian movement, the sum total of people who with an attitude
of sympathy for the figure of Don Bosco, and his spirit and mission, intend to collaborate
in various ways in initiatives for doing good and thus sharing in the Salesian mission.
Salesian pastoral ministry, therefore, is not identified with nor
limited to the Salesian community and Salesian work, though the latter is necessary
nevertheless as a central place for the gathering and formation of the vast movement
working for the young, within and outside Salesian structures, in the Church and in
institutions of civil society (GC 24, 4). This communion and sharing in the spirit and in
the mission of Don Bosco between Salesians and laity is manifested and expressed in a
particularly intense and visible way in the Educative and Pastoral Community (EPC), which
"involves young people and adults, parents and educators, in a family atmosphere, so
that it can become a living experience of Church" (C 47; cf. R 5).
3.4 A specific style: animation
Salesian Youth Ministry gives priority to the way of education for
leading the individual to listen to the Gospel and accept it. We make this way concrete by
the use of animation (cf. GC 21, 46), which is a specific style for the realization of the
educative and pastoral mission in line with the values of Don Bosco’s preventive
system, and one which promotes in every young person the joy of living and the courage to
hope.
This original educative style, the purpose of which is to mature
individuals and institutions towards the fullness of life by activating a critical process
of liberating advancement, is founded on some fundamental convictions which are at the
same time specific practical options:
confidence in the individual and in his/her capacity for doing good;
for this the person must be the protagonist and personally involved in all the processes
that concern him/her;
the liberating force of educative love; for the development of their
internal energies youngsters need to be in contact with educators who are endowed with a
deep and educative loving kindness; for this reason animation requires the exploitation of
an interpersonal relationship marked by confidence, sharing and reciprocal acceptance,
together with the courage to make effective proposals;
openness to each and every youngster, without lowering educational
expectations, but offering to each one what is needed here and now; this implies accepting
the youngster in his/her present state as regards freedom and maturity, the gradual
reawakening of his/her potentialities and the opening of his/her life to new perspectives
through various educative and religious processes;
the active presence of educators among the young, establishing with
them a personal relationship which is at the same time positive and liberating, and the
creating of a human environment of quality with a plurality of significant educational
suggestions according to the needs of the young.
3.5 An organic pastoral work: diversity
in organic unity:
The various activities and interventions in YPM all have the one single
purpose: the integral advancement of young people and of their world. Hence a sectorial
kind of pastoral work consisting of many activities not linked with each other through an
organic pastoral plan is to be avoided; there must be an operative communion around the
great objectives, the criteria of action and the preferential options of all the aspects
relating to pastoral activity, so as to create a linkage and interrelationship between
them.
Such a convergence is required: by the subject, the young person, to
whom the various proposals are directed; and by the educative and pastoral community,
which must share the objectives and lines of action, and the necessary complementary
relationship between the various interventions, experiences and pastoral models.
This organic unity of the YM is realized through:
The SEPP, which at various levels (local and provincial) defines the
objectives which must shape and promote the convergence and operative communion in the
educative and pastoral community of the multiple activities, interventions and persons.
An organization of pastoral animation which promotes communication,
coordination and team work around the objectives for the education and evangelization of
the young. (cf. GC 23, 240-242).
3.6 A significant presence in the Church
and in the world
Pastoral work is the action of the Church which renders Jesus Christ
and his reality of salvation present in a human group living in a determined time and
space. It therefore has two essential points of reference: Jesus Christ, living and
present in the Church, and the concrete human group with its social and cultural reality.
Salesian Youth Ministry is inserted in this pastoral activity of the
Church to enrich it with the gift of the Salesian charisma, and to embody it in the world
of youth.
The broad community, to whom the pastoral work is entrusted, lives and
acts in the Church and in the world as a significant presence.
For this reason the educative and pastoral community cultivates a
renewed ecclesial awareness (C 13), and is adequately inserted into the pastoral work of
the local Church, taking up its criteria with conviction, taking part in its animating
structures, and fostering the bonds with the various educational realities present in it.
As a significant presence of the saving action of God in the
socially and politically organized human community
it participates "in the commitment of the Church to justice and
peace" (C 3 3),
it fosters the transformation of situations opposed to Gospel values
(C 7, 3 3).
Hence the educative and pastoral community:
ensures its presence in the human contexts in which young people
live, in particular those who are outcasts or on the margin of society (Salesian presence
in civil society), with particular attention to the elements which have greater influence
on their education and evangelization, discerning in them the signs of the salvific
presence of God;
participates decisively in cultural discussions and educative
processes through various forms of group activity, of the volunteer movement and of social
cooperation, bringing an original educative contribution to the creation of a mentality
and of a social and civil conscience which is solidly Christian and for the evangelization
of culture;
renders effective a Salesian work or foundation which, with its own
educational and pastoral identity, becomes a center for meetings, a sign of communion and
participation, and a factor for the transformation of the environment (cf. GC 23, 225-229;
GC 24, 173-174).
As a presence of the Church in plurireligious and pluricultural
contexts
Youth Ministry is realized also in contexts of cultural and religious
pluralism, with a notable presence of lay people of various cultures and beliefs who take
part in our mission.
Hence it must be always open to dialogue and to collaboration with the
different religious traditions, promoting with them the integral development of the person
and his openness to the transcendent.
The basic criterion for this collaboration is the preventive system:
"with those who do not accept God we can journey together,
basing ourselves on the human and lay values present in the preventive system;
with those who do accept God and the transcendent we can go further,
even to welcoming their religious values;
and finally, with those who share our faith in Christ but not our
membership of the Church, we can walk still more closely on the path of the Gospel"
(GC 24, 185).
For this reason it is important that in the EPC Christians live in
fidelity to their vocation and to the evangelizing mission of the Church in line with the
Salesian charism (cf. GC 24, 183-185).
Additional Reading:
VECCHI J.- PRELLEZO J.M. (a cura
di), Progetto educativo pastorale. Elementi modulari, LAS, Rome 1984. The text is a
glossary of the main terms in use in the YM.
VECCHI J., Pastorale giovanile una sfida per la comuniti ecclesiale,
LDC Leumann, (Turin)1992.
In particular:
Parte Prima: "La Chiesa di
fronte alla Pastorale Giovanile: quale pastorale?", cap. 3: "Pastorale,
Punti".
Fermi e Prospettive, o.c., pp. 38-56.
Parte Seconda: Un’esperienza originale ed emblematica di
Pastorale Giovanile a servizio della Chiesa, o.c., pp.59-118.
VECCHI J., "Pastorale, Educazione, Pedagogia nella prassi
Salesiana", in YOUTH PASTORAL DEPARTMENT, Il cammino e la prospettiva 2000. Documenti
PG 13, Rome 1991, pp.7-38. PASTORAL DEPARTMENT, Il cammino.
TONELLI R., "Il modello di Pastorale Giovanile", in YOUTH
PASTORAL e la prospettiva 2000 (o.c.), pp.107-121.
VECCHI J. - PRELLEZO J.M. (a cura di), Prassi educativa pastorale e
scienze dell’educazione (1988).
In particular, in Parte Seconda:
Cap. 1: VECCHI J. (ed.), "Pastorale, Educazione, Pedagogia nella
prassi Salesiana", o.c., pp.123 - 150.
Cap. 2: GROPPO G. (ed), "Educazione e Pastorate: rapporti -
tensioni - distanze - convergenze", o.c., pp. 151-195.
Cap. 3: ALBERICH E. (ed.), "Evangelizzazione - Catechesi -
Pastorale - Educazione: per un chiarimento dei termini e dei loro reciproci
rapporti", o.c., pp. 197-208.
Cap. 4: TONELLI R. (ed.), Pastorale Giovanile - Educazione -
Animazione, o.c., pp. 209-223.
ISTITUTO DI TEOLOGIA PASTORALE - UPS, Dizionario di Pastorale
Giovanile, LDC, Leumann (Turin), 1989. This dictionary has a rich series of entries,
like:
POLLO M., (ed.), "Animazione", o.c., pp.54-64.
TONELLI R., Pastorale giovanile, o.c., pp. 668-679.
---------- (ed.), "Spiritualitą giovanile", o.c.,
pp.909-919.
On Salesian Youth Spirituality (SYS), one can see in addition:
VAN LOOY L., "La Spiritualitą Giovanile Salesiana", in Il
modello di Pastorale Giovanile, in YOUTH PASTORAL DEPARTMENT - SDB, Il cammino e la
prospettiva 2000 (o.c.), pp. 149-164.
BRAIDO P, L’esperienza pedagogica di Don Bosco, LAS, Rome
1988.
----------, Don Bosco educatore. Scritti e testimonianze, LAS,
Rome 1997.
DEPARTMENT FOR THE SALESIAN FAMILY, Il Sistema preventivo verso il
Terzo Millennio. Atti della XVIII Settimana di Spiritualitą della Famiglia Salesiana.
A cura di A. MARTINELLI - G. CHERUBIN, Ed. SDB, Rome 1995.
Here are some suggested in-depth texts on the Preventive System.
TONELLI R., "Per raccogliere la
sfida della nuova situazione giovanile e culturale: criteri e prospettive
d’intervento", in DPGS, L’Europa interpella il carisma Salesiano.
L’esperienza religiosa in una situazione pluriculturale. Atti convegno Europeo in
Polonia, Rome 1994, pp.55-84.
Tonelli’s text will also be useful for deepening knowledge of the
educative process and today’s evangelization.
TONELLI R., Pastorale Giovanile e
animazione. Una collaborazione per la vita e la speranza. LDC, Leumann (Turin) 1986.
YOUTH PASTORAL DEPARTMENT AND INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR YOUTH MINISTRY, L’animatore
Salesiano nel gruppo giovanile. Una proposta Salesiana. Documento PG 12. LDC, Leumann
(Turin) 1988.
These two will also help in the area of animation.
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