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The first fundamental element for the realization of Salesian Youth
Ministry is the community: a community which, in
a family atmosphere, brings in young people and adults, parents and educators, so that it
can become an experience of Church and a revelation of God’s plan (C 47).
The SEPP requires also the convergence of intentions and convictions on
the part of all who are involved in its elaboration and realization.
This community, which is both the subject and environment of educative
and pastoral activity, we call the "Educative and Pastoral Community" (EPC).
In this Chapter we shall set out its identity, its dynamic factors and
the structures of participation for stimulating its growth.
1.1 The Salesian manner of being present among the young.
From the early days of the Oratory, a kind of family was formed
around Don Bosco, in which the youngsters themselves played a key role; in it they lived
in a youthful setting charged with the values of the preventive system, with well defined
spiritual and pastoral characteristics, with clear objectives, and with a convergence of
roles thought Out with the youngsters in mind.
The Salesian Congregation was born from this community; the Salesians
with their community life are, in Don Bosco’s mind, the center of communion and
participation for the other educators who bring their contribution to the project and
spread the charisma (cf. GC 24, 71-72. 75).
At the present day this charismatic reality is for us:
a requirement of the Church, which is a symbol and a reality
of communion. The Church manifests the gift of the Trinitarian communion and she has been
sent to the world to promote communion as the beginning of God’s Kingdom. This
communion promotes the diversity of gifts and services as a complementary reality, lived
in mutual reciprocity at the service of the same mission (cf. GC 24, 61-67);
a decisive element of evangelization, a task of all the people
of God, who through their community witness and service bring about a first proclamation
of the Gospel; a community in which all the members, and especially the lay ones, are
active subjects, promoters of the evangelization of individuals and of cultures (cf. CL
55-56; GC 24, 96);
a necessary condition for educative action, based on the unity and
unique nature of the subject, i.e. the young person; lived in an extraordinarily complex
world and in a culture of participation and sharing; education is a social fact which is
the result of a convergence of persons, interventions and skills, in a shared project
which is realized through the responsibility of all (cf. C 34-1 GC 21, 63.67; GC 24, 99);
a characteristic of the preventive system and of Salesian
spirituality, which requires an intensely enlightened environment of participation and
sincere, friendly and fraternal relationships; which brings together in a single dynamic
experience both educators (individually and as a community) and the young; which makes of
the sharing of the values of Salesian spirituality the source of communion and of
participation in the mission (cf. GC 21, 96. 102; GC 24, 9193).
Rather than a new structure added to the other structures of management
and participation already existing in the various pastoral works, the EPC is the
concrete expression of Salesian presence as Don Bosco wanted it, i.e.:
a community: because it involves in a family atmosphere young
and adults, parents and educators, so as to become an experience of Church ( Cf. C. 47 );
it is not only a working organization or a technique for participation; it promotes a
fundamental unity not for the work or its efficiency but it promotes an ensemble of values
( educative, spiritual, Salesian, etc ) which form a shared identity and accepted by all;
an educative community: because it places at the center of its
projects, relationships and organization, the integral advancement of the young, i.e. the
maturing of their potentialities under every aspect: physical, psychological, cultural,
professional, social and transcendent;
a pastoral community: because it is open to evangelization,
walks with the young in the encounter with Christ and has an experience of the Church,
where the values of human and Christian communion with God and our neighbor are
experienced with the youngsters (cf. GC 24, 156).
1.2 The EPC involves many persons
The EPC is made up of all those who work within the ambient of a
Salesian work and collaborate in the implementation of the same SEPP, i.e.:
- the Salesian community, guarantor of the Salesian identity and center of communion and
participation;
- the youngsters, fundamental point of reference for the activity of the community, which
works not only in their midst and for them, but also with them and through them;
- the parents, who bear the first and principal responsibility for their education;
- the lay people and collaborators who have responsibility at various levels, and among
these in a special manner the members of the Salesian Family, who work within the Salesian
works.
All these collaborate at various levels in the same educational
process; they mutually enrich each other and share a common process of formation (cf. GC
24, 157).
The EPC, constituted in this manner, is open to and collaborates with:
- all those who work for the advancement and formation of the young in the area concerned;
- the past-pupils who feel themselves still bound to us;
the young people and adults of the area, to whom the educative process is offered.
1.3 In an experience of communion and sharing of Don
Bosco’s spirit and mission.
A Salesian presence becomes a real experience of communion and a place
of evangelization, in which the SEPP contributes to bring about a harmonious synthesis of
the Gospel and culture, and of faith and life (GC 24, 96). For its drawing up we have the
following objectives :
Involvement of the efforts of all in the animation of the educative
processes, fostering the specific contributions of the various vocations and ensuring a
common orientation in line with the educative and pastoral project.
Creation of an educative environment of communion and personal
relationships between educators and the young, in which the educative and evangelical values
of the Salesian spirit are experienced in a significant and positive manner.
Promotion of an experience of Christian life in the Salesian
style, fostering openness to God, proclamation of the Gospel, and a progressive process of
education to the faith.
Collaboration in the advancement and evangelization of society and
culture in the locality through a competent educative and ecclesial presence in the area.
1.4 In the Church and in the locality
1.4.1 The EPC, as an effective experience of Church (cf. C 47),
must:
- be integrated into the pastoral work of the local Church by:
- inserting the SEPP in the pastoral plan of the Diocese or region;
- coordinating its own work with that of other Christian forces working for the education
of the young (religious congregations, Christian movements of educators, etc.);
- expressing this membership of the Church as a community through gestures proportionate
to the level of faith attained by the EPC.
- bring to the ecclesial community a specific contribution by:
- taking an active part in parish or zonal pastoral councils;
- offering a particular contribution as educators of the young;
- putting forward proposals and initiatives for the service of the educative and pastoral
mission of the Church.
1.4.2 As an effective presence in the area,
the EPC works:
In its educative and pastoral task the community involves the social
forces already existing in the area and in the local Church, and endeavors to become
integrated in the human and Christian reality in which it lives. With these forces it
maintains an enriching dialogue and exchange; it participates in the formation of young
people and in their human and Christian advancement, collaborating with groups working for
the same ends (cf. GC 21, 17.132; GC 23, 229-230; GC 24, 115).
For this purpose it will grow in:
- being a center that welcomes and gathers as many people as possible (youngsters, parents
and lay collaborators, members of the Salesian Family, those interested in human and
religious aspects of the territory);
- becoming a center of communion and participation: the EPC becomes like a spiral in which
the central nucleus extends sensitivity and shared responsibility towards the periphery,
fostering aspects of effectiveness and communication (cf. GC 24, 49. 114. 135).
- as a center of sharing and an agent for transforming the environment.
It is present through its members in the life of the area. Its
educative and pastoral expertise is made available for meeting problems concerning the
young (cf. GC 24, 235). This dynamism will lead the community to:
- make a critical evaluation of internal events;
- participate in cultural and educative initiatives in the area;
- become organized from a civil standpoint to bring an influence to bear on local
political matters concerning youth;
- make of the area a field where committed youth groups flourish (cf. GC 23, 210-212; GC
24, 63);
- open up new possibilities for collaboration (volunteer movement);
- support and encourage Christians in the area who are committed.
2.1 The EPC as a reality in the process of growth
Rather than a structure or institution already completed, the EPC is a
living organism which exists in the measure that it grows and develops. For this reason it
is not enough to take care only of its organization; its life must be developed as well.
The following are some elements which can indicate the degree of vitality of an EPC and
provide some indications for launching a positive process of growth:
- The quality of human relationships existing within it:
- goes beyond purely functional relationships arising from task or work, by developing a
fraternal rapport of respect and interest for persons;
- goes beyond relationships based only on friendship or harmony of ideas, towards a
sharing of fundamental values of the mission and of Salesian style;
- goes beyond collaboration based purely on good will to clarify clearly the levels and
contents of shared responsibilities and functions.
- The maturity of the sense of belonging, manifested among other ways in:
- ever more clear and conscious sharing of the objectives and criteria of the SEPP
- ever more accurate and generous participation in educative and pastoral
responsibilities, even to the extent of vocational identification.
- The development of the educative and pastoral identity in each of the educators
and in the whole community:
- from a sharing of marginal values, like activities or some specific interests, to the
sharing of values central to the SEPP.
- This development is shown:
- in a commitment to personal ongoing formation; in the personal and collective effort for
a greater professional, educative and Christian quality in one’s own work;
- in the commitment to renewal and updating of the various institutions and structures in
line with the educative and pastoral criteria of the SEPP;
- in the effort at harmony, dialogue and presence among the young.
2.2 Animation as the center of focus of the EPC
It is clear, therefore, that the fundamental task in the realization of
the EPC is that of its animation, i.e. of fostering its becoming a true family in which
young and old, parents and educators, professionals and volunteers, share one and the same
educative and pastoral project, with each one bringing his/her own original contribution,
and helping each other in their growth as persons and Christians, and thus becoming a true
experience of the Church (cf. C 47).
All are involved in this process of animation; all, with their ways of
doing and the rapport they maintain, either foster it or weaken it. No one can remain
neutral; everything that happens in daily life either speeds up or impedes the process of
growth and development of the EPC.
2.3 Reciprocal contribution of the Salesian religious and
the laity in the animation of the EPC
2.3.1 The SDB community
The SDB community, as the charismatic community which lives, guards,
deepens and constantly develops the charism of Don Bosco, carries out a specific animating
action as regards the EPC:
it bears witness to religious life, manifesting the primacy of God in
life and total dedication to the educative and evangelizing mission;
it guarantees the Salesian charismatic identity;
it is the center of communion and participation, which draws lay
people to share in the spirit and mission of Don Bosco;
it has the primary responsibility for spiritual, Salesian and
vocational formation (cf. GC 24, 159).
Taking up this duty of animation presupposes that the Salesian
community will rethink its position and its function as 4 religious community within the
EPC and the educative and pastoral process. In the past the Salesian community assumed
almost exclusively the responsibility for the environment and work of education, with the
help of the laity when necessary; today it must call upon the laity to share this
responsibility and take up within the EPC its own specific task
2.3.2 The Involvement of the Laity
The SDB community, aware of its specific responsibility, invites the
lay people to join the EPC and shares with them the responsibility for its animation, The
laity bring to the EPC and to its educative mission a concrete model of secular life.
Living as they are in their families and in their own social and political settings, they
can contribute their specific professional, educative and pastoral skills. Besides, they
bring with them their own form of living the religious dimension of Christian vocation in
the secular life.
This reciprocal contribution offers the EPC an enrichment of educative
presence and, as a true experience of Church, makes it a witness and significant point of
reference for the young. It is important therefore that each one develops to the maximum
one’s own contribution in all one does.
2.4 Aspects to be noted in the animation of the EPC
The animation and care of the life of the EPC includes a multiplicity
of tasks, which can be organized according to their importance.
There are those which concern external and practical aspects of the
EPC, such as:
Promoting the organization and co-ordination of the different
teams which render it practical and effective by ensuring:
good communication: personal relationships, information, dialogue;
the planning, implementation and evaluation of the SEPP;
the effective and consistent functioning of the various teams and
structures of participation in keeping with the SEPP.
Other educative aspects such as:
Taking care of the quality of education offered, its objectives and
contents and implementation:
by directing, in line with the SEPP, all the proposals and activities
realized in the EPC, with special attention given to education of the very poor;
by developing an adequate educative methodology for reflection and
action;
by inserting the EPC in its own cultural, social and ecclesial
environment.
And finally, other factors that need to be taken account of especially
with regard to the Salesian identity:
Deepening the quality of an educative, spiritual, Christian and
Salesian formation at all levels:
by motivating and organizing a systematic process of ongoing
formation;
by following up the educative and Christian growth of individuals and
their vocational development;
by promoting the experience of Salesian Youth Spirituality.
Ensuring the Salesian originality, through:
the close, friendly and effective presence of Christian and Salesian
witnesses among the young;
an environment of educative and Christian quality with specific
outlets for those more disposed;
a clear and timely direction given to their vocation.
All these tasks are necessary and mutually linked; but these last ones
are the more decisive for ensuring animation of the EPC.
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