Forming Salesians of Don Bosco to be servants of the young

Content 1.Introduction: “The true vine and branches” sums up the reflection of GC27 2.What does it mean to be “servant of the young”? – Good “Shepherd – Servant” of the young – two characteristics of Salesian apostle – “Being a servant of the young” in the reflection of GC27 – Tentative definition 3.What are the implications? Two fold dimension – Be a good shepherd – Be a good servant NOWADAYS 4.What are the indicators? – Knowledge: … – Attitude: … – Generic skills: …

The true vine and branches “The true vine and branches” sums up the reflection of GC27 Mystics in the Spirit - Prayer life - Prophets of Fraternity - Community life - Servants of the Young - Apostolic life - 1. INTRODUCTION

2. What does it mean for a Salesian of Don Bosco to be a servant of the young? 2.1 Good “Shepherd – Servant” of the young – two chief characteristics of the same Salesian apostle with the same vocation to realize “a project of apostolic consecration” (Acts 413) 2.2 “Being a servant of the young” in the reflection of GC 27

2.1 Good “Shepherd – Servant” of the young general view 2.1.1“Good shepherd” – general view of being a Salesian apostle

“Good shepherd” in the Bible and in the mind of Don Bosco “I will give you shepherd after my own heart” (Jer 3:15) “I come so that they may have life and have it to the full. I m the good shepherd: the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.” (Jn 10:10 – 11) To change the wild animals into lambs; To arouse pastors among the flock to become assistants, the good shepherds.

“Good shepherd” in the last six General Chapters “A project of apostolic consecration” – Constitutions and Regulations / “da mihi animas, cetera tolle” – 【 GC 22 、 GC26 】 Educator and pastor of the young inspired by pastoral charity 【 GC 23 】 Witness to “gospel radicalism” 【 GC 27 】 Responsible member of a community 【 GC 25 】 Animator of communion in the spirit and mission of Don Bosco 【 GC 24 】 A part of the Church, open to the flow of events and in touch with reality. actual context It refers to the actual context in which the Salesian lives and works in which the Salesian lives and works.

2.1 Good “Shepherd – Servant” of the young particular view “Good servant” – particular view of being a Salesian apostle

Biblical sense of “being a servant” “The son of Man came not to be served but serve, and to give his life as ransom for many” (Mt 20:28) “We are useless ‘servants’, we have done no more than our duty” (Lk 17:10) The suffering servant mentioned in the book of Isaiah The characteristics of a servant: – to serve – to be humble – to suffer – to sacrifice – to ransom …

The idea originated from Fr. Chavez We are urged to be the servant of the young “NOWADAYS” to bring hope to the World. Challenges to face …

Cultural challenges: Post-modernism (counter values), Inculturation (rejection of diversity), Secularisation (no room for God). Ecclesial challenges: New evangelisation (languages, religious scepticism), relativism. Institutional challenges: weak vocational discernment and personal accompaniment, lack in the assimilation of the guide-lines of the Congregation regarding pastoral work, weakness in direction and animation. Personal challenges: consecration identity individualism, activism, scarce self-formation, unaware of the Salesian consecration identity, less appreciated affective dimension. Young people as a challenge the expectations of young people who are spiritually, culturally and materially poor, calls for an urgent conversion, for compassion (cf. Mk 6,34; 8,2-3) Challenges NOWADAYS to face

The need arises to trace out the profile of the NEW SALESIAN NOWADAYS NEW SALESIAN NOWADAYS called to be: a mystic a prophet a servant “The presence of new forms of poverty and marginalization ought to call forth the creativity in the care of those most in need”; which marked the birth of our Congregation and will result in the rebirth of our Provinces.

Evangelical counsels: - Consecrated chastity, practice of poverty, humble obedience - Radical approach of the Gospel in the consecrated life Vocation: Our vocation as a call to follow Christ obedient, poor and chaste, to fraternal life in community, to dedication to the mission, in dialogue with God at the service of our brothers. Spiritual experience: to be Disciples of Christ and seekers of God characterised in the Spirit as all-embracing, unifying and dynamic. Fraternal life in fraternal communities: communion without community is a subtle form of individualism.

awareness of being sent make God’s salvation present young people’s travelling companion involves our whole lives measured in the growth of pastoral charity

Radical approach of the Gospel in the consecrated life … in the Salesian style: Work and Temperance Work Temperance In the makeup of the Salesian and in his apostolic life, work and temperance have complementary functions of incentive and support. … gets an individual moving, stimulates his creativity, prompts him to a certain self-affirmation and sends him into the world. … as a virtue that leads to self-control, is a “hinge” around which moderating virtues turn: self-restraint, humility, meekness, clemency, modesty, sobriety and abstinence, economy and simplicity, and also austerity; this complex adds up to an overall attitude of self-control.

The ten Principles of Servant Leadership (Robert Greenleaf): Listening, (humbleness) Empathy, Healing, Awareness, Persuasion, Conceptualisation, Foresight, Stewardship, Commitment to the Growth of People, Building community. Contribution of Human Science

Objective Objective: to make our Salesian life even more authentic and therefore visible, credible and fruitful. We need continual spiritual, fraternal and pastoral conversion, especially putting ourselves more decisively and significantly at the SERVICE OF the poorest of the YOUNG.

2.2 “Being a servant of the young” in the reflection of GC27 Like Don Bosco, in dialogue with the Lord (Mystics) … journeying together, moved by the Spirit (…) … experiencing fraternal life, as at Valdocco (Prophets) … available for planning and sharing (…) …going out to the peripheries (Servants) – To be an active and enthusiastic presence among them with the passion of the Good Shepherd. – To have an outgoing ministry that starts with the deepest needs of the poorest young people from their family and social perspective …becoming prophetic signs in the service of the young (…) – To construct a missionary and prophetic community which shares with the young and the poor. – To have a complete and systematic ministry able to accompany processes of vocational maturing, in tune with new Church and Salesian perspectives.

2.3 Tentative working definition being a good shepherd of the young, Salesian needs to be able to … – Respond to the call of God in the same project of apostolic consecration with pastoral charity. – Walk with the young, educate them by evangelization and evangelize them by education, in the way of the Preventive System of Don Bosco. – Have an authentic community life permeated with prayerful and fraternal atmosphere, and to work together for the good of the young. – Work with the EPC and animate the members with the spirit of Don Bosco and especially with SEPP.

2.3 Tentative working definition Being a good servant of the young NOWADAYS, Salesian needs to be able to … – Be faithful to evangelical counsel with fruitful spiritual experiences through the “total gift of self throughout the life”. – Keep mature in the exercise of the virtue of “Work-Temperance” and the characteristics of Biblical sense of being a servant: “humbleness, sacrifice and ransom” – Have fraternal life in missionary and prophetic communities to avoid individualism. – Have strong compassion to the young and creativity in the care of those most in need, in order to give companion to the young. – Be able to provide outgoing ministry, complete and systematic. – Have the sense of the mission sent to the young with the growth in pastoral charity.

3. The implications to the formation of a Salesian to be servant (Shepherd – Servant) of the young … … to be able to realize “a project of apostolic consecration” (GC22 & GC26) in twofold dimensions: Be a good shepherd: with “pastoral charity” able to work with the confreres (GC 25) in the Educative Pastoral Community (GC24) so as to educate young people to faith (GC 23). Be a good servant NOWADAYS (GC 27): with authentic Salesian life, i.e. visible, credible and fruitful, especially at the decisive and significant service of the poorest of the young.

4. The indicators (behavioral indicators) Knowledge: – GC 22 – GC 27 – of the challenges – self, community and the young. Attitude: having … – compassion and courage to stay among the young especially the poorest – humbleness to work, to live and to pray together – spirituality of life-long commitment. Generic skills: – building up Salesian community and EPC, – drawing up SEPP consisted of systematic Salesian youth ministry elements, – Salesian way of animation and educating the young to faith.

Throw out a piece of brick in order to attract a piece of jade

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