by Fr. Gerry Martin, SDB
There were 46 confreres including the delegates of the sectors for each province; the two provincials (FIN and CIN); Fr Fabio Attard and Fr Patrick Anthonyraj Alexander from the Youth Ministry Department; Fr Ivo Coelho and Fr Silvio Roggia of the Formation Department; the Regional Fr Klement Vaclav and other confreres who are involved in youth ministry and formation.
There were joint meetings of the two sectors to listen, share and decide on points of collaboration, and also separate sessions for the sectors to focus and address their specific concerns.
An important matter that permeated the meeting was the deep understanding of our Salesian identity and vocation that makes us appreciate the two forms of Salesian vocation: the brother and the priest. These two forms of vocation cannot be understood and lived in isolation but only in communion.
However, a common byword was “process”. It was a process of embracing more and more the attitude that youth ministry and formation are not just two sectors of our work that go hand in hand, but rather, they are “two sides of the same coin”, two ways of serving the young people we are journeying with. This means that impromptu collaboration is no longer an option, but instead a systematic approach is required.
As a fruit of the joint meeting, the two sectors arrived at some strategic directions for the youth ministry and formation commissions of each province of the Region to go forward:
- the formal collaboration of the two sectors;
- ensuring the systematic study and understanding of the Youth Ministry Frame of Reference both in initial and ongoing formation;
- working together in designing a comprehensive pastoral formation program;
- forming formators in spiritual and pastoral accompaniment;
- and promoting knowledge and implementation of the document on the ‘Aspirantate Experience’.
