StudyDaysonInitialProclamationinOceaniaACTS2011


StudyDaysonInitialProclamationinOceaniaACTS2011



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Acts of the
Study Days
on
The Salesian Mission
and the Initial Proclamation
of Christ in Oceania
in the Context of Traditional
Religions and Cultures,
and Cultures in the Process
of Secularisation
August 21 – 25, 2011
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
edited by
Alfred MARAvillA
SDB Missions Department & FMA Sector for Mission ad/inter Gentes
Rome 2013

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Editrice S.D.B.
Edizione extra commerciale
Direzione Generale Opere Don Bosco
Via della Pisana, 1111
Casella Postale 18333
00163 Roma

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Table of contents
InTrODuCTIOn .............................................................................................. 7
Don Bosco come to Oceania! ................................................................ 9
The Study Days...................................................................................... 11
rediscover the Dynamics of Initial Proclamation.............................. 13
Fr. Václav Klement SDB, General Councillor for the Missions
What Do We “Say” about Jesus to the Peoples of Oceania? ............... 17
Sr. Alaíde Deretti FMA, General Councillor for Mission ad/inter Gentes
An Overview of the Topic of Study Days from Prague to Port Moresby 23
Fr. Alfred Maravilla SDB
PArT I - AnAlySIS Of The SITuATIOn ....................................................... 31
Initial Proclamation of Christ in Melanesia: A Situationer................. 33
Fr. John Cabrido SDB
Towards a Common understanding of Initial Proclamation in Oceania
according to Church Documents and in ecclesia in Oceania ..................... 37
Sr. Pamela Vecina FMA
PArT II - STuDy & refleCTIOn................................................................ 43
Initial Proclamation of Christ
in the Context of Traditional Cultures and religions in Melanesia . 45
Fr. Franco Zocca SVD
A response to franco Zocca ................................................................ 77
Fr. Peter Baquero SDB
Initial Proclamation in Societies in the Process of Secularisation .... 81
Fr. David Willis OP
A response to David Willis .................................................................. 89
Sr. Margaret Bentley FMA
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PArT III - fOrMulATIng COnCluSIOnS ................................................... 93
Catechesis and evangelisation from a Salesian Perspective ............. 95
Fr. Elio Capra SDB
A response to elio Capra..................................................................... 101
Sr. Alice Fulgencio FMA
emerging Perspectives during these Study Days
in view of a renewed Missionary Praxis............................................. 103
Sr. Pamela Vecina FMA & Fr. John Cabrido SDB
Practical Proposals................................................................................ 109
Practical Proposals – FMA
Practical Proposals – SDB
ClOSIng reMArkS ....................................................................................... 111
Three Concluding Concepts ................................................................. 113
Sr. Alaíde Deretti FMA
Initial Proclamation Demands a new Mentality ................................ 115
Fr. Václav Klement SDB
The STuDy DAyS In The lIghT Of The WOrD Of gOD............................. 117
Sr. Maria Ko Ha Fong FMA
“Go Up and Join that Chariot!” (Acts 8, 2) .......................................... 119
How Many Loaves Do You Have? Go and See! (Mk 6, 30-44)............ 129
The Encounter of Jesus with Three Different Persons
in Different Contexts (John 3-4) ............................................................ 135
“What Are You Looking For?” “Come and See” (Jn 1, 35-42a) ......... 145
Mary the “First Evangelised” and the “First Evangeliser” (1Cor 8,1-23) 155
ACTIvITy SheeTS
fOr COMMunITy MeeTIngS Of OngOIng fOrMATIOn .............................. 161
1. Sharing the Word .............................................................................. 163
2. Initial Proclamation: What is it? ..................................................... 165
3. get up and go!.................................................................................. 169
4. Saint francis de Sales: humanism as Initial Proclamation .......... 173
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5. Seated in the Chariot, he was reading the Scriptures.................. 177
6. A Constantly Changing Context..................................................... 179
7. reach Out! ......................................................................................... 181
8. kindness as Initial Proclamation ..................................................... 185
9. The Challenges and Opportunities of our Secular Age ................. 189
10. Initial Proclamation and Catechesis.............................................. 193
APPenDICeS
1. Priorities and Strategies of the Salesian family
Missionary Seminar .............................................................................. 199
(Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, September 4-7, 2004)
2. young People and religion in Our Secular Age............................. 103
3. Initial Proclamation in Catholic educational Institutions ............ 209
Secrétariat Général de l’Enseignement Catholique, France
4. nurturing the faith........................................................................... 233
Excerpts from the Pastoral Letter of the Bishops of Papua New Guinea & Solomon
Islands on Catechetical Renewal
5. Catholic Schools at a Crossroads..................................................... 227
Excerpts from the Pastoral Letter of the Bishops of NSW and the ACT
lIST Of PArTICIPAnTS ................................................................................. 233
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Introduction

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Don Bosco Come to Oceania!
(Excerpts from the 4th missionary dream narrated
by Don Bosco on July 2, 1885)
… Finally, i thought i was in Australia. Here too there was an Angel,
but he had no name. He shepherded and marched, urging the people to
march toward the south.
Australia was not a continent, but a number of islands grouped to-
gether, whose inhabitants were varied in temperament and appearance.
There was a big crowd of children living there who tried to come towards
us, but could not because of the distance and the waters that separated
them from us. Nevertheless, they held out their hands towards Don Bosco
and the Salesians, saying:
“Come and help us! Why do you not fulfil what your fathers have
began”? Many held back, but others made every possible effort to push
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their way through the wild animals to reach the Salesians, who were un-
known to me, and they began to sing “Blessed is he who comes in the
name of the Lord”.
i little distance away i could see groups of many islands, but could
not distinguish any details. i felt that all this indicated that Divine Provi-
dence was offering part of this evangelical field to the Salesians, but for
some future period. Their efforts will bear fruit, for the hand of God will
be constantly outstretched over them, unless they become unworthy of
His graces…
(Biographical Memoirs, Xvii, 595)
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The Study Days
The Study Days are a development of the Seminar for Missionary An-
imation and Formation organised by the SDB and FMA Missions Depart-
ments for many years now. However, unlike the Seminar, the Study Days
are not intended as occasion for the animation and formation of missionar-
ies. These Study Days are meant, rather, to foster reflective discussions and
a deeper contextualised reflection on the initial proclamation of Christ
in Oceania in order to arrive at a deeper understanding of the challenges
and discover new insights and perspectives in view of a rediscovering its
relevance today. Hence, the Study Days are directed primarily to Salesians
and Daughters of Mary Help of Christians as well as other members of the
Salesian Family with a certain level of either theological, missiological, an-
thropological or academic formation.
For this six-year period initial proclamation, as the start of the rich, dy-
namic, and complex process of evangelisation, was chosen as the overrid-
ing theme of the SDB-FMA Study Days in all continents. These Study Days
build on the Missionary Animation Seminar on The Challenges of the Mis-
sion “Ad gentes” in Oceania” (2004).
But is the topic on initial proclamation relevant in Oceania where
a great majority are baptised Christians? it is important to recall that at
baptism the child received the habitus of the faith (the capacity to believe),
but not the personal act of faith (the firm commitment to orient one’s own
life according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ). However, in the context of
Oceania’s traditional societies and secularised cultures today, the initial
proclamation a child receives in the family is often not adequate to become
the foundation of a robust faith. Without this initial conversion and initial
personal faith, catechesis risks becoming sterile. in this light, even Ocea-
nia’s Catholics who frequent our parishes and Religious Education classes
in our schools as well as other Christians who frequent our youth centres all
need initial proclamation of the Gospel in view of developing their faith
and personal adhesion to Christ.
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This booklet reflects the three moments of the Study Days: I. Analysis
of the Situation II. Study & Reflection III. Formulation of Conclusions. it
also contains the prayerful reading of the Word of God through the biblical
reflection at the start of each day.
Most speakers were chosen purposely outside the Salesian Family cir-
cle in order to hear a ‘different voice’ regarding the topic and help the par-
ticipants to ‘think out of the box’ and provoke a deeper reflection and analy-
sis of the situation and help participants discover new insights and per-
spectives.
After the presentation of the speaker, one of the participants (who had
read and studied the presentation well in advance) presented a prepared re-
sponse in a form of a critical reaction to the talk outlining its possible chal-
lenges and opportunities from the Salesian perspective so as to stimulate
further discussion and deeper reflection among the participants.
Besides Sr. Anna Maria Gervasone FMA and Fr. Alfred Maravilla SDB
as moderators of the Study Days, Sr. Pamela vecina FMA and Fr. John
Cabrido SDB, as facilitators, had the crucial task 1) of collating the situa-
tion reports of participants and present their synthesis at the start of the
Study Days, 2) of synthesizing the discussions each day and point out
emerging insights and perspectives expressed by the different perspectives
of the participants 3) and of formulating a final synthesis of the whole Study
Days outlining the challenges as well as new missiological and theological
insights and perspectives regarding initial proclamation in Oceania.
These Acts of the Study Days are published with various activity sheets
which would enable the local communities (even those in other contexts) to
use the materials for the on-going formation of their members and, hence,
foster a deeper and wider reception among Salesians, Daughters of Mary
Help of Christians and the Salesian Family of Oceania of the new perspec-
tives and insights emerging from these Study Days.
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Rediscover the Dynamics
of the initial Proclamation
Fr. Václav Klement SDB
General Councillor for the Missions
Good morning and welcome to everyone!
Before my coming to East Asia and Oceania i was in Taizé for three
days praying with 5000 young people from all around the world. Then i
attended in France for 5 days a meeting of 70 Salesians from Western Eu-
rope to discuss the ‘Project Europe’ together with the Rector Major, Fr.
Pascual Chávez. i bring his warm greetings and blessing to all of you!
After many months of preparation, we are together here in the Em-
maus Haus at Boroko East, Port Moresby: Salesians of Don Bosco,
Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, Caritas Sisters of Jesus, Salesian
Cooperators and Don Bosco Past Pupils from different countries of
Oceania. This is already our second meeting in Oceania. indeed, since
1989 and every 6 years thereafter, the Salesians and Daughters of Mary
Help of Christians shared together a formation opportunity on themes on
the level of East Asian part of EAO region: The Far East – Cultures, reli-
gions and evangelisation (1989, Hua Hin), Evangelisation and Interreli-
gious dialogue (1994, Batulao), Uniqueness of Salvation in Jesus Christ
and Need of Primary Evangelisation (1998, Hua Hin), “The challenges of
the Mission “Ad gentes” in Oceania”(2004, Port Moresby). Starting
2004 the event was opened to all groups of the Salesian Family as well
distinct meetings were held in East Asia and in Oceania. After the GC26
of the SDB (2008) this gathering was transformed to ‘Study Days’ re-
garding the Salesian mission. Now the focus is not so much on the forma-
tion of many missionaries, but on the occasion to study and reflect deeply
on some specific themes regarding the mission of evangelisation.
We have chosen ‘initial proclamation of Jesus’ for both SDB and
FMA as the topic for the six year period 2008-2014 for all regions. We
started with the European Study Days in Prague (2010), this year (2011)
we have the Study Days in South and East Asia as well as here in
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Oceania; next year 2012 will be for Africa and the last in 2013 for the
whole of America. Four of these Study Days are held on SDB facilities
while three are on those of the FMA. i’m very grateful for the hospitality
of the SDB Delegation of Papua New Guinea – Solomon islands, espe-
cially to the Delegate Fr. Rafael Galve, the Rector of this house, Fr. John
Cabrido, respective Superiors of all Salesian Family groups in Oceania
and all who contributed to prepare and make these Oceania Study Days a
reality.
During these days we are called to re-discover the dynamics of the
initial proclamation of the gospel, starting from our daily experiences.
The choice of initial proclamation of Jesus Christ as the theme of our
study and reflection these days implies that we, members of the Salesian
Family, are challenged to reflect on the missionary action of the Church
as well as examine that of the Salesian Family. initial proclamation poses
a crucial question to us all because our mission of evangelisation and ed-
ucation hinges on it.
The whole Church is missionary by its nature1 and our contribution as
Salesian Family to the Church’s mission is mainly in the field of educa-
tion. Our way of living and sharing the Gospel is through the Preventive
System of Don Bosco. We are immersed in our busy daily life and mis-
sion, and often we lack time to reflect about our own actions, convictions
and motivations. Redemptoris Missio (n.44) insists that initial proclama-
tion “is the permanent priority of mission.” it “has a central and irreplace-
able role” in the mission of the Church because “all forms of missionary
activity are directed to this proclamation”. Guided by the Magisterium of
the Church we recognise that in every continent there is a need of evange-
lisation and the ‘initial proclamation of Christ’ is the cutting edge on this
never ending path. The incoming Xiii Ordinary General Assembly of the
Synod of Bishops about ‘New evangelisation for the transmission of the
Christian faith’ for 2012, dedicates a special attention to the initial
proclamation in the Lineamenta (n.19).
These Study Days give us a chance to reflect together more deeply on
1 «The pilgrim Church is missionary by her very nature, since it is from the mission of
the Son and the mission of the Holy Spirit that she draws her origin, in accordance with the
decree of God the Father» (Ad Gentes 2).
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our evangelising mission. We hope to offer fruits of our reflection to
many brothers and sisters of the Salesian Family living in Papua New
Guinea, Solomon islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Fiji, New Zealand
and Australia. At the start of these Study Days I invite you to consider
these four important points:
1 All of us are in touch daily with many of young people in our schools,
parishes and other mission fields, who have the right to meet Jesus
personally. it’s about our personal and communitarian conversion in our
life and mission to put initial proclamation a due attention. Hence we are
challenged to discover the opportunities and dynamics of initial
proclamation of Jesus in our daily life;
2 We are called to clarify some of our open questions, doubts or prejudices
about the relationship between our witness and proclamation (Evangelii
Nuntiandi 22);
3 The presence of lay members of Salesian Family is for all of us a strong
invitation to affirm the importance of the family as a privileged place for
the initial proclamation of the Gospel.
4 We are also invited to keep in mind possible ways of forming youth and
lay mission partners as agents of initial proclamation of Christ;
5 We are invited to share our own experience of god with others. in this
effort we can be helped by the storytelling dynamics of the 2005 PNG
Church Assembly ‘We Are Church Alive in Christ’ or by 2006 Chiang Mai
‘First Asian Missionary Congress’. For the SDB ‘storytelling’ is also a
theme for the 2012 Salesian Mission Day in all provinces.
i entrust these Study Days to Mary our Mother and Model, Star of
the Sea, and Help of Christians. May she continue to walk with us on our
journey of faith as God’s people in Oceania.
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What Do We “Say” about Jesus
to the Peoples of Oceania?
Sr. Alaíde Deretti FMA
General Councillor for Mission ad/inter Gentes
Dearest brothers and sisters,
let us look back to Jesus.
“When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his
disciples,
‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’...
And you, who do you say that i am?’” (Mt 16:13-20).
Two questions that reveal Jesus’ interest, desire and curiosity to know,
from the disciples themselves, what people say about him and what his dis-
ciples think about him. Two related questions made one after the other,
starting from a concrete context: Caesarea of Philippi.
Two questions that resound, albeit in different forms, during these Study
Days. People’s interest in Jesus and our personal experience of Him - these
are two aspects that dispose us to assume the attitude of listening, of intel-
ligent analysis and of deep respect in order to discover:
1. What is happening in the religious and cultural realities of the peoples
of Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa,
American Samoa and the rest of the islands of Micronesia and Poly-
nesia); and what do they “say” about Jesus of Nazareth.
The God of Jesus and his Kingdom can play a significant role in the
evolution of the peoples of Oceania, with more than 700 languages
and traditional religions, with the processes of secularisation, urban-
isation, consumerism, the growing cultural influence of Asian immi-
grants the high incidence and age of technology, information and
communication? is the quest for meaning, truth, and eternal life in the
following of Jesus of Nazareth, the incarnate face of God’s Wisdom,
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a matter of concern for men and women, for the young and the poor?
if it is, then under what conditions?
2. “And you, who do you say that i am?” What do we say about Jesus,
about our personal experience with Him? What is the face that we
give, as spiritual persons and communities, to the service of educa-
tion rendered to the poorest young people?
How do we go about, always in his Name, discovering and offering
the gift of faith in Him? What approach and language do we use?
in these days we can give a face, to highlight the situation of life of our
peoples, socio / economic / cultural and religious of contemporary Oceania.
‘Starting from’ Ecclesia in Oceania, from the inculturated path of the
Churches all over this sea, we want to study and propose the initial procla-
mation of Jesus. The approach, would be:
* in the perspective of the incarnation: The heart of the proclamation
is the Person of Jesus of Nazareth, the human face of the Wisdom
of God, the most surprising sign of his love for all (cf. Eph 3:18-19).
Jesus proclaimed and witnessed to the truth that God is constantly in
relationship with humanity and with the cosmos. He made visible
his Mission, which he has carried out from all eternity in various
ways (Missio Dei).
* as local Church which is constantly reborn when it allows itself to
be impelled by the Spirit towards “others.” A Church formed by
small missionary Christian communities, its own way of being
Church, communities that tend toward communion, a people on a
journey, open to dialogue and the service of the poor and the young
people, becoming poor themselves (Cf LG, AG2; RM 1, 4,7,22,23,32;
EO n.10) 3
2 Ad Gentes of vatican ii provides in the first place a strong, coherent and deeply the-
ological reason for such nature: the Church is in mission because the mission has been gra-
ciously assumed in the missio Dei, the same mission of God in creation, in redemption and
in continuing sanctification.
3 “The Church cannot of course abandon the basic experience of Jesus Christ, the in-
carnate Word, the Son of God who came into the world for the salvation of all. The Church,
by virtue of its vocation, feels bound to proclaim Jesus Christ as Savior. At the same time,
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* In, through and with the world: These Churches reborn from vati-
can ii are growing in the awareness that they cannot carry out the
Mission of God on their own. By tradition4 and by faith we know that
God, through His Spirit, continues his saving and liberating presence
today in the world in ways that are surprising and unknown, “grace
works invisibly in the heart of men and women of good will” (Cf. GS
n.22, RM 6,10,28; 56).
From here we can draw two formative implications:
1. increase the positive attitude of trust and hope in human existence, in the
experience of individuals and communities, in the concrete situation of
“other” young people, of those “far” from us (of different faiths, ethnic
groups, cultures, sensitivity, with less possibilities in life), in the evolu-
tion of history, science, postmodern ethos, and so on.
2. This reality needs new persons, with a more personal, adult faith that
allows them to discern and confront themselves critically with others,
with evangelical relevance, in order to perceive the signs of God’s ac-
tion and to build the Kingdom, together with those who are different
from us.
During these days, the centre, the priority of our sharing is the initial
proclamation of Jesus. This priority will be considered in relationship to,
and in interdependence with, other aspects of the mission. Proclamation
cannot disregard the commitment to create inculturated Christian commu-
nities, the action, in Jesus’ name, for justice, peace, relationship between
cultures, the rights of peoples, the practice of interreligious dialogue and of
reconciliation among persons and peoples. The mission of the Church to-
day is pluridimensional because it is interwoven with different elements
that are both similar and interdependent.
however, a Church that lives in a pluralistic world cannot neglect the work of the Spirit of
God in all human persons, and in all cultures and religions” G. Karakunnel, in Cristologia
e Missione Oggi, Urbaniana, Roma 2001
4 irenaeus speaks of Jesus and of the Holy Spirit as the two hands of God. This means
that God is in direct relationship with the world both in Christ and in the Spirit.
God is involved in the history of the world through the working of the Holy Spirit and
the incarnation of the Son.
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Furthermore, we know that witnessing and the proclamation of Jesus
are inseparable. The first means of evangelisation, Paul vi writes, is the
witnessing of an authentically Christian life (cf. EN 41). Proclamation, as
we read in the document Dialogue and Proclamation, is the foundation,
centre and summit of Evangelisation.
Here, too, we look to Jesus: his mission was characterised by words
and works, which mutually explained each other. His parables and teachings
were prophetic pronouncements that often went against the trends of wis-
dom and religious practice that were commonly accepted. His healing mir-
acles and exorcisms were parables in action, and his practice of including
those who were at the fringes of society among his followers and welcom-
ing them at table bear powerful witness to the validity of his teaching (cf.
DP, 56-57).
The act of proclaiming, like that of witnessing, seriously takes into ac-
count the geo-socio-political-cultural context. The history of the mission
shows the need to narrate and communicate faith in Jesus with new ways
of understanding and new emphases asked for by the times and by the ge-
ographical and cultural area. When Arius put Jesus’ divinity into question,
the proclamation of the Gospel had to emphasise that He was truly God in-
carnate. in the turmoil of the Reformation, it was necessary to concentrate
on a concept of salvation that did not depend on human works but on God’s
grace. During the times of colonisation and exploitation, the Gospel had to
include a clear stand on the dignity of every human being and every peo-
ple. in the epoch of globalisation, the Gospel has to recognise the anthro-
pological value of cultures and religions, and of local contexts, and to de-
cisively take the side of victims, of justice, of the poor, as Jesus had done.
Here i quote the proverb comes from life in the forests in Australia,
which has been reported in the Synod:
“if you stay closely united, you are like a tree standing in the middle of
a bush-fire sweeping through the timber: the leaves are scorched, the tough
bark is scarred and burned, but inside the tree the sap still flows, and under
the ground the roots are still strong. like that tree you have survived the
flames, and you have still the power to be born. The time for rebirth is
now”5
5 Ecclesia in Oceania, 28
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The mission of proclaiming and bearing witness to Jesus must be dia-
logical at all costs, because, in the final analysis, it is none other than a
sharing in the dialogical nature of the One and Triune God, in his Mission
for man and woman.
it must also be prophetic, because, basically, there can be no real dia-
logue when the truth, Jesus of Nazareth, is not expressed, proposed and ar-
ticulated clearly and without any compromise.
Proclaiming and bearing witness to Jesus, the Kingdom of the Father,
in a prophetic dialogue that is daring and humble, and placed at the service
of humanity, the Church in Oceania today will be significant and faithful,
even if it is a minority. It will truly be “salt and light.”
At the same time, we are convinced that to carry out in a new way the
testimony and proclamation of Jesus of Nazareth in the educational practice
or in the occasions of daily life, in our prophetic interaction with the life sit-
uations of young people and adults, is to contribute to translate the Preven-
tive System in Asia, making it always rich in proposals and relevant in a
globalised world that tends to always be more diverse and complex.
We stand before a mystery of grace, a gift, a responsibility. We shall
work by continuing the Christian tradition; thus the urgency of knowing the
journey of understanding once more the mission of the universal Church
and that of the diocesan churches6, the experiences of individuals, families
and/or institutions, the development of our action in the Salesian educa-
tional mission, in the wake of the SDB/FMA reflections on the paradigm of
the missions7, seeking to listen to “what the Spirit is telling the Church-
es” (Ap 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22).
6 The Second vatican Council (1962-1965) and its missionary decree Ad Gentes (1965),
Evangelii Nuntiandi (1965), Redemptoris Missio (1990), and Ecclesia in Asia (1999).
ASiA/THAilAND – Asian Missionary Congress, Thailand, October 2006. Guided by the
Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences (FABC) and by the leadership of the local Church-
es, Christian communities of this vast continent seek to listen to “what the Spirit is telling
the Churches”(Ap 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22). They seek to follow Jesus, the first evange-
liser and missionary of the Father, who became incarnate as an Asian: the Savior of the
world was born in Asia (Ecclesia in Asia, 1).
7 Cf. Uniqueness of Salvation in Jesus Christ and need of primary evangelisation, Mis-
sionari praxis and primary evangelisation, FMA-SDB. East Asia and Oceania, Hua Hin
(Thailand ), 10 -16 May, 1998; Missionary praxis and primary Evangelisation, FMA-SDB,
South Asia, Calcutta, 1-7 March 1999; The challenges of the Mission ad gentes in East Asia,
FMA/SDB, Hua Hin, 2004. it was from this seminar that the institute began using the tern
ad/inter gentes to show the paradigm shift on the missions that is in process.
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in commemoration of Don Bosco’s missionary dream at Barcelona 125
years ago, in April 1886, may Mary point out to us new paths, the “living
pages” of the story of Jesus to write among the young people of Oceania.
Thank you!
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An Overview on the Topic of the Study Days:
from Prague to Port Moresby
Fr. Alfred Maravilla SDB *
Pope John Paul ii’s encyclical Redemptoris Missio insists that initial
proclamation “is the permanent priority of mission” and that it “has a
central and irreplaceable role” in the Church’s mission because “all forms
of missionary activity are directed to this proclamation.”8 Thus, during
this six year period the SDB Missions Department and the FMA Sector of
Mission inter/ad gentes had chosen to foster a deeper reflection regarding
initial proclamation through the Study Days in the different regions of our
Congregations.
This choice turned out to be providential and extremely relevant: in
April 2010, the Rector Major invited Salesians to reflect on “the need for
an initial proclamation or a renewed proclamation of the Gospel” so that
our youth ministry becomes more missionary.9
The first of the series of Study Days was on Salesian Mission in Fron-
tier Situations and Initial Proclamation in Europe Today (Prague, No-
vember 4 -10, 2010). Ubaldo Montisci’s presentation was decisive in help-
ing us to understand that from the various terms used in ecclesial docu-
ments (first evangelisation, pre-evangelisation, missionary preaching,
* He was a missionary in Papua New Guinea (1985-2006) where he was involved in
the school apostolate. He was also a lecturer at the Catholic Theological institute as well as
Director of the liturgical Catechetical institute (2002-2006) of the Bishops’ Conference.
He has a certificate in islamics, licentiates in both Missiology and Dogmatic Theology. He
is preparing to defend his thesis in Fundamental Theology. At present he is responsible of
the area of missionary animation and formation in the Missions Department at the SDB
Generalate.
8 Redemptoris Missio, 44.
9 “in fact, our apostolate is still not very missionary, that is to say, it pays little atten-
tion to the need for an initial proclamation or a renewed proclamation of the Gospel.” Fr. Pas-
cual Chávez, Salesian Youth Ministry, 2.3, Acts of the General Council, no. 407 (2010), 23.
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kerygma, renewed proclamation, initial proclamation, new evangelisation)
initial proclamation is preferred especially when referring not only to con-
texts which was traditionally considered to be ad gentes, but also to con-
texts where there is an abandonment of the faith or where it is lived in a
routine manner.
Montisci’s presentation helped us to identify that initial proclamation,
by its very nature, is directed primarily 1) to those who do not know Jesus
Christ (those who are not Christians); 2) to those who search for
Someone or something whom they sense but cannot name; 3) to those
who go through daily life deprived of any sense; 4) as well as to those
who, after having known him, have abandoned him; 5) and to those who
believing that they have already known him enough, live their faith in a
routine manner.10 Since then these recipients of initial proclamation have
been kept in mind in the subsequent Study Days.
During the Study Days on The Salesian Mission and the Initial
Proclamation of Christ in the Three-fold Context of South Asia
(Kolkata, August 7 – 11, 2011) and on The Salesian Mission and the Ini-
tial Proclamation of Christ in the Three-fold Context of East Asia
(Sampran, August 14 – 18, 2011) discussions led to deeper reflection on
the need to see initial proclamation in the light of Asia’s three-fold con-
text: rich cultures, ancient religions and oppressive poverty (FABC 1,
Evangelisation in Asia Today). in a context where the majority of young
people in our educative settings are followers of other religions and are
poorer, dialogue life, human promotion and development through out-
reach programs and work for youth at risk become important opportuni-
ties of initial proclamation. This is seen as the beginning of the process of
integral evangelisation. in East Asia the need to better understand tradi-
tional religions, major East Asia religions like Buddhism and Confu-
cianism as well as a variety of cultures was discussed. in this context sto-
rytelling was considered as a way of introducing people step-by step to
the mystery of Christ (Ecclesia in Asia, 20) which is at the same time re-
spectful of their freedom of conscience.
10 Joseph Gevaert, La Proposta del Vangelo a chi non Conosce il Vangelo (leumann,
Turin: lDC, 2001), 63-75; Xavier Morlans, El Primer Anuncio. El Eslabon Perdido
(Madrid: PPC, 2009), 131-153.
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Is initial proclamation relevant in Oceania where countries are
predominantly Christian? Should we not reflect on new evangelisation
instead? indeed, it is not surprising if one would think that in Oceania
where there is an abandonment of the faith or where it is lived in a routine
manner what is really needed is new evangelisation and not initial procla-
mation. A careful rereading and unpacking of the Postsynodal Apostolic
Exhortation Ecclesia in Oceania provide us important indications to for-
mulate a pondered response to this legitimate question.
Certainly, there are complex reasons why many Catholics abandon the
practice of the faith after school or after faithfully attending parish catech-
esis. Sweeping and simplistic statements do not do justice to the complex-
ity of issues involved. Yet, we are aware that many of the young people
who frequent our RE classes and parishes have neither consciously opted
to be Christians nor do they all live committed Christian lives. it is a fact
that in traditional societies of the Pacific islands many Christians continue
to keep superstitious beliefs and practice traditional religions side by side
with their Christian faith. While in societies which have become “Western
in its cultural patterns and social structure”11 and “marked by increasing
secularisation, individualism and consumerism,” 12 Christianity, and any re-
ligion for that matter, “is moved to the margin and tends to be regarded as
a strictly private matter for the individual with little relevance to public
life.”13 Many postmodern youth have also a “practical indifference to reli-
gious truths and values”14 while there are those who practice a subjective
‘spirituality,’ often lumped together under the term ‘New Age,’ which fo-
cuses on self and wholeness with an emphasis on feeling while rejecting
the Church as ‘institutional religion’.15
it is precisely because the faith of Christians is not deeply rooted that
traditional practices contrary to the Gospel continue to thrive, or that there
is “a gradual lessening of the natural religious sense which has led to dis-
11 Ecclesia in Oceania, 6.
12 ibid., 18.
13 ibid.,7.
14 ibid.,18.
15 Charles Taylor, A Secular Age (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2007), 508.
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orientation in people’s moral life and conscience.”16 in technologically ad-
vanced societies there is faith fatigue among Christians – which, unfortu-
nately, is also reflected in religious life -which could be noticed in the joy-
lessness, weariness of spirit and despair and an inner sadness in living their
faith, which ultimately lead to its abandonment.17 in both the contexts of
traditional cultures and cultures in the process of secularisation, the initial
proclamation that one receives in the family is often not adequate to be-
come the foundation of a robust faith.
It is in this light that the General Directory for Catechesis insists that
Christians who have abandoned the practice of their faith as well as those
who live their faith out of habit all need initial proclamation of the Gospel
in view of fostering their personal option and adhesion to Christ.18 Without
this initial personal option for Christ and initial conversion catechesis be-
comes sterile. How much time, effort and resources we invest in catech-
esis, yet how little we bother to ensure that those who are catechised have
actually previously made a personal faith option to know and follow
Christ.19 Today, Jesus is calling anew the peoples of Oceania “to a still
deeper faith and a still richer life in him,” 20 so that the Gospel “be heard,
believed and lived more deeply.”21 Thus, initial proclamation is the first
and necessary step towards a new evangelisation of Oceania! 22
While Kerygma is the proclamation of the core of the Christian faith:
the incarnation, death and resurrection of Jesus, instead, initial proclama-
tion focuses on fostering an environment, on creating quality relationships
which stir up people to ask fundamental questions in life and an interest in
knowing the person of Jesus Christ who is seen as the response to such ex-
istential questions, one who “brings hope to the many who suffer misery,
injustice or poverty,” and “new life for all who are in need or in pain.”23 ini-
tial proclamation is neither a method nor an activity nor a celebration. it is
neither planned nor organised. it happens on the spot in the midst of ordi-
16 Ecclesia in Oceania, 7.
17 ibid.,18, 20.
18 General Directory for Catechesis, 61.
19 Joseph Gevaert, Prima Evangelizzazione (leumann, Turin: lDC, 1990), 68-71, 80-84.
20 Ecclesia in Oceania, 4.
12 ibid.,10.
22 ibid.,18.
23 ibid.,14.
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nary daily life. There are as many ways of fostering initial proclamation as
there are forms of making an invitation. in traditional cultures, storytelling,
preaching, praying in word, song and dance could become a form of initial
proclamation.24 However, any form used ought to be inculturated, contex-
tualised, and needs to be respectful of the local rhythm of life so as to stir
up interest in the person of Jesus Christ among those to whom it is directed.
While kerygma focuses on the content of the Christian faith, initial
proclamation focuses primarily on the witness of individual Christians, of
the religious community and of the whole Christian community which be-
comes a personal invitation to faith. Through the action of the Holy Spirit
Christian witness creates the necessary conditions which “opens the eyes
of the mind”25 and links it to the Gospel and further develops it into a desire
to know Jesus Christ, and have faith in Him. 26 Conversely, the one who re-
ceives initial proclamation could freely listen and accept it, reject it or al-
low oneself to be questioned as exemplified by the encounter of Jesus in
John’s Gospel with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well (Jn 4,3-42), with
Nicodemus (Jn 2,23-3,36) or with the royal official (Jn 4,43-54).
Ecclesia in Oceania’s invitation to look beyond our own immediate
concerns and reach out to others in the family, in the workplace, in the
schools, in the world in which we live in, and beyond the bounds of the
Catholic community, has brought about a new realisation of the presence in
Oceania of followers of other religions, particularly Buddhists, Hindus,
Jews and Muslims due to greater travel opportunities and easier migration.
Some of them frequent our youth centres and some parents have enrolled
their children in Catholic schools. 27 Besides, in all Pacific cultures there
are many people who are searching for life’s meaning.28
The rediscovery of initial proclamation makes us consciously aware
that it is our credible Christian witness that could freely stir up in them an
interest to know Jesus Christ and, hopefully, have faith in Him. initial
proclamation, then, is a proclamation of Jesus Christ that is respectful of
their freedom of conscience. However, we should not be timid when the
24 ibid.,15.
25 Dei Verbum, 5
26 Ecclesia in Oceania, 20.
27 ibid.,7, 13, 25.
28 ibid.,8.
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Holy Spirit opens the door of opportunity, to make explicit what is implic-
it in witness, that is, a brief and rational formulation of our own faith in Je-
sus Christ. This is especially necessary in cultures in the process of secu-
larisation where the religiously implicit is barely heard or understood.29
This initial proclamation, however, cannot be seen in isolation but is nec-
essarily linked and oriented to the next stage in the process of evangeli-
sation which is the catechumenate and its Rites of Christian initiation for
Adults (RCIA).
Our gathering here ought to be seen as a continuation and deepening
of the themes discussed at the Salesian Family Missionary Seminar in
2005. During these days we shall reflect on The Salesian Mission and
the Initial Proclamation of Christ in Oceania in the Context of Tradi-
tional Religions and Cultures and Cultures in the Process of Seculari-
sation as well as the challenge of new evangelisation in the context of tra-
ditional religions and cultures, and the modern process of secularisation
taking place in Australia and New Zealand which is also transmitted to
other countries by the media.
The long preparations for these Study Days have made us realise the
urgency of the call of Ecclesia in Oceania of the need for us SDBs and
FMAs “to study more thoroughly the traditional religions of the indige-
nous populations” 30 as well as of the necessity to prepare “experts in phi-
losophy, anthropology, comparative religions, the social sciences and,
above all, theology” 31 if the Church is to fulfil her mission to “tell the
truth of Jesus Christ”32 “with all the peoples of Oceania, whatever their
situation.”33 i quote these here to bring it to the attention of our Provin-
cials and their Councils. Our commitment to “rejuvenate the Church, the
Mother of our faith”34 impels us to discern our Salesian contribution to
the growth and development of the Church in Oceania.
29 Pierre Robitaille, “la Premiere Annonce en Etablissement Catholique D’Enseigne-
ment”. Dossier. Enseignement Catholique Secretariat Générale, France (March 24, 2009),
4-5.
30 Ecclesia in Oceania, 25.
31 ibid.,25.
32 ibid.,22.
33 ibid.,13.
34 Pascual Chávez, “Rejuvenate the Face of the Church, the Mother of our Faith”, Acts
of the General Council, no. 388 (2005).
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Hopefully our discussions these days will help our communities in
Oceania to rediscovery of the relevance and importance of initial procla-
mation. A greater awareness that my personal life as a consecrated
person, our community life as religious, our activities as educative-pas-
toral community or as a parish community, in fact, are, and ought to be an
initial proclamation of the Gospel will certainly renew “the passion for
the salvation of others, by the joy of sharing the experience of the fullness
of life of Jesus”35 of individual SDB, FMA and every member of the Sale-
sian Family and, consequently, foster in every member of the local and
Province community “an ardent sense of mission.”36 From this joy springs
the energies to share our Christian faith and live radically our Salesian re-
ligious life.
Due to various factors we have a limited number of participants. I
would like to invite all of us, however, not to think only of our own set-
tings in our discussions. Let us make an effort to ‘think Oceania,’ to
reflect and discuss for all the members of the Salesian Family
working in American Samoa, Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua
New Guinea, Samoa and Solomon Islands. I dare dream that our dis-
cussions these days will be that spark that would trigger a “renewal of
mind” (Rom 12:2)37 in every SDB, FMA, and member of the Salesian
Family and, consequently, “an inner renewal”38 in every community and
Province, less we give in to faith fatigue and slide back comfortably to
the joyless and ardourless “maintenance mode” of Salesian presence
in Oceania. What I have outlined above certainly “poses great chal-
lenges, but it also opens new horizons, full of hope and even a sense of
adventure.”39 Indeed, enthusiastic Salesian sisters, brothers and priests at-
tract young people to the Salesian life!
35 Pascual Chávez, “Address at the Closing of the General Chapter 26”, GC XXVI,
p. 137.
36 Ecclesia in Oceania, 8.
37 Ibid.,18.
38 Ibid.,19.
39 Ibid., 13,
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4 Pages 31-40

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Part I
Analysis of the Situation
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Initial Proclamation of Christ in Melanesia:
A Situationer
Fr. John A. Cabrido SDB *
Pope Paul VI’s Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi (1975) de-
fines evangelisation in terms of “of proclaiming Christ to those who do
not know Him, of preaching, of catechesis, of conferring Baptism and the
other sacraments” (§ 17).
This paper makes no pretensions. While the intent of the Study Days is
to reflect on the realities of Oceania, the provenance and missionary situ-
ation of all the participants - except one - is Melanesian, whether from
Papua New Guinea or the Solomon Islands. The paper is a simple, decid-
edly incomplete, synthesis of the responses submitted by some partici-
pants38 and two focus groups39 to the questionnaire provided by the sem-
inar organisers. The questionnaire and, consequently, this paper aim “to
contextualise these study days”.
Question 1: In the place where you live and work: What is your
experience regarding the initial proclamation of Jesus to
young people and adults?
1.1 Initial proclamation is an on-going process of conversion and adher-
ence to Christ which the Church has promoted in varied ways — ed-
ucation, religious instruction, liturgy and sacramental life, preaching
and storytelling, posters, crusades, religious broadcasts, the forma-
tion of catechists and Church leaders, and many more.
* He is a missionary in Papua New Guinea. He has a Licentiate in Sacred Scriptures and
a Doctorate in Biblical Theology. He was a lecturer in sacred scriptures at the Sacred Heart
Seminary, Rapollo, Rabaul. He has written books on biblical homiletics and biblical aposto-
late. At present he is the Rector of Don Bosco Technological Institute, Boroko East, Port
Moresby.
39 Catechesi Tradendae,20.
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1.2 Most young people—and people in general—are receptive to the
proclamation of the Gospel. They seek to learn more about the Faith
and live it honestly. They appreciate youth gatherings and give im-
portance to the Word of God. Their devotion to the Virgin Mother
Mary leads them to faithful discipleship and promotion of the dignity
of women. Open to the Word, they seek fuller sacramental life.
1.3 However, for some, initial proclamation is - at best - superficial.
Family members belong to various churches and denominations.
Couples simply live together devoid of sacramental blessings. Too
busy with life’s affairs and unsettled by rapid social changes, young
people and adults forgo deepening in the Faith and are attracted, in-
stead, to the pursuit of pleasure and fun. Consequently, this has led to
a loss of Catholic identity.
1.4 Some evidences point to a failure in initial proclamation. Enthusiasm
quickly vanishes and knowledge is cerebral and non-transformative.
People cling to traditional customs even when these are contrary to
Christian belief. The reception of the sacraments is perfunctory, i.e.
carried out with minimum of effort or reflection. Some actually en-
gage in evil practices.
Question 2: In Oceania what questions emerge, what challenges are
there and what opportunities are presented for the initial
proclamation in your particular context?
2.1 Emerging Questions.
2.1.1 How does one integrate faith and culture thereby promoting in-
culturation?
2.1.2 How do young people deepen their knowledge of the Faith?
2.1.3 How do young people witness to faith and life?
2.1.4 How can young people transcend “self” and value the
“common good”?
2.2 Challenges.
2.2.1 The most pressing challenge is that of inculturation as a dia-
logue between cultures and as a purification of the local culture
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by Gospel values. The missionary is challenged to appreciate
local culture, to see in it the seed of the Gospel while re-
maining steadfast in the truth.
2.2.2 Just as important is the challenge toward integral human devel-
opment as essential to building the “City of God”.
2.2.3 The challenge to witness to the Gospel is lived out by pro-
moting truth, justice, love and peace.
2.2.4 Missionaries are challenged to empower the local people in de-
cision making and administration, beginning with the promo-
tion of vocations and their formation.
2.2.5 Churches are challenged to greater respect, closer collaboration
and understanding.
2.2.6 Other important challenges
2.3 Opportunities.
2.3.1 Schools, Boarding Houses and parishes as preeminent settings
of evangelisation.
2.3.2 Other factors which give rise to hope in evangelisation:
Question 3: Within the contexts of traditional religions and cultures or
in contexts where the modern process of secularisation is
evident: What contribution can religious awareness and
sensitivity make? (Keep in mind traditional and new
forms of religious experiences). What attitudes do you
encounter among the more marginalised people (because
of culture, economic means, moral life)?
3.1 On The Contribution of Religious Awareness and Sensitivity
3.1.1 A commitment to live a life of faith and love.
3.1.2 Development of an objective moral sense
3.1.3 An appreciation of the value of the person and human relation-
ships.
3.1.4 Healthy appreciation of local culture and the correct promotion
of inculturation
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3.1.5 Strengthening of the family apostolate
3.1.6 A critical use of the media
3.1.7 Other advantages
3.2 On Attitudes Encountered among the Marginalised People
3.2.1 The marginalise seldom experience love and care, and are gen-
erally difficult to deal with. Still they are to be treated ac-
knowledging their inherent dignity, for which we are ready to
serve.
3.2.2 Other difficult attitudes of the marginalised
Question 4. Collect experiences and reflections emerging from your
own context regarding the initial proclamation of Jesus, which led to
“the Good News being heard, believed and lived more deeply (Ecclesia
in Oceania, 10).
4.1 Time is an indispensible requirement in initial proclamation
4.2 The first proclamation was accomplished by the pioneering mis-
sionaries. The task now is to make this proclamation effective.
4.3 Young people need faith experiences to adhere to Christ.
4.4 Liturgy and the celebration of the sacraments are a preeminent
locus for initial proclamation
4.5 Young people - and the populace in general - find it difficult to let
go of customary practices.
4.6 The people need model witnesses.
4.7 The boarding house is a privileged setting for education.
4.8 Other observations
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Towards a Common Understanding of Initial
Proclamation in Oceania according to
Church Documents and in Ecclesia in Oceania
Sr. Pamela Vecina FMA*
Initial proclamation
In this moment we are going to come up with the common under-
standing of what is initial proclamation.
According to Evangelii Nuntiandi 24 evangelisation is a complex
process that includes various elements:
1. the renewal of humanity
2. witness
3. explicit proclamation
4. inner adherence
5. entry into the community
6. acceptance of signs
7. apostolic initiative
It is identified with the very mission of the Church. Redemptoris
Missio points out that evangelisation is the permanent priority of the mis-
sion. And such contain as the foundation, the centre and at the same time
the summit of its dynamism – a clear proclamation that in Jesus Christ,
salvation is offered to all peoples as a gift of God’s graciousness and
mercy.
Initial proclamation, then, is the central and irreplaceable role
since it introduces the person “into the mystery of the love of God,
who invites him to enter into a personal relationship with himself in
Christ that opens the way to conversion.40
* She is a missionary in Papua New Guinea. She has a degree in education and a
Master’s Degree in Religious Studies. She was a lecturer at the University of Goroka. At
present she is a lecturer at Don Bosco Technological Institute, Boroko East, Port Moresby.
40 Redemptoris Missio, 44
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In the whole process of evangelisation, the complex process of pro-
claiming the good news of Jesus Christ, INITIAL PROCLAMATION is
considered the beginning of the whole complex process and reality.
It is the first stage in the whole journey of evangelisation and re-evan-
gelisation.
Then proceeding from this initial acceptance of Christ and his mes-
sage, is the maturing of such faith, the decisive personal acceptance and
commitment to the person of Christ, called catechesis.
It is the endeavour to help persons know Christ better, the Kingdom
of God proclaimed by him, the requirements and promises in his gospel
message and the paths he has laid down for anyone who wishes to follow
him.41
Initial Proclamation and the Need for New Forms of Dis-
course on God
Today’s world oftentimes poses another challenge in the work of
evaluating the programme of initiating people in the faith, namely, the in-
creasing difficulty of men and women today to listen to others speaking
about God and to encounter places and experiences which open them to
the subject of God. The Church has been dealing with this question for
some time by not only pointing out the difficulty but also providing var-
ious ways of responding. In fact, Pope Paul VI, taking this challenge into
account, urgently proposed that the Church search for new ways to
present the Christian faith.
This gave rise to the idea of “INITIAL PROCLAMATION”, under-
stood to be an explicit statement, or more precisely, a proclamation of the
fundamental content of our faith.
At the time, the expression “initial proclamation” was taken over and
utilised in restructuring the process of introduction to the faith. Intended
to be addressed to non-believers, namely, those who are indifferent to re-
ligion, initial proclamation has, generally speaking, the function of both
41 Catechesi Tradendae,20
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proclaiming the Gospel and calling to conversion those who until now do
not know Jesus Christ.
Catechesis, distinct from the initial proclamation of the Gospel, pro-
motes growth in this initial conversion and provides instruction in the
faith to those who have converted, thus incorporating them into the
Christian community.
The relation between these two forms of the ministry of the Word is
not, however, always easy to discover; nor is it easily done; nor should it
necessarily be stated emphatically.
Instead, the relation can be perceived as a two-fold action which is
found united in the same pastoral activity. In fact, frequently people who
come for catechesis need to live more truly converted lives. Therefore,
the programmes of catechesis and introduction in the faith might benefit
from putting greater emphasis on the proclamation of the Gospel, which
is a call to this conversion and which fosters and sustains it. In this way,
the new evangelisation can reinvigorate the present programmes of in-
struction in the faith by accentuating the kerygmatic character of procla-
mation.
An initial response to this challenge, then, has already been done.
However, in addition to this response, the discernment which we are un-
dertaking requires a deeper understanding of the reasons why a discourse
on God in our culture is so foreign.
The question might initially call for seeing how much this concerns
Christian communities themselves, who need to devise the forms and
means for speaking about God, which can then equip them to respond to
the anxieties and expectations of people today, showing them how the
newness of Christ is the gift which all of us await and for which each of
us yearns as the unexpressed desire in our search for meaning and our
thirst for the truth. Consequently, the absence of this discourse on God
provides an occasion for missionary proclamation.
The task of the “new evangelisation” is to lead both practicing Chris-
tians as well as those who have questions about God and are in search of
him, to perceive his personal call in their conscience.
The new evangelisation is an invitation to Christian communities to
place greater trust in the Spirit who guides them in the course of history.
In this way, they can overcome the temptation to fear and more clearly
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see the places and programmes where the question of God can be raised
amidst people’s lives today.
Initial Conversion to Christ
Wherever God opens a door of speech for proclaiming the mystery of
Christ (cf. Col. 4:3), there is announced to all men (cf. Mark 16,15; 1 Cor.
9,15; Rom. 10,14) with confidence and constancy (cf. Acts 4,13, 29, 31;
9,27, 28; 13,46; 14,3; 19,8; 26,26; 28,31; 1 Thess. 2:2; 2 Cor. 3,12; 7,4;
Phil. 1,20; Eph. 3,12; 6:19, 20) the living God, and He Whom He has sent
for the salvation of all, Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Thess. 1,9-10; 1 Cor. 1,18-21;
Gal. 1,31; Acts 14,15-17, 17,22-31), in order that non - Christians, when
the Holy Spirit opens their heart (cf. Acts 16,14), may believe and be
freely converted to the Lord, that they may cleave sincerely to Him Who,
being the “way, the truth, and the life” (Jn 14,6), fulfils all their spiritual
expectations, and even infinitely surpasses them.
This conversion must be taken as an initial one, yet sufficient to make
a man realise that he has been snatched away from sin and led into the
mystery of God’s love, who called him to enter into a personal relation-
ship with Him in Christ.42
We shall look into the state of proclamation of Jesus Christ in
Oceania according to
Ecclesia in Oceania, the summary of the Special Assembly of the
Synod of Bishops for Oceania, which was held from November - De-
cember 1998.
Initial Proclamation and Catechesis
Initial proclamation is addressed to non-believers and those living in
religious indifference. Its functions are to proclaim the Gospel and to call
to conversion. Catechesis, “distinct from the primary proclamation of the
42 Ad Gentes, 13.
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Gospel”, promotes and matures initial conversion, educates the convert in
the faith and incorporates him into the Christian community.
The relationship between these two forms of the ministry of the word
is, therefore, a relationship of complementary distinction.
Initial proclamation, which every Christian is called to foster, is part
of that “Go” which Jesus imposes on his disciples: it implies, therefore, a
going-out, a haste, a message. Catechesis, however, starts with the condi-
tion indicated by Jesus himself: “whosoever believes”, whosoever con-
verts, whosoever decides. Both activities are essential and mutually com-
plementary: go and welcome, proclaim and educate, call and incorpo-
rate.43
Nevertheless in pastoral practice it is not always easy to define the
boundaries of these activities. Frequently, many who present themselves
for catechesis truly require genuine conversion. Because of this the
Church usually desires that the first stage in the catechetical process be
dedicated to ensuring conversion. In the “missio ad gentes”, this task is
normally accomplished during the ‘pre-catechumenate’.
Initial Proclamation in Ecclesia in Oceania
The Church faces a twofold challenge in seeking to proclaim the
Gospel in Oceania: on the one hand, the traditional religions and cultures,
and on the other, the modern process of secularisation.
In each case, “the first and most urgent task is the proclamation of
the Risen Christ by way of a personal encounter which would bring the
listener to conversion of heart and the request for Baptism”.
Whether faced with traditional religion or refined philosophy, the
Church preaches by word and deed that “the truth is in Jesus Christ” (Eph
4:21; cf. Col 1:15-20). In the light of that truth, she makes her contribu-
tion to discussion about the values and ethical principles which make for
happiness in human life and peace in society. The faith must always be
presented in a rationally coherent way, so as to favour its capacity to pen-
43 General Directory for Catechesis, 61.
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etrate into ever wider fields of human experience. Faith in fact has the
force to shape culture itself by penetrating it to its very core. Alert to both
Christian tradition and contemporary cultural shifts, the word of faith and
reason must go hand in hand with the witness of life if evangelisation is
to bear fruit.
Above all, however, what is needed is a fearless proclamation of
Christ, “a parrhesia of faith”.44
Communio, inculturation and a renewed proclamation of the
Gospel in ways appropriate for the peoples of Oceania today - these
were the key themes and insights which emerged from the Synod of
Bishops in Oceania.
Conclusion
To end, I wish to highlight this important quotes and points:
“A new evangelisation is the first priority for the Church in Oceania. In one
sense, her mission is simple and clear: to promote once again to the human
society the entire Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ. 45
“... May all the peoples of Oceania discover the love of Christ, the Way, the
Truth and the Life, so that they will experience and build together the civili-
sation of love and peace for which the world of the Pacific has always
longed.” 46
44 Ecclesia in Oceania, 20.
45 Ecclesia in Oceania, 18.
46 Ecclesia in Oceania, 17.
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Part II
Study & Reflection
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Initial Proclamation of Christ
in the Context of Traditional Cultures
and Religions in Melanesia
Fr. Franco Zocca SVD *
Introduction
The following article is based on my theological and anthropological
studies as well as on my twenty year experience in Papua New Guinea,
which is one of the nations in Southwest Pacific usually called Melanesia;
the others being: the Indonesian Province of Papua, and the archipelagos
of Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Fiji.
The topic assigned to me should have included also Polynesia but,
unfortunately, my knowledge of the Polynesian cultures is very limited.
However, the theological principles which I apply to the initial proclama-
tion of Christ in the context of the Melanesian cultures can easily be ap-
plied also in the context of Polynesian and other cultures.
I am a Catholic pastor with a Master in Theology (Gregorian Univer-
sity, Rome, 1969) and a Doctorate in Sociology (Trento University,
1978). After spending 13 years in Indonesia (Flores 1974-87) and a few
years in Italy and England (1987-1993), I was assigned to the Ecumenical
Melanesian Institute of Goroka47, in which I have been working since
1994.
* Franco Zocca is from Italy where he studied Social Sciences in Trento and Rome. He
was a missionary in Indonesia for many years (1974-1987). He has a doctorate in Sociology.
He came to Papua New Guinea in 1994 and joined the faculty of The Melanesian Institute,
Goroka. He was its director from 2003-2004.
47 The Melanesian Institute of Goroka, founded in January 1970, is presently run by
the four Mainline Churches in Papua New Guinea: Anglican, Catholic, Lutheran and
United Church.
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The article is limited to the ‘content’ of the initial proclamation of
Christ although the author is aware that other factors should also be taken
into consideration for a successful initial approach, such as relying on
prayer and God’s providence, having and humble attitude, achieving the
trust of the targeted population, knowing the language and culture of the
society, etc. These factors are very important and cannot be neglected.48
1. Ideological Assumptions
In regard to the content of the initial proclamation my most important
theological assumption as far as the relationship between Gospel and peo-
ples’ cultures and religions is concerned, is that of the so called ‘theory or
model of fulfilment”. According to this theory Christianity brings to com-
pletion what God has already sown in the peoples’ cultures and religions
while at the same time purifying them from sinful elements. This theory is
built on the approach used by Jesus and the early Christians in proclaiming
the Good news. In the Gospels the incarnation and mission of Jesus Christ
is described as the coming into the Jewish culture of God’s Word in flesh,
who was “the real light which enlightens everyone” (Jn 1, 9) and which
“shines in the darkness and the darkness could not overpower it” (John 1,
5). Jesus came into the Jewish culture not to “abolish the Law and Prophets
but to complete (greek: ekpleroso) them” (Mt 5, 17).49 In other words, Jesus
came to earth, born to a specific people at a specific time and in a specific
place. He learned how to behave in that culture, learned how to speak in
that language, and ministered to the real needs of the people in the context
of their historical and political situation. He did not destroy, though he did
confront the Jewish culture and religion and correct its deviations (cf. Mt 5,
20-48).
48 Various are the books on the Communication of the Christian faith. See for instance
the groundbreaking work of Eugene A. Nida, Message and Mission – The Communication
of the Christian Faith, 1960.
49 Some translations have ‘fulfill’ instead of ‘complete’. “’Fulfill’: this word cannot
refer to the simple literal observance; the following six examples negate such a facile in-
terpretation. “Fulfill” means to bring the Law to perfection. Jesus affirms indirectly that
the Law is imperfect, unfinished; he will perfect and finish it” (The Jerome Biblical Com-
mentary 43: 34).
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The early Christians made use of the religious beliefs and institutions
of both the Jewish and pagan people in their first proclamation of Christ.
In relation to the Jews, Christ’s life and preaching were seen as fulfilling
prophecies, figures, and institutions of the First Testament. The proclama-
tion of the Gospel was done in the familiar context of traditional termi-
nology, beliefs and practices. Look for instance at the titles given to
Jesus: Messiah, Lamb of God, Second Adam, High Priest, Word and
Wisdom of God, Son of Man, Redeemer, Paschal Lamb, Rabbi, etc. They
must have sounded very familiar to the Jews.
The “completion” brought about by Jesus did not only regard the
Jewish legislation but also its religious institutions and symbols. Jesus is
the “second Adam” (cf. Rm 5, 14), the “Lamb of God who takes away the
sin of the world” (Jn 1, 29), the “Supreme high Priest” (Heb 4:14), “the
Mediator of a better Covenant” (cf. Heb 8, 6-7), “the new temple” (cf. Jn
1, 19), etc. Jewish festivals too came to assume Christian forms and
meanings, like the Passover meal, Easter festival, Pentecost, the baptism
ritual, etc.
Also in relation to the pagans – the non-Jews – the initial proclama-
tion of Christ strived to build on their beliefs and traditions. Christian
missionaries avoided to impose the Jewish Law on the non Jews (cf. Acts
15), Paul and Barnabas addressed the pagans of Iconium in a way acces-
sible to them (Acts 14) and the same happened in the Paul’s speech be-
fore the Greek council of the Areopagus (cf. Acts 17). The Gospel of John
borrowed the notion of Logos from the Greek philosophers and the early
Church continued to build on the beliefs and customs of the people she
intended to evangelise. John Newman sums up the whole process of ‘in-
digenisation’ in the following lines:
The use of temples, and these dedicated to particular saints, and orna-
ments on occasions with branches of trees; holy water; holydays and
seasons, use of calendars, processions, blessings on the fields; sacer-
dotal vestments, the tonsure, the ring in marriage, turning to the East,
images at a later date, perhaps the ecclesiastical chant, are all of
pagan origin, and sanctified by their adoption into the Church50.
50 Newman, The Development of Christian Doctrine, p. 373.
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The fulfilment theory is in line with what Pope Pius XII already
wrote in 1951:
The Church from the beginning down to our time has always fol-
lowed this wise practice; let not the Gospel, on being introduced into
a new land, destroy or extinguish whatever its people possess that is
naturally good, just and beautiful. For the Church, when she calls
people to a higher culture and a better way of life under the inspira-
tion of the Christian religion, does not act like one who recklessly
cuts down and uproots a thriving forest. No, she grafts a good scion
upon the wild stock that it may bear a crop of more delicious fruit.
(Evangelii Precones – Heralds of the Gospel, 52)
To the above statement the Second Vatican Council added some solid
theological foundations51, which could be summarised by the following
quotation:
The Catholic Church rejects nothing of what is true and holy in these
[non-Christian] religions. With sincere respect she looks in those
ways of conduct and life, these precepts and teachings which, though
differing in many points from what she herself holds and teaches, yet
not rarely reflect the ray of that Truth which enlightens all human be-
ings. But she proclaims and must ever proclaim, “the way, the truth
and the life (Jn 14, 6), in whom human finds the fullness of religious
life and in whom God has reconciled all things to himself [cf 2 Cor 5,
18f]. (Nostra Aetate, 2)
On his part, Pope John Paul II supported the statements of the Council
in his Encyclicals52 and in other documents issued by the Vatican during
his term of office53. He even implicitly referred to the “fulfilment theory” in
some documents. The following are two quotations among many:
51 Lumen Gentium 2, 16, 22; Nostra Aetate 2; Ad Gentes 4, 9; etc.
52 Redemptor Hominis 4; Dominus et Vivificantem 53; Redemptoris Missio 10, 18, 20,
28, 29; etc.
53 Dialogue and Proclamation 19, 31, 50; Catechism of the Catholic Church 70, 71,
689; etc.
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God’s Spirit presence and activity affect not only individuals but also
society and history, peoples, cultures and religions. It is the Spirit
who sows the “seeds of the Word” present in various customs and
cultures, preparing them for the full maturity in Christ”. (Redemptoris
Missio, 29)
The incarnate Word is the fulfilment of the yearning present in all the
religions of humankind: this fulfilment is brought about by God him-
self and transcends all human expectations. Christ is the fulfilment of
the yearning of all the world’s religions and, as such, he is their sole
and definitive completion. (Tertio Millennio Adveniente, 6)
The theory of fulfilment, while holding a positive attitude towards
human cultures does certainly not deny the presence of sin in all of them.
All cultures –including those in so called Christian countries – wear the
stains and bear the shame of human sinfulness54. They may even contain
and perpetuate corrupting elements. This fact does not generally mean
that they are completely depraved but rather in need of purification and
redemption.
For sin has been at work in the world, and so religious traditions,
notwithstanding their positive values, reflect the limitations of the
human spirit, sometimes inclined to choose evil. An open and positive
approach to other religious traditions cannot overlook the contradic-
tions which may exist between them and Christian revelation”
(Lumen Gentium, 10).
One major presupposition of the fulfilment theory is that, in similarity
with Jesus’ and the early Christians’ approach, carriers of the initial
Gospel proclamation are to be well acquainted with the cultural and reli-
gious beliefs and practices, and more in general with the so called “epis-
temology” of the targeted population. Such deep knowledge will make
the “proclaimers” not only aware of what God has already sown in the
culture of the people but also of the possible misunderstandings of the
gospel’s message, since it will be received within the people’s already es-
54 Gaudium et Spes 13, 37; Dialogue and Proclamation 31; etc.
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tablished frame of mind. This deep cultural knowledge is particularly im-
portant in Melanesia, since its cultures are very different from those of
other continents’ populations.
And so the Church has this exhortation for her children: prudently and
lovingly, through dialogue and collaboration with the followers of oth-
er religions, and in witness to the Christian faith and life, acknowledge,
preserve and promote the spiritual and moral good, as well as the so-
cio-cultural values found among them. (Nostra Aetate, 2)
Finally, I also assume that the recipients of the ‘initial proclamation
of Christ’ are not only the non baptised but also the baptised whose
knowledge of Christ is not adequate or even false, which is often the case
among the baptised in Melanesia nowadays. Besides, I assume that the
proclamation is not only made by words but also by deeds and examples.
Having stated that, let us start with a summary of the main characteristics
of Melanesian traditional cultures and religions.
2. Traditional Cultures of Melanesia55
I have to start by emphasising the extreme variety of systems of life
(i.e., cultures) to be found among the Melanesians, due to very old
causes. At the same time, however, we must hurry on to the claim that
there are also many general similarities. The highest values in the various
Melanesian cultures almost always involve the achieving of an abundance
of material and spiritual goods here on this earth. They include women,
children, animals, health, beauty, prestige, power and objects considered
locally to be of value. Since those good were, and partly still are, only
achievable within the descent group (lineages and clans), the well-being
of the latter over-rides all other priorities. The descent group is made up
of relationships, which are created, maintained and mended through ex-
55 In describing the Melanesian cultures and religion I quote largely from my book
Melanesia and its Churches, published by Melanesian Institute in 2007. I refer to that book
also for the bibliography.
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changes, seen as reciprocal giving and receiving. The whole social organ-
isation was and is harnessed towards these ends.
New Guinea villages were often notable for having a single very large
building for the use of adult males, while women and children were
housed separately and far more simply, often together with the pigs. This
practice could also be found in other parts of Melanesia. Men lived and
slept together for various reasons, one being the need for instant mobili-
sation of fighters in the case of the expected attacks by enemy clans.
These “men’s houses” also allowed for male activities, ritual, political
and so on to be kept secret from women and from uninitiated male chil-
dren. Such a house made very central values more concrete. it was often
the store house for magical objects and the location for magic rites and
initiation ceremonies. Access was usually forbidden to women. in some
places unmarried male youths also lived apart, in a house of their own.
There must have been many social structures, but exogamous clans
seem to have been common, most of them small, usually subdivided into
sub-clans and lineages. Clans and sub-clans had their heads. There could
be more than one clan in the same village, and in that case one of the heads
gained higher authority. There is a mixture of patrilineal clans and matri-
lineal clans today, with inheritance through the male line predominating in
continental Melanesia, and inheritance through the female line being typi-
cal of island Melanesia. in matrilineal societies women tend to have more
authority and value, but this is not automatic. Clans were strongly linked to
their territories, their land, which was the main inheritable asset.
There could be higher level groupings of clans, coalitions formed for
tribal fighting, but in general these were unstable and temporary. in island
Melanesia it was common to divide the society into two major subgroups
formed of associations of clans. These are called moieties in English. Only
Fiji had stable coalitions of many clans, which we could call “tribes”.56 And
this was influenced by Polynesian custom. linguistic groups could include
56 Most Melanesian social groupings and political units are too small to be referred to
as tribes. The use of the term ‘tribe’ to refer to social groupings and political units in
Melanesia was the creation of government anthropologists who served the colonial
mechanism of the colonial era. Many worked as anthropologists in Africa, thus they
transferred some of these terms and appropriately and/or inappropriately applied them to
Melanesian situations.
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hundreds of clans, but did not correspond with political units. A clan’s en-
emies were often its closest neighbours.
The leaders were often called big men, and this position was typically
not inherited. Heredity could at most have had some influence on a man’s
achieving the highest status. The proven qualities of a man were far more
important, ability in battle, ability to acquire wealth and to distribute it,
speaking ability and perceived wisdom. Heads were considered to be
knowledgeable about magical formulas and rites, and were consequently
feared for non-physical reasons. Clans were permanently unstable because
the “top job” was open to all capable comers, and any leader would have
the new aspirants snapping at his heels. Some coastal clans and many east-
ern clans did have hereditary leaders and even a “grand chief” at the high-
est, tribal, level. This is typically Fijian, and anthropologists have charac-
terised Fijians as “Polynesians in Melanesian skins”. in general, the mi-
nority of societies in which leadership was inherited were far more stable
than the majority, the big man sort.
Clans were based on totems, more commonly in the coastal areas of
the large islands and in the archipelagos to the East. Totems were almost all
animals, birds and some large fish, not plants, and were considered as the
remote ancestors of the clan, or at least as having some special bond with
that clan, and as a general rule clan members could not hunt, much less eat
their totem animal. But for a few clans totems were mere symbols by
which (rather than with which) its members identified themselves.
As in many Asian countries, political decisions in most of Melanesia
were made by consensus. A council of elders, usually the heads of the var-
ious clans and sub-clans, would discuss problems to exhaustion, and even-
tually arrived at a formal consensus. Every clan and lineage would be rep-
resented. Of course, the prominence and the oratorical powers of some of
the heads would have played a larger than average part in the final decision.
But it was important that no one felt unhappy with the eventual decision, or
was left still holding on to a minority view, and this sort of intense negoti-
ating culture is clearly highly political, through and through. The political
systems respected the general structure of the societies, which did not recog-
nise majority rights over minorities, and were strongly egalitarian. Even in
those Melanesian societies more influenced by the very hierarchical Poly-
nesian cultures, the leaders based their power on consensus, not on force.
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in the most general sense, the clan owned the land, and defended its
boundaries ferociously. The identification of the people with their terri-
tory was so close that anthropologists have suggested that the people be-
longed to the land, rather than the other way round. in fact, land was con-
ceptualised as a gift from the ancestors to the current generation, who had
to preserve it for their descendants in the future. Belonging to a territory
was culturally more important than belonging to a line of inheritance, a
“blood line”, or even a line of fictive, ascribed parentage. This facilitated
the common practice of adoption (even of abduction) so as to add new
members of, rather than to the territory. Effectively then, the real mem-
bers of the clan were those who cultivated a particular piece of land and
who defended it in battle.
The clan was so all-important that its well-being was the highest im-
perative of morality. So, “good” was anything which contributed to the
welfare of one’s own clan, and “bad” was everything which could cause it
any harm or disadvantage. All the social institutions, particularly those of
the family and of tribal politics, had to contribute to the well-being and
prestige of the clan. At a very deep level, individual consciences were
formed around this fundamental principle of morality, which has effects
that we still can be surprised by today.
Traditional society, like many others, was most strongly divided
across the gender boundary. Melanesians have had some of the most ex-
treme distinctions between male and female in the anthropological
record, not just a 100% division of tasks or even fear of menstrual blood,
but separate buildings, limited physical contact, separate personal taboos,
and often violent, ritualised antagonism. Work was strongly divided ac-
cording to sex, but this has been a common practice in many cultures. Al-
most all the clans and cultures had an extreme fear of menstrual blood,
and of eating food cooked, or even touched, by a menstruating woman.
The damage to men is not just illness or bad luck, but a halting of their
natural growth and a reduction of their strength. This belief gave rise to a
whole host of taboos and regulations concerning sharing a building and
sharing food. it was quite common for tribes to have a woman’s hut in
which women isolated themselves during menstruation or childbirth,
being attended only by other women. And in the Highlands of PNG at
least, a polygamous male would house each wife separately with their
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own pigs and garden, and visit them on a kind of circuit. We have also
mentioned the separation brought about by the men’s house, or “lodge”,
the haus man. This was not primarily meant for bachelors.
in the highlands of New Guinea the old ritual conflict between hus-
band and wife was particularly severe. This was because the exogamous
woman was an intruder to her husband’s clan. in addition, she was often
from an enemy clan, as wives were commonly exchanged with enemy
clans in periods of reconciliation between tribal fights, in an attempt to
make the peace binding, but “peace” was usually no more than a tempo-
rary truce. These things exacerbated the universal male fear of woman’s
blood and her ability to “poison” food, and, no doubt, of a general awe at
the generative, reproductive powers of women, when the contribution of
men to a pregnancy was often regarded as being little or nothing. All
these attitudes led to a lack of displays of emotion between husbands and
wives, except of course, anger, to restricting visits to wives and their
houses to a very short period, to the use of protective amulets and mag-
ical formulas, and to many elements of the different rites of initiation.
One example of this is the reason often given in today’s PNG for re-
newed, non-traditional practices of circumcision, either young male on
young male, or by a young male on himself. it is “to void the mama
blood”. While witchcraft has been feminised in many cultures, there are
particular reasons for such accusations predominantly targeting women in
Melanesia.
This grim picture needs to be modified in various ways, especially by
noting that when a wife has accepted the restrictions of “being a Melane-
sian woman”, and has produced children, marital relations can soften. But
“the war of the sexes” remains a disturbing aspect of various Melanesian
societies, including the westernised and educated elite, and where a suc-
cession of “girl friends” or worse, a second, third, or sixteenth wife
comes in; there can be a war of the women, or on the women by their dif-
ferent supporting clans.
Polygamy was widespread but not common—which means that it
could be found in many places, but was not a practice indulged in by
every member, or even the majority of them. it was most common among
the leaders and prominent males. Their wives increased tribal wealth by
producing children, by gardening, and by caring for the pigs, often in the
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same living space. All this directly raised the prestige of the leader and
the whole clan. Women mostly had a subordinate position in public af-
fairs and social organisation, though this inferiority could be reduced in
matrilineal cultures. However, what women did was much valued in all
social systems, and this tribal fact threw a fainter reflection on the woman
herself—a clan which was agreeing to one of its women marrying out
(the normal custom) would demand collective compensation for the loss
of this woman’s potential as child bearer, gardener and one who takes
care of the pigs. And this debt remained for the whole life of the woman.
Patrilineal cultures had the same general system, but with some differ-
ences. Even after marriage the woman, and her children, were regarded as
being entirely the property of her husband’s clan. When this husband died
the women and children had no easy return to the clan of her youth,
which would have been the normal path for a widow to take in matrilineal
cultures. various tensions and conflicts could arise, and in some islands
of vanuatu and Fiji there is hard evidence of a widow, or of widows,
being forced to die and share the tomb with their husband. The excavated
tombs can also contain the bodies of servants, and clearly not all the de-
ceased died peacefully. Some seem to have been buried alive.
One of the most notable aspects of social life in Melanesia has been
the complexity of the network of exchanges which can leave everyone so
indebted to everyone else that no escape from debt is possible, for almost
everyone. Exchanges can be of goods, or, as we have seen with marriage,
of persons. Slavery properly so-called was almost unknown. Exchanges
could be between individuals, or between clans, entire communities.
Goods seen as being of value include pigs and other, lesser animals (espe-
cially cassowaries and large pythons), shells, the feathers of some birds,
dog’s teeth, boar’s tusks, and stones variously shaped, particularly those
bored through the centre. Some exchange goods were of use and others
purely for display, and of course, some could have both sets of functions.
To give things or people away provided a person, or a collectivity, with
great prestige. As in other such systems, there could be a devastating
competition in gift giving. The whole society was deeply bound together
by bonds of all sorts of reciprocity, and Melanesians are naturally suspi-
cious and even contemptuous of those who don’t or won’t give. Unfortu-
nately for the chances of a modern, civil society in their new States, many
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groups regard reciprocity as something that only applies between people
inside the clan and with their traditional neighbours. While a “relation-
ship” itself is non-material, Melanesians conceptualise it by the exchange
or gift which initiates a personal or commercial or political relationship,
the succession of exchanges which periodically reinforce it when it seems
to be weakening, those which make up for both deliberate and uninten-
tional wrongs, those which merely demonstrate gratitude, and those
which re-establish the equilibrium between persons and between clans.
Exchanges have been conducted over long distances. They are evi-
denced between the coasts and the interior of the large islands, and be-
tween different islands. The most famous is the kula ring described by
Malinowski, conducted around the islands of S.E. New Guinea. Coastal
people and those on small offshore islands had, as a rule, far greater con-
nections with each other (by exchange) than Highlanders did, or any
other groups living in the interior. As has become a cliché, the sea con-
nected more than it divided. But this was true for almost all of human his-
tory before the railways. Seas, rivers and canals united, but land divided.
Once again, it is the recognition and analysis of the pottery called Lapita
and of finds of obsidian that most clearly show the extent of travelling
and exchange, even in quite ancient times.
Melanesians were not the favourites of the early explorers. While
other groups could be every bit as aggressive and exploitive, the Melane-
sians were quickly regarded as being typically unwelcoming, thieving
and unpleasant in every way. While not universal, cannibalism was wide-
spread and head hunting was practised. Whatever the form it took, a state
of permanent warfare was the normal situation among the clans, and the
losers in an important battle could be driven off their land, which became
the property of the victors. Ownership by conquest was an accepted re-
ality. Fighting was mostly hand to hand, though arsenal such as bows and
arrows, spears, and in minor disagreement, hails of stones could be used
at a moderate distance from the enemy. Painted shields, often of a large
format, were common. Clubs and axes also. it was not uncommon for
raiding parties to descend on enemy villages and for children and women
to be abducted. Some tribes depended on abductions to keep up their
numbers. Fighting was a major custom provided for excitement and risk
taking in a fairly monotonous daily life, it could satisfy very deep reli-
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gious needs, guarantee the renewal of their culture and livelihoods, and
consolidate the power of the conquerors over the conquered. But the state
of fear, which arose from the very insecure situation (and from fear of
bush spirits and of human sorcery), was a dark cloud throwing a shadow
over daily life and making it difficult, and unusual, for any individual to
move far outside the territory of their little clan or of their allies. Physical
aggression was also the norm in many families, husband and wife (and
this was not all one way!), and parents to children. it is not clear if the
“trials and tests” which many young boys endured during initiation con-
tributed to the high level of physical aggression to be found in many of
the societies. Physical aggression, through a display of fighting prowess
was a survival mechanism; for a passive community was always an easy
victim of invading clans.
Excitement was also provided by the great feasts, during which
Melanesians painted their bodies in different colours and adorned them-
selves with the plumage of birds. Coloured clays could make the face into
a mask for different purposes; common clay was a sign of grief and
morning. The meaning of the decoration could differ from being a sign of
impending aggression, or high rage, or being on a war footing. Masks and
total body coverings of various kinds had deep symbolic meanings, often
being the personification of spirits, or of ancestors. Skilled carvers of
wood were widely employed to make different types of drum, to which
the men (and sometimes, the women) danced. Dances were often an en-
actment of some myth, or they could be the recreation of some sad or
joyous event. Along with the drums there could be the blowing of large
shells, of bamboo flutes, and of different types of whistles. Dances and
songs could be sung by outsiders who did not know the language, and
there was a kind of “copyright” on them. “Payment” (some kind of ex-
change or compensation) was required for outsiders to use these ceremo-
nial creations legitimately.
Melanesian society has become mainly agricultural, and so many rites
and myths were based on the agricultural cycle, as well as on the hunting
cycle, for land game or for fish. There were ceremonies before planting
and others after the harvest. likewise, for the beginning and end for pe-
riods of hunting and fishing. it was common for all hunting or fishing to
be banned for considerable periods of time, apparently to allow for the
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stocks of the forest and the sea to grow back again, but there is clear evi-
dence that not all the peoples of Melanesia, particularly of island
Melanesia, were ecologically sensitive or even sensible.
The greatest ceremonies were often those which accompanied the
death of a head man or some other important member of the clan. Where
carving was a tradition, statues could be sculpted in his honour, lines of
pigs killed and cooked, and extraordinary types of exchange could be ac-
tivated between families and clans. The funeral celebrations could go on
for some months, running through various stages. Typically, the spirits of
recently deceased clan members were deeply feared, and various offer-
ings were made to satisfy, propitiate them. Depending on local cultures,
all sorts of sickness and misfortune could be laid at the door of recently
deceased people, and were viewed as punishment for any kind of insult or
disobedience to them, whether from the lifetime of the person, or after his
or her death.
3. Traditional religions of Melanesia
in primal cultures it is difficult or impossible to separate religion from
culture in general, if by “religion” we mean beliefs and practices directed
at beings not to be found in mankind’s common experience. in fact tradi-
tional Melanesian religions permeated the whole life of the community.
People would not engage in hunting or fishing, or go out fighting without
first calling on supernatural help through religious rituals. Activities con-
nected with gardening cycle or initiation were also accompanied by
magic-religious practices.
Melanesian epistemology is essentially religious. That is, Melane-
sians rely primarily on religious knowledge as their basis for knowing
and understanding the world in which they live. (Whiteman in Manto-
vani 1984: 88)
Melanesians also had no writing system and no elaborate tradition of
specialists in oral culture, so the way they formulated their religious atti-
tudes and beliefs was not direct, clear, and conceptual, but discursive and
symbolic. Religion was carried by myths, dances and other ceremonies,
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and expressed in practices. Melanesian religions were also very different,
but they can be seen as sharing a core of beliefs and practices. No doubt
they would be comparable with the religions of distant peoples at the
same level of culture.
Another aspect of traditional Melanesian religions is its secrecy.
Mythical stories, beliefs, practices, etc., were and are kept secret and
eventually revealed to clan members within initiation rites. Non mem-
bers, especially foreigners, do not have easy access to those kinds of
knowledge.
Most anthropologists separate “cosmic” or “bio-cosmic” religions
from the “theistic” ones. Melanesia is seen as having “cosmic” religions,
and in these human beings are considered part of nature, and not their
lords and masters. What we may call “life” is shared by man and the ani-
mals, but also by plants, by spirits, and the souls of the dead, by totems
and by less personalised occult forces. Somewhere in all this we could
also put individual stones, and large natural features of the landscape. The
world is perceived in its totality and life holistically, without any separa-
tion between the natural realm and the supernatural realm, between em-
pirical reality and some non-empirical reality. Natural phenomena and
processes like rain, sickness, death and disasters could easily be attributed
to what we would call supernatural or meta-empirical causes. These
tended to be semi-personalised “agencies” without being made into gods:
the spirits of nature, the souls of the deceased, the “force” of magical in-
cantations and the power of witches and of their magical procedures.
Thus the Melanesians believed in what we would class as miracles, in
things they saw in dreams, in visions seen while awake, in magic, in
witchcraft, in good and bad spirits. The “enchanted vision of the world”
had by Melanesians was total and unchallenged by learned critical atti-
tudes. Their native critical attitudes were directed to whether their prac-
tices were effective or not, and they were more ready than most cultures
of their type to try new things when old ones did not work. Their world
was full of mysteries, full of spirits and “divinities”. Dreams were not
(and still are not) a trick of the brain, but products of the wandering of a
man’s spirit outside the body, or the invasion of his body by another’s
spirit to pass on messages from beyond the empirical realm. Custodial
spirits infested the woods and the springs. Many birds could bring mes-
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sages from the “ones above” and spirits of the ancestors watched over
their sons and nephews. in some places contact with the spirit world and
the world of ghosts was facilitated by stimulating drinks, like kava.
Magical minded people postulate a personal cause behind every event
and cannot accept the notion of “accident’, especially when facing nega-
tive events. Whereas a scientific minded person would ask what series of
circumstances has provoked those events, most Melanesians would en-
quire about the “who”, that is the personal entity (human or spirit) who
has caused them. inquests into the human causes of death still occupy a
great deal of the time and energy of Melanesians leading to sorcery accu-
sations and punishments.
Belief in some kind of high or supreme spirit, or god, could be
present in the culture, but was not central to it. Especially in the High-
lands of New Guinea, heavenly bodies could be considered as divine: the
sun, the moon and the stars.
Creation from nothing was not a serious question for traditional
Melanesians, nor was transcendence or monotheism. Creation deities,
who gave the world its familiar form, are not transcendent, totally
other beings. They do not preside over other deities and spirits and
had generally withdrawn from active involvement in the life of the
community. (Whiteman, in Mantovani 1984: 107).
Most of the myths collected in Melanesia are concerned with the foun-
dation of a clan. The distant ancestors were not only the originators of the
clan or some higher grouping, but also were the source of its traditions and
customs. Anthropologists call these figures “cultural heroes”. in
Melanesia, such origin figures were often a pair of brothers who founded
the clan, but then for whatever reason fell out with each other. This then
resulted in one of them (often the “good” brother) going away.57 These
myths were of course orally transmitted, and they had many variations to
their common themes, always being open to additions and new interpreta-
57 The ‘two-brother’ story is widespread throughout most Melanesian regions. For
instance Manub and Kilibob story of Northeast New Guinea and To Purgo and To Kabinana
found among the Tolai of the Gazelle Peninsula on the island of New Britain. There are two
known myths of origins in Melanesia versus 22 stories about the activities of two brothers
(see Rufus Pech 1991:10).
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tions according to changing circumstances. Many myths left open the pos-
sibility, if not the promise, of a return of the founding ancestor, bringing a
pile of goods for his descendants. “Cultural heroes” are present in many
myths, but they were rarely invoked or venerated with offerings or gifts.
Throughout Melanesia there is a group of mythical ancestors known
collectively as “dema” deities58.
A dema is an ancestor who because of some difficulty or other is ei-
ther killed violently or chooses to die. But its body is hardly in the
ground when something miraculous happens. From the body of the
dead ancestor grows a coconut tree, a yam, sweet potatoes or taro, or
pigs come from the grave, or some other plant or animal essential for
the livelihood of the community appears. (Whiteman in Mantovani
1984: 106)
The spirits of the natural world were far closer to the people. Forests,
springs, rivers, mountains and striking natural features had such pres-
ences. They were considered to be ambivalent in nature, that is, they were
capable of either good or evil. So there was a definite need to work to-
wards getting their favour and not annoying them, to earn protection
rather than punishment. A complicating factor was another belief, namely
that spirits and ghosts could take human or animal form and thus come
into close and unexpected contact with mortals.
The forefathers were also considered to need placating, because they
watched over the clan to check that their traditions were being followed
and respected. in island Melanesia the more distant ancestors tended to
be thought of as kind and protective, while the more recently deceased
clan members tended to be feared. The greater part of the cult and the of-
ferings went to the most feared spirit beings, precisely to placate them.
Anthropologists have often noticed that the offerings made to the ances-
tors, of animals and food, were not so much “sacrifices” as an extension
of the exchanges that clan members made among each other as a normal
part of daily life.
58 The word ‘dema’ comes from the Marind-Amin people of West Papua. The religious
significance of the dema was introduced to the world through the works of Adolf Jensen
and Jan van Baal.
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Another common belief was that humans were also constituted of a
spiritual principle, which could be described as a shadow, breathing, or
spirit, and that this could sometimes leave the body and take on other
forms. After someone’s death this power to survive transformations al-
lowed for people to become living ancestors after their death, and to con-
tinue to be active in the area where their clan members lived and moved. in
some cultures the spirits of the dead remained close to the settlement for a
limited time, and then went away and lived in a variety of remote places
such as islands, highland lakes or caves. But they were not totally out of
reach even there, and could be called upon in special circumstances. Their
help, which is readily available, is elicited by clan members.
These classes of spirits have something of the personal about them,
but Melanesians also believed in the presence of occult powers somehow
separable from personality, like the ancient “numen”. Souls and spirits
had such powers, but so did places and things, which were never consid-
ered to have personal qualities. “Magic stones” were widely reverenced
throughout Melanesia. The Polynesian term “mana” has been modified to
express this mysterious force, by anthropologists at least. People and
things can both have “mana”. Persons could inherit it or obtain it by ac-
quiring the appropriate magical formulae. Any unusual success in
hunting, fishing or fighting was put down to “mana”, and those who pos-
sessed it were thought to have powers far less common than that: most
often controlling the rain and stopping storms, diverting a cyclone,
causing droughts or food shortages, multi-location, and so on. Such im-
pressive men (women usually did not have this force) were specially ven-
erated after their death. in fact, death was a good career move, in the
sense that they were more open to being invoked and gained more pres-
tige. Their names were specifically invoked on special occasions, and
were given to many children to perpetuate their memory.
This “magical” view of the world ensured that daily life was an inex-
tricable tangle of the natural and the supernatural, of the empirical and the
meta-empirical. People planted their yams with care, but also invoked the
primordial spirits who gave them the yam. People set off on voyages and
trips with the proper precautions and provisions, but also gave offerings
to the spirits of the land through which they had to pass. The taboos de-
signed for moments of crisis were many. These occasions included men-
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struation, pregnancy, tribal fights, initiation times, and the death of a rela-
tive. When misfortune or disaster struck, the first thing to do was to
clarify who (or what) had caused it. The searchers usually looked at the
meta-empirical world. Thus there was a rite of divination, practised by
experts in the art of uncovering secret causes. These people would closely
scrutinise the human relations and the behaviour of the victims, and of
suspects, to see how the ancestors or spirits might have been offended, or
how the powers of sorcerers or witches might have been drawn down on
them. And there would be a decision. Then the task was to see if they
could reconcile the offended spirits, ancestors, or living people, or, in the
case of sorcery or witchcraft, if they could kill the sorcerer or witch.
More often than not, a witch was female.
Melanesian religions were deeply pragmatic. There was no interest in
the “truth” but every interest in what was useful, in what “worked”. if a
Melanesian rite did not produce the desired effect it would be changed. A
divinity was considered to be true if it demonstrated its power, otherwise
it would be a false one. if a spirit turned out to be powerless, it was aban-
doned for another one.
Rituals served to control cosmic events: rain, divert a hurricane, cure
some illness, hold back the lava of a volcano, make a woman fertile,
make children thrive, help the growth of animals and plants, ensure a suc-
cessful hunt or catch of fish, make someone love you, cause the recovery,
or the death of another, and so on. Some anthropologists have described
the various religions of the Melanesians as being more a set of techniques
for obtaining a result than instruments of spiritual salvation.
There were many rituals, many of them privately performed, but there
were great public occasions too, sometimes yearly, and sometimes in a
loose cycle of several years or more. in these a huge number of pigs and
enormous amounts of fish and tubers were consumed. These were rites of
“cosmic renewal”. They renewed the life of the cosmos and of all its in-
habitants. Thus they were authentic celebrations of “life,” in which sym-
bols of fecundity were enacted (and not just symbols), and in which the
myths of the founder ancestors were renewed in story and in dance.
Friendly clans could also be invited, and at such unusual gatherings al-
liances were firmed up, marriages projected, and the prestige of the clan
was enhanced.
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Most Melanesian societies did not build temples or establish special
places of religious cult. Magic rites were conducted in the men’s house,
in gardens, in any places considered sacred in themselves, and in grave-
yards. Some societies however had great halls reserved for the cult of the
spirits of the ancestors, like the haus tambaran to be seen along the Sepik
River, in northern New Guinea. Here they keep their magical objects:
masks, sacred flutes, magic stones, skulls and bones of the ancestors.
Some groups kept their sacred objects in the house of their chief.
Melanesian societies were rich in rites of initiation, especially for
young males. Other “rites of passage” were those, which accompanied
birth, childhood, puberty, adulthood, and death. The most important were
those associated with puberty, which required a time of segregation
during which the initiates were subjected to physical trials and punish-
ment and were introduced to the secrets of the clan. The end of this
process was often marked by circumcision and/or scarification of the
skin. These were truly religious rites, and they preserved the continuity
between the spirits of the ancestors and the living, between the totem and
the clan members. This was where the foundation myths were revealed,
and this contributed to a sense of belonging and of loyalty among the
young products of the process of initiation.
Other rites were associated with the induction of a new chief in some
parts of Melanesia, or entry to some secret society. Especially in island
Melanesia, men rose in the social scale by means of rites which followed
on various prestations (offerings, donations) by the candidate. in general
these were made in the form of items of value. Secret societies, seem-
ingly almost all male, excluded the non-initiates and all women. Despite
the lack of hard evidence, it seems that sorcerers had secret societies run-
ning across clan boundaries.
Secrecy was a particularly strong value in Melanesian religions. A
clan’s foundation myths, rites, initiation ceremonies, taboos and so on
were all kept very secret and revealed only to initiates. it was a common
belief that myths and rites lost their magic force as soon as they were
known to outsiders. in the hands of enemies they could even be turned
against their original owners.
it is clear from what we have tried to say that despite some strong
common features, Melanesian religions were highly specific to each clan.
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There were different founders, different myths, different rites, ancestors,
nature spirits, sacred objects and formulae, beliefs, and so on. You could
imagine “the” religion” of the Melanesians as a large collection of simi-
larly formatted pigeon holes, holes which were filled with very different
contents, according to the tribe or clan that each represented.
4. Brief Excursus on the Evangelisation of Melanesia
The first attempts in the evangelisation of Melanesia were sporadic.
in the 17th and 18th centuries the Spanish and Portuguese ships that plied a
regular trans-Pacific route from South and Central Americas to the
Moluccas and return, usually had religious personnel on board. From
time to time, local islanders would be taken on board and transported to
places like the Spanish Americas to be christianised there, and to return as
evangelisers of their own people. But these Catholic efforts were without
fruit in Melanesia.
it wasn’t until the late 18th century that Christian missionaries began a
serious evangelisation effort in Polynesia, which reached Melanesia a few
decades later. With the exception of the indonesian Province of Papua –
which was first evangelised by missionaries coming from Java- the Pacific
evangelisation spread from east to the west. Protestant missionaries, sent
by mission agencies mostly located in Europe and Australia, arrived first
and made use of indigenous Christians in spreading the Good News in
other islands. They reached Fiji in 1830, New Caledonia and vanuatu in
1840, the Solomon islands in 1845, and Eastern New Guinea (the present
Papua New Guinea) in 1871. Western New Guinea (the present indonesian
province of Papua) was reached by protestant missionaries already in
1855. The founding Protestant Denominations were Methodist, Congrega-
tionalist, Presbyterian, lutheran, Calvinist, Anglican, and Adventist.
On the part of the Catholic Church, the evangelisation of Oceania was
first entrusted by the vatican to religious orders of recent formation, such
as the French Society of Mary, the italian Pontifical Institute of Mission
Overseas (PiME), the French Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, the French
Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and the German So-
ciety of the Divine Word. Catholic missionaries arrived in New Caledonia
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in 1843, in Fiji in 1844, in the Solomon islands in 1845, in Eastern New
Guinea in 1847, in vanuatu in 1848, in Western New Guinea in 1912.
The evangelisation of Melanesia was accompanied by enormous diffi-
culties and heavy loss of personnel. Mission stations were often to be
abandoned due to the hostility of the local populations or to infections
and epidemics. Many foreign missionaries suffered from violent or earlier
death. The evangelisation of Melanesia did not happen as smoothly as
that of Polynesia and suffered also severe setbacks during the First and
Second World Wars. in spite of all that, by the mid 20th century most
Melanesians had been “converted’ to Christianity. Starting from the 1960s
onwards many Protestant missions became autonomous churches while
the previous Catholic Apostolic vicariates became autonomous Dioceses.
After the Second World War many new Protestant denominations en-
tered the Melanesian region as well as male and female Catholic Reli-
gious Orders. The pioneering churches found their ranks being thinned by
the success of the newly arrived and the scene of the religious affiliation
was changed significantly. it is estimated that in Melanesia during the last
50 years a good quarter of the faithful of the pioneering churches had
transferred their allegiance to recently arrived churches. Percentages
differ according to the country but the overall tendency is clear and seems
destined to increase. From the data collected by the Melanesian institute
Research Team in 2003, the following was the situation of Melanesian as
a whole in the matter of religious affiliation at the turn of the second into
the third millennium.
Table 1: Religious Affiliation in Melanesia (2003)
** Not available, not offered
g
()
CHURCH/ Indonesian Papua New Solomon Vanuatu
RELIGION Papua
Guinea
Islands
Catholic
Calvinist (1)
Methodist (2)
450 000
18.4%
79 000
32.2%
***
Lutheran (3) ***
Anglican
***
Baptist (4)
90 000
3.7%
1 500 000
27.3%
***
630 000
11.5%
920 000
16.7%
175 000
3.2%
135 000
2.5%
85 000
17.3%
***
49 000
11.5%
***
155 000
28.2%
2 500
0.5%
28 000
13.3%
64 000
30.5%
***
***
28 800
13.7%
***
New
Caledo-
nia
112 000
50.9%
47 700
21.7%
***
***
***
***
Fiji
TOTAL
70 000
8.2%
500
0.06%
300 000
25.7%
***
7 000
0.8%
2 000
0.2%
2 245 000
26.2%
902 200
9.3%
979 000
10.1%
920 000
9.5%
365 800
3.8%
229 500
2.4%
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Evangelical
(5)
Adventist (6)
Apostolic (7)
345 000
14.1%
12 000
0.5%
***
Pentecostal
(8)
Mormons (9)
27 000
1.1%
***
Jehovah’s
Witnesses
Other
Christian
(10)
Total
Christian
Baha’i
***
127 500
5.2%
1 841 500
75.2%
***
Muslim
Hindu
Buddhist
Other
religions (11)
Traditional
Religions
(12)
other non-
Christian
(13)
TOTAL
NON-
CHRISTIAN
TOTAL
POPULATI-
ON
600 000
24.5%
4 000
0.2%
2 000
0.1%
***
***
2 500
0.1%
608 500
24.8%
2 450 000
100.0%
350 000
6.4%
600 000
11.0%
120 000
2.2%
500 000
9.1%
23 000
0.4%
24 000
0.4%
407 000
7.4%
5 384 400
97.9%
18 000
0.3%
1 000
0.02%
600
0.01%
1 000
0.02%
15 000
0.3%
50 000
0.9%
30 000
0.5%
115 600
2.1%
5 500 000
100.0%
85 000
17.3%
55 000
12.2%
2 000
0.4%
10 000
2.0%
250
0.05%
9 000
1.8%
22 250
4.5%
475 000
96.9%
3 000
0.7%
***
***
***
5 000
1.0%
2 000
0.4%
5 000
1.0%
15 000
3.1%
490 000
100.0%
8 900
4.2%
28 000
13.3%
3 900
0.9%
22 600
10.8%
2 100
1.0%
400
0.2%
15 000
7.1%
201 700
96.0%
2 000
1.0%
100
0.05%
120
0.05%
***
***
5 500
2.6%
1 680
0.8%
8 300
4.0%
210 000
100.0%
***
460
0.2%
100
0.05%
3 100
1.4%
1 900
0.9%
1 660
0.8%
***
166 920
75.8%
800
0.4%
5500
2.5%
***
200
0.1%
***
***
46 580
21.3%
53 080
24.4%
220 000
100.0%
20 000
2.4%
22 000
3.2%
3 000
0.4%
35 000
4.8%
4 000
0.5%
7 000
0.8%
16 500
2.0%
487 000
58.0%
1 000
0.1%
64 000
7.6%
275 000
32.7%
***
5 000
0.6%
***
8 000
1.0%
353 000
42.0%
840 000
100.0%
808 900
8.3%
717 460
7.4%
129 000
1.3%
597 700
6.2%
31 250
0.3%
42 060
0.4%
588 650
6.1%
8 556 530
88.1%
24 800
0.2%
670 600
6.9%
279 720
2.9%
3 200
0.03%
25 000
0.3%
57 500
0.6%
92 860
1.0%
1 153 680
11.9%
9 710 000
100.0%
(1) Calvinists: Presbyterians, Christian Evangelical Church in indonesia, Union of
Reformed Churches, Evangelical Church of New Caledonia, Free Evangelical
Church of New Caledonia, Protestant Church of indonesia in Papua, etc.
(2) Methodists: Methodist Church, United Church of PNG, United Church of
Solomon islands, Wesleyan Methodist Church, etc.
(3) Lutherans: Evangelical lutheran Church of PNG, Gutnius lutheran Church,
Protestant Church in indonesia, Church of the Protestant Community in Papua.
(4) Baptists: Baptist Bible Fellowship, Maranatha Baptist Church, Baptist Unions,
Sovereign Grace Baptist Union, Tabernacle Church, independent Baptist
Church, etc.
(5) Evangelicals: Evangelical Church in indonesia, Evangelical Church of the Tab-
ernacle, Christian Community of the Bible, Church of Christ, South Sea Evan-
gelical Church, etc.
(6) Adventists: Seventh Day Adventist Church, Reformed Adventist Church.
(7) Apostolic: Apostolic Church, New Apostolic Church.
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(8) Pentecostals: Assemblies of God, Pentecostal Church of Bethel, United Pente-
costal Church, Four Square Gospel Church, etc.
(9) Mormons: Church of Jesus Christ of the latter Day Saints, Reformed Church of
Jesus Christ of the latter Day Saints.
(10) Other Christian churches: independent indigenous churches, Eastern Orthodox,
smaller Churches not federated or affiliated, &c.
(11) Other religions: Confucianism, Sikhs, modern orientalising sects, &c.
(12) Traditional religions: both the really traditional ones, and the more modern,
usually messianic versions.
(13) Other non-Christian: Atheists, agnostics, not members of any institutionalised
church
Source: Zocca: 2007: 197-198
5. The Initial Proclamation of Christ by the Pioneer
Missionaries
The following paragraphs are based on my readings of books on the
evangelisation of Oceania, on diaries and memoirs written by early mis-
sionaries, on catechetical manuals and catechisms, on religious instruction
books for schools, on collections of sermons and hymns, and on commu-
nications with elderly missionaries who pioneered the evangelisation of
the Highlands populations of Papua New Guinea in the ‘50s and 60’s.
From the early accounts of explorers and traders, the missionaries
knew before arriving that Melanesian peoples were culturally different
from the Polynesians or indonesians. They were more socially frag-
mented, more independent as small groups and individuals, and more ag-
gressive. Thus, before landing, missionaries had to come up with new
strategies of making contact and new ways of communicating and negoti-
ating with these peoples.
Before starting to proclaim the Good News to Melanesians the pio-
neer Christian missionaries had to overcome the natural distrust, or even
hostility, on the part of the native population. The strategy used was that
of exchanging goods particularly valuable to the locals, such as tobacco,
axes, knives, fish hooks, and medicines. They specialised in exchanges
done through the heads of the clans (chiefs or big-men), and thus entered
into ‘friendly’ politico-personal relations with them.
Another strategy used by the Protestant missionaries of European ori-
gins was that of entrusting the first proclamation to catechists and helpers
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already evangelised in Polynesia, in other Melanesian islands, or in the
near-indonesia. Not only did these helpers come out of a culture far
closer to the one they hoped to evangelise, but they had also interiorised
the message of Christianity ‘in their own way”. They were able to be me-
diators between the cultural blinkered whites and the local people. These
local helpers were often left to their own devices for long periods, so they
were in fact the real proclaimers of the Gospel in word and deed.
in their very early contacts, missionaries generally worked through
the traditional channels, that is, approached the people through their
leaders, respecting the clannish structure of the society. it proved to be
the most successful strategy too. The Anglicans, as well as other groups,
took an opposite approach, to some extent, and disregarded the social
structures and cultures. They took youngsters out of their culture to be ed-
ucated in an European environment and then reinserted them into their
home situation, baptised and educated. This led to so many failures and
disappointments that it eventually had to be abandoned. When the chiefs
and leaders accepted the missionaries, these had found the “key” which
opened the way to evangelisation.
The most widely used strategy, in conjunction with any of the above,
was to begin by starting a school. Catechists were typically also teachers
and were made responsible for running the little schools set up by many
missionaries as soon as they had some confidence about their acceptance
by the local clan. The link between mission and school was so close to
the local people that in early Pidgin the word “skul” also meant mission,
or Christian denomination. When, as often happened, the local people had
a choice between different and competing Christian denominations, they
would ask themselves what the best “skul” would be, what “skul” would
give them the best deal. And it was common for them to keep asking
these questions after having made their decision, always on the lookout
for something better.
Together with the “skul” the pioneer missionaries showed their con-
cern for the well being of the people by introducing western medicine and
simple technology. in so doing they acted very differently from previous
white men who had come to exploit the material and human resources of
the Melanesian islands. Their compassionate behaviour was already an
impressive proclamation of the Gospel.
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The study of the languages and the cultures of the natives was a pri-
ority to which the early Christian missionaries dedicated a lot of time.
Witnesses of these are the diaries, books and dictionaries written by those
pioneers. Those who had studied ethnology were certainly better prepared
for the understanding of the Melanesian cultures but most of them, after
the long years spent in the mission field, had a remarkable grasp of those
cultures. However, missionaries varied in their evaluation of those cul-
tures. Some showed some appreciation while many considered them as
depraved and satanic.
in regard to the content of the first proclamation, as i have said, we
can only guess from the books, diaries, catechisms, collection of sermons
and hymns left behind by those early missionaries. The catechisms are not
dissimilar from those they took along from the countries of origins. They
begin with God’s creation and the other Bible stories up to Jesus Christ
and his redemptive sacrifice. Great emphasis was put on God’s unicity, on
the evil of sin, and the expiatory death of Jesus on the cross. The collec-
tions of sermons and hymns also emphasise the same topics with the ex-
ception of the Catholics, who include the devotions to our lady and the
saints, as well as the hierarchical and apostolic structure of the church.
As far as Christian ethics is concerned, Protestants were generally very
critical of the traditional beliefs and customs, and tended to forbid them
with great strength. Catholic missionaries tended to be more tolerant and
respectful of traditional cultures. in the presentation of the Christian faith,
however, the Christian catechisms show very little positive use of the tra-
ditional cultures and religions, either by simply ignoring them or by
strongly condemning them.
A curious phenomenon which is often linked to the coming of white
colonisers and Christian missionaries into Melanesia is the explosion of
the so called “cargo cults”, that is millenarian movements which, in their
majority, had the peculiar feature of including the arrival of “cargo” (any
sort of manufactured goods) as the signal and substance of the new world
to come. Hundreds of “cargo cults’ have appeared in Melanesia since their
first description in mid 19th century59
59 For a bibliography on the “cargo cults’ phenomenon i refer to my article
‘Millenarianism in Melanesia’, in Catalyst 1998, 28/1, 67-90.
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The foreign missionaries were mostly of North European origin
(Britain, North America, Germany and France) and children of the so
called illuminism with its stress on scientific and rational explanations.
They were bearer of a type of Christianity which could be called
“Modern Western Christianity”, whose characteristics are contrasted with
those of the traditional Melanesian religions in the following chart:
Chart 1: Some major Characteristics of traditional Melanesian Religions
and of Modern Western Christianity.
TRADITIONAL MELANESIAN RELIGIONS
Integrated worldview
No separation between the natural and supernatural
realms: gods, spirits, ancestors, men and animals, all of
which inhabit the same cosmos and interact with each
other.
Pre-scientific attitudes
Natural phenomena are attributed to supernatural
causes; importance of magical techniques to control
natural phenomena. Belief in sorcery as explanation for
sickness, death and disaster.
Clannish dimension
Beliefs differ according to the clan, and so do rites,
ancestors, spirits, taboos and moral codes.
Communitarian
Relations with the supernatural world are community-
centred; the moral code is based on the welfare of the
community.
Holistic
Religious beliefs and rituals permeate the whole life.
No activity is only secular.
Immanent
Creative deities are immanent but not involved in the
life of humans. Nature and ancestors spirits are
immanent and involved. Presence of ‘dema’ figures.
Based on veneration of the spirits
Nature spirits and spirits of the ancestors (ghosts) are
venerated and considered powerful.
Magical
It is believed that wealth and benefits, as well as
sickness and disaster can be obtained by means of rites
and spells, which have automatic effects when
correctly used by magicians.
Pragmatic
Religion is all about attaining practical and immediate
ends: hunting, fishing, healing, rain, fertility, sickness,
death, etc. Rites are changed if they do not work. The
highest aim is fullness of life here on earth.
Ritualistic
There are all sorts of rites to obtain the desired result;
great importance is placed on the exact execution of
rites, and on their being done by experts.
Based on reciprocity
Relations with the non empirical world are of the same
type of those between humans, based on systems of
exchange. Punishment is seen as the consequence of a
faulty or failed exchange. Vengeance and pay back as a
moral obligation.
MODERN WESTERN CHRISTIANITY
Dualistic worldview
Separation of the natural and supernatural; only
exceptionally does the supernatural interact with the
natural world; scepticism concerning vision, dreams,
miracles, etc.
Scientific attitudes
Natural phenomena are due to natural causes, which are
discovered with the help of experiment; magical
practices are not considered effective.
Universalistic dimension
Christianity promulgates doctrines, rites and a moral
code applying to the whole human race.
Individualistic
Relations with the supernatural are individual and
personal; the moral code is based on the salvation of
each individual person.
Compartmental
Clear division between secular activities and religious
ones.
Transcendent
Creator is one and transcendent, benevolent and
provident. Spirits and ghosts are also transcendent.
Only exceptionally they interfere with humans.
Limited veneration of spirits
Only the angelic spirits are venerated.
Trusting on prayer
The divinity cannot be forced by magical rites and
spells. It can only be asked in prayer, in the confidence
of being heard.
Non pragmatic
Religion is primarily concerned with the attainment of
spiritual ends: pardon for sin, eternal life, strength to
practice the commandments, etc. Rites are more stable.
Non ritualistic
Rites, especially among protestants, are reduced to the
minimum and considered more to be symbols of inner
attitude than actions invested with their own power.
Based on Grace
Relations with God are based on his free, gratuitous
condescension. Redemption and eternal salvation are
freely given. Forgiveness and reconciliation are stressed.
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Indigenous moral code
The highest principle of morality is the welfare of
one’s own clan, but there are countless rules to
observe: taboos, dietary requirements, feat of
menstrual blood, strict observance of rituals, etc.
Emotional
Festivals, initiation rites, funerals, myths, etc. Are
celebrated with great emotional intensity; ecstatic
phenomena are keenly sought after.
Esoteric
Secrecy is essential about rites, myths, etc., if these are
not to lose their effectiveness; only initiates are
supposed to have the knowledge, or full knowledge of
them.
Oral
Religious knowledge is transmitted orally to the
appropriate people. Myths are always open to
adaptation to changing social and environmental
circumstances.
Millenarian
Many Melanesian myths foresee the sudden irruption
of a golden age, involving the return of the ancestors.
Western-Christian moral code
Monogamy, free choice in marriage, gender equality,
courts to resolve conflicts, individual rights, abolition of
tribal fighting, universal brotherhood of mankind, cod of
modesty, etc.
Self-restraint
The participants in rituals should be calm and orderly;
scepticism with regard to ecstatic phenomena.
Transparent
Everything will be spoken about and explained;
religious knowledge is open to anyone; the content of
faith and rituals are explained.
Written
Tradition is written down and it is not subject to
creeping or unnoticed change; especially in the case of
Bible or other holy books.
Non-millenarian
Many Christian denominations do not emphasise the
Parousia, the second coming of Christ.
6. Critical evaluation of the Initial Proclamation in
Melanesia
The initial proclamation of the pioneer missionaries, at least in his of-
ficial and written form, seems to have bypassed the cultural and religious
background of the Melanesian populations. Stress was put on creation,
monotheism, idolatry and sin, which were topics of little interest and con-
cern to Melanesians. What was clear to them was the fact that the white
men had a lot of goods and in their mind it was attributed to a superior set
of religious rituals.
Undoubtedly one of the effects of European contact was to lead
Melanesians to believe that if they adopted European religious rituals,
that is, Christian rituals, they would also obtain access to European
life. (Whitman in Mantovani 1984: 95)
Another impression one gets from the reading of the catechisms pro-
duced by those pioneer missionaries is that they seem to ignore that a
major characteristic of traditional Melanesian religion was its holistic di-
mension, it pervaded all human activities. Christianity did not provide
enough religious rituals for all the traditional activities in gardening,
hunting, fishing, initiation, marital life, sickness, death, etc. They were
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considered “secular’, that is outside the scope of religion. Unwittingly the
introduction of Christianity became a factor of secularisation, as it was
still noticed in the 1980s.
European missionaries, as part of the Western influence, have often
unwittingly been agents of secularisation in their efforts to proclaim
the Gospel. Although one would hope that Christianity would become
as deeply integrated into the whole of life as was the traditional reli-
gion, it seems that many Melanesian converts tend to live in a more
compartmentalised world, and so Christian faith tends to become a
Sunday-only ritual activity (Whiteman in Mantovani 1984: 88)
We may ask ourselves what would have been the right starting point
in the proclamation of the Good news. A Solomon islander once told Dr
Whiteman: “if missionaries had started with the incarnation or the Good
Friday and Easter events then that would have been far more meaningful
to Melanesians” To which sentence Whiteman added this comment:
it took me several years to begin to understand the theological signif-
icance of this Solomon islander’s insight, but as i began to understand
the dema myths then i could better understand why Creation would
not be the best starting point or cultural bridge to introduce Christi-
anity in a way that would have the maximum meaningful impact for
Melanesian converts. (Whiteman in Mantovani: 1984: 106)
Personally i don’t think it would have been the best starting point
since it was opened to misunderstandings. in fact cases were reported in
which good Melanesian young men were sacrificed in the conviction that
their deaths would have provided for the Melanesians all the material
blessings the death of Jesus had brought to the white people60. Were the
missionaries aware of this possible misunderstanding?
60 See Bishop Noser’s diary, kept at the Divine Word University, Madang.
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7. Attempt of an Ideal Initial Proclamation of the gospel
in Melanesia
The following attempt is based on the already exposed ‘fulfilment
theory’. The initial proclamation of Christ should be presented in the first
instance as a ‘completion’ of beliefs and practices already present in the
traditional Melanesian cultures and religions.
The following are some suggestions in that direction.
• Belief in Creator deities, sometimes in a supreme Spirit, was almost
universally present. Monotheism and creationism could be adapted
into that belief.
• The integrated vision of the world could facilitate the acceptance of
a provident
• God-Father, who is close to his children and cares for their well
being.
• Belief in good and bad spirits was also universally present. The
doctrine of angels and demons could fit into it.
• Belief in the existence of souls and their permanence after the death
of a person was held by all Melanesians. New would have been that
the fate of the ancestors’ souls was now completely in God’s hands.
• The myths regarding the “dema” convey the principle that the death
of one person brings life to the community. A profound insight
which can be easily be applied to Jesus and his death.
• To the search for a fullness of life here on earth could be added the
search for a fullness of life beyond the grave (cf. Jn 10: 10)
• The communitarian society, in which the well-being of all takes pri-
ority over the individual interest, could become a concrete image of
an ideal “body of Christ”.
• leaders who acquire their status because of the services provided to
their people are also a good example of that leadership as service
proclaimed in the Gospel.
• The need of rituals for the different activities and initiation should
also have been recognised and taken into consideration in providing
Christian rituals or adapting the old ones. Several sacraments, as
initiation rituals, could easily fit into Melanesian cultures.
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• The authority attributed to the mythological stories, handed down
by the ancestors, could easily been transferred also to God’s word
in the Bible.
• Beliefs surrounding the veneration of the ancestors could be applied
to the venerations of saints as well.
• The attitude of “awe” and taboo in regard to magic things and
places could be transferred to Christian Holy Books, rituals, and
places.
As already said, this kind of approach presupposes a deep knowledge
of the Melanesian cultures on the part of the proclaimers. The same
knowledge is also needed to oppose and correct beliefs and practices in
clear contrast with the Christian message. To mention some:
• The blaming of sorcerers and witches for sickness death and disas-
ters, followed by accusations and punishments.
• The pay back mentality which sees forgiveness as weakness.
• Easy harming and killing of supposed enemies.
• The low status of women who are easily abused.
• The prestigious status enjoyed in the society by polygynous men
• The fear of ancestral ghosts.
• Recurrence to tribal fights in order to resolve conflicts.
These bad habits too should be corrected beginning from their cul-
tural roots. For instance, accusations and punishments of supposed sor-
cerers are rooted in the belief of the effectiveness of magical practices
and in the non acceptance of natural causes as final explanations for nat-
ural phenomena. They could be corrected by education, exposure to
modern medicine, and appropriate legislation61.
Nowadays the almost totality of the indigenous inhabitants of
Melanesia call themselves Christian. it seems, therefore, that the phase of
initial proclamation should be over, at least for the adult people. Unfortu-
nately, this is not the case, since many important values proclaimed by
61 in Papua New Guinea there is a “Sorcery Act” which criminalizes the practice of
malevolent sorcery. According to the author, this Act is rather re-enforcing the belief instead
of taking it away.
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Christ have not yet been internalised and made their own by Melanesians.
Besides, apart from the traditional customs not yet transformed by the
Christian message there are many new customs which are strongly in
contrast with Christian ethics, such as corruption, abuse of alcohol and
drugs, prostitution, gambling, pornography, and other crimes of various
type. Secularisation and agnosticism, especially among young educated
Melanesians, is also affecting the modern population. We experience now
a certain amount of no-churched youth and adults. Melanesian cultures
and peoples are still in need of conversion, prompted by an ever deeper
understanding and acceptance of the Gospel of Christ. The above list of
suggestions for the initial proclamation of the Gospel might still be useful
in the present context and in the transmission of the Christian faith to the
young generation.
references
‘E KEiNE DiATHEKE (The New Testament in Greek), 1968, london: Trinity Press
The New Jerusalem Bible, 1990, london: Darton, longman & Todd.
The Jerome Biblical Commentary, 1968, Engelwood Cliffs N.J.: Prentice Hall.
vATiCAN COUNCil ii. The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents, trans. By Austin
Flannery, 1980, Collegeville MN: liturgical Press.
BEvANS STEPHEN B & SCHOROEDER ROGER p., 2004, Constants in Context, Maryknoll,
New York: Orbis Books.
BOSCH DAviD J., 1991, Transforming Mission – Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission,
Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Book
D’COSTA GAviN, 1986, Theology and Religious Pluralism, Oxford; Basil Blackwell.
DUPUiS JACqUES, 2002, Christianity and the Religions – From Confrontation to Dialogue,
Maryknoll, New York: Orbis books.
KNiTTER PAUl, 1985, No Other Name? – A Critical Survey of Christian Attitudes Toward
the World Religions, Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books.
MANTOvANi ENNiO (ed.), 1984, An Introduction to Melanesian Religions, POiNT No 6,
Goroka: Melanesian institute.
NEWMAN JOHN, 1906, An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, london:
longmans, Green
RiCHARDSON DON, 1974, Peace Child, ventura Cal.: Regal Books.
WHiTEMAN DARREl (ed), 1983, An Introduction to Melanesian Cultures, POiNT No 5,
Goroka: Melanesian institute.
ZOCCA FRANCO, 1997, God’s salvific Presence outside Christianity – a Roman Catholic
Perspective, Occasional Paper No 10, Goroka: Melanesian institute.
ZOCCA FRANCO, 2001, Towards a Positive Theology of Cultures, in Catalyst 32/2, 232-243.
ZOCCA FRANCO, 2007, Melanesia And Its Churches – Past and Present, POiNT No 31,
Goroka: Melanesian institute.
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A Response to Franco Zocca
Fr. Peter Baquero SDB
i have enjoyed reading the presentation of Fr. Franco Zocca. it is not
just an informative material but for a missionary it is thought-provoking.
Personally, i have nothing to contend with his presentation as well as con-
sidering the limitation of its scope. However, i kept on asking myself as i
read (and re-read) what could be an underlying question that can possibly
trigger an attempt for a deeper reflection on the Melanesian or Polynesian
culture. i started to synthesize by asking the question: “What is fullness
of life for Melanesians?”… what is the meaning of life for a typical
Melanesian or Polynesian? Or what could give the best meaning in life
for a Melanesian or Polynesian? This question lingered on in me and i
wish to suggest that it could serve as a trigger question in our reflections.
it would be good to reflect on the human aspect of a culture before in-
troducing or building up our faith dimension (Christianity), to see the
human side of the missionary work. i guess the early missionaries gave
their share of going deep into the human relations with its struggles and
pains.
For us missionaries (and religious), our fullness of life is in Christ.
Though stated in few words, it gives meaning and purpose for our human
existence. Meanwhile, for Melanesians, what or who can give fullness of
life? What or who can give meaning and purpose for their human exis-
tence? i guess the presentation of Fr. Franco gives a lot of insights. But,
what could be that one word or one principle that can define or express
“fullness of life” for Melanesians?
For us missionaries, we have our own meaning and purpose in life (in
Christ). Hopefully, it is personally clear and well-defined in each one of
us. Definitely, Melanesians have their own meaning and purpose for their
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existence. in our mission work, it becomes now an encounter between
two meanings and two definitions of fullness of life. Hopefully it be-
comes an intersection (meaning AND meaning) not a comparison
(meaning vERSUS meaning). i believe this is the reality in our mis-
sionary work and surely the context for any initial proclamation.
From this perspective, we can truly reflect on our present missionary
work and activity:
1. Melanesians surely have their own worldview. As missionaries en-
counter them with their own culture from our own cultural back-
ground. As a first stage of any mission work, observation is very
vital. We get involved WITh them and participate In their life
with honesty and discrete attitude. We treat them as people not ob-
jects for study. All these because we mean to be WITh TheM.
When we come as missionaries, do we really mean to stay (long)
with them? Do we respect the “observation stage” of any mis-
sionary work? What strategies did we do in order to facilitate a
purposeful “observation stage”? in our ministry (of education),
how do we assist each other as co-missionaries in our realisations
as results from our observations?
2. Melanesian culture is so diverse as evidenced by their numerous
languages (dialects). This poses a big challenge. if we mean to
stay with them, then we have to enter into their life. learning the
language is very crucial but not the end. it is an entry into their
world where we can begin to appreciate and be interested in them.
With this at hand, we can better enter into the MEANiNG(S) of
their culture. Up to what extent have we entered into the
meaning(s) of our people’s culture? Do we respect their
meaning(s) in life? What steps do we take in order to show that we
are serious in entering into the Melanesian world?
3. Culture is learned not inherited. At the same time, it is enriched by
its traditional religions. All the formation takes place initially in a
family (in a bigger sense, a clan). Our proclamation (mission
work) must always be within the context of the family. Though or-
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dinarily our mission work comes in the form of education (service)
which is a very strategic way of being acceptable, it would be
deepened if ministry with the family accompanies it. Within the
family we can see more imminently the dynamics of a culture in a
particular way. How far have we gone in family ministry as a com-
plementary approach in our educative/pastoral work?
initial proclamation entails a lot of interplay between culture, identity,
traditions and worldview. it is an encounter of two “meanings” or “pur-
poses” of life. This implies a lot of integration on the part of missionaries
both in human and Christian values. Once taken seriously, Christian
proclamation becomes tedious and may become detrimental to the dispo-
sition of the proclaimer. inasmuch as our mission work is a process with
undefined time framework, the missionary enters into this process also
with undefined results (or even fulfilment). it is of high importance that
the missionary must also be taken care of. On-going formation can truly
satisfy and assist the missionaries involved in this process. in our own
plan of missionary work, do we always consider the on-going formation
of our missionaries as important as the results we want to achieve?
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initial Proclamation
in Societies in the Process of Secularisation
Fr. David Willis OP*
A. Introduction
i will first reflect on the process of secularisation, treating this rather
large topic only insofar as is needed for the purposes of this paper. Sec-
ondly, i will make some observations about societies under-going this
process. Next i will draw attention to developments in the theological un-
derstanding of secularisation. As with secularisation, this is a topic in its
own right, and i will only address it in so far as it is relevant to our im-
mediate concerns. Fourthly, i will briefly reflect on initial Proclamation
and, finally i will connect initial Proclamation to societies undergoing
secularisation.
B. The Process of Secularisation
First we can clarify what secularisation is. Here i am drawing on the
thought of John Sommerville.62 Secularisation can be understood as a
process of differentiation in society: in this process “the various aspects of
society: economic, political, legal, and moral, become increasingly spe-
cialised and distinct from one another.” A further way of describing secu-
larisation, going beyond the idea of ‘differentiation’, relates it to activities
in society. it is then described as the “the transfer of activities from reli-
gious to secular institutions”. This transfer can be clearly seen in the area
of social services when there is “a shift in provision of social services from
churches to the government.” i have had minimal experience living on mis-
* He has a doctorate in Theology. Currently he is the President of the Catholic
Theological institute, Bomana, Port Moresby.
62 John Sommerville, “Secular Society Religious Population: Our Tacit Rules for Using
the Term Secularization. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 37 (2):249–53. (1998)
as quoted in “Secularization” Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secularization.
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sion stations in Melanesia but from that experience and from listening to
the stories of those who have, it is easy to see the process of secularisation,
as described above, occurring on these stations. initially, the priest, broth-
ers and the sisters, often with dedicated lay missionaries, ran the school,
the hospital, the local store and provided banking and postal services. The
mission station was the sole provider of services outside the traditional cul-
ture. Gradually many of these services have been taken over by business
people and the government, and the whole process has been accelerated by
the arrival of national independence.
The following information pertaining to Papua New Guinea concerning
the delivery of health and education services by the government and by
the churches is drawn from data concerning the early years of the last
decade, but it provides, i would think, a relatively accurate overview of
services provided by the churches. The churches combined provide 50%
of the educational facilities (grades 1-12), supply 45% of the teachers, and
educate 45% of the students enrolled in schools across the country. Fur-
ther, the churches contribute almost 50% of all the health facilities avail-
able for the people, and the more remote is the area, the more likely it is
that one of the churches is the provider. Together the churches provides
24% of all health staff for the country.63
The place of religion in societies in the process of secularisation is
complex. With the advance of secularisation there is the challenge for the
individual to integrate religion with the recognised secular aspects of life.
Being a police officer, a teacher, a carpenter, a politician, a solicitor and
so on, are secular professions dealing with secular realities. There arises,
then, discussions of relating faith to daily life. Alongside this challenge
the process of secularisation involves the individual relating to people
who have other religious beliefs besides their own, relating either to
fellow Christians of other denominations or to Hindus, Buddhists or Mus-
lims, agnostics or atheists.
One final comment on religion in societies in transition: i think it is
safe to say, that the person living in a traditional society in transition is
63 Michael A. Rynkiewick, Land and Churches in Melanesia: Cases and Procedures,
Point no. 27, 2004, 29, 32).
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living in various degrees in two religious worlds: living under the influ-
ence of traditional religion and under the influence of Christianity.
C. Some Observations about Societies Undergoing
the Process of Secularisation
Some points that can be made about societies undergoing secularisation:
First the greatest proportion of the population will be young. in a ma-
ture, secular society such as Japan the average age of the population
will be much higher. indeed, these societies are ageing societies. Papua
New Guinea is a young country. The median age for PNG, namely “the
age that divides a population into two numerically equal groups” is
21.8 years. The countries with the lowest median ages are Uganda and
the Gaza Strip, with 15 years and the country with the highest median
age is Japan with 44. 8 years.64
Second, there is a movement of the population from remote places to
urban centres, the latter being perceived as having more to offer than
the village with its traditional way of life. Associated with this migra-
tion are all the problems generally connected with it elsewhere in the
world: for instance, unemployment, the coming into existence of set-
tlements and crime.
Third, the move towards equality of men and women in modern sec-
ular society that is not associated with their place in traditional so-
ciety, has opened up new possibilities for girls and women in educa-
tion and work. This will increasingly have an impact on society: rates
of population growth will slow as girls will marry later and have a
smaller number of children and educated mothers will pass on to their
children these same values.
Fourth, in these societies the state and its institutions tend to be weak.
Traditional society has been partly superseded but the new secular in-
64 The World Fact Book, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-
factbook/fields/2177.html.
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stitutions struggle to establish an identity and function at any-where
near the level of the equivalent institutions in mature, secular soci-
eties with their long traditions of secular institutions. Thus in
emerging secular societies traditional ways and secular ways of run-
ning society co-exist. i have been told, for instance, that one ought
not venture into some settlements in Port Moresby without first con-
tacting local leaders and arranging for a safe passage.
Fifth, in these societies there emerges an educated elite who are the
leaders in the secular arena of society. These are the politicians,
senior public servants, lawyers, tertiary educators, doctors and so on.
in these societies there also emerges an entrepreneurial class. This
highlights the changing economic values of such societies. The issue
of ‘land mobilisation’ is a product of these changing economic values.
Sixth, in countries undergoing secularisation there is arguably an in-
fluential presence of international agencies such as the UN. These in-
troduce sophisticated secular thought and values into the present and
future running of the nation-in-transition.
Seventh, mass media, especially radio and Tv, shape emerging sec-
ular societies, taking over in varying degrees from parents, religious
educators and pastors the role of education in values.
Eighth, we can note that the process of secularisation itself is
changing: There are the advances in technology: computers, email,
mobile phones, i-phones and the world wide web. Just as the indus-
trial revolution of the 19th century had a tremendous impact on eco-
nomics and politics, so internet Technology is profoundly changing
secular society and societies that are becoming secular.
D. Theology and Secularisation
Providentially theologians in the last century have reflected on the
process of secularisation. Fruit of that theology can be found in the docu-
ment of vatican ii. in particular, Gaudium et Spes (The Church in the
Modern World) no. 39 profoundly relates the secular to the kingdom of
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God. Human history is not understood as a means to the end, the
Kingdom. On this means-end approach once the end is attained the means
to it are no longer valued. Human history in Gaudium et Spes is signifi-
cant beyond that of being a means since it makes a contribution to the
Kingdom:
… For after we have obeyed the lord, and in His Spirit nurtured on
earth the values of human dignity, brotherhood and freedom, and indeed
all the good fruits of our nature and enterprise, we will find them again,
but freed of stain, burnished and transfigured, when Christ hands over to
the Father: “a kingdom eternal and universal, a kingdom of truth and life,
of holiness and grace, of justice, love and peace”. (italics added.)
The fruits of human work somehow are to be part of the New Heaven
and New Earth. The secular makes its contribution to the everlasting
kingdom. it is not like a rocket that is left behind when it has done its job
of launching a satellite into orbit.
in conjunction with the re-evaluation of the secular there has emerged
a theology of the laity. As Lumen Gentium (the Dogmatic Constitution on
the Church) says “They [the laity] are engaged in each and every work
and business of the earth and in the ordinary circumstances of social and
family life, that, as it were, constitute their very existence. “ (LG, 31) it is
their “special duty to imbue and perfect the order of temporal affairs [sec-
ular life and work] with the spirit of the Gospel” (CIC, 225.)
E. Reflecting on Initial Proclamation
We can now turn to initial Proclamation. i am relying on The Prague
Blog of 2010 for my understanding of it.65 The content of initial Procla-
mation is a “the short, joyful and engaging account of the death of Jesus
on the cross, his resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit”. its aim is
twofold: initially it is that of “arousing an interest in Jesus” and its ulti-
mate aim is to invite “those who have already made a first commitment to
Jesus to live a life of full discipleship.” First, there is interest in Jesus.
65 The Blog is a report of a conference that was held in early November 2010 at Prague,
Czech Republic. its theme was “The Salesian Mission in a Frontier Situation and the
Initial Proclamation of Christ in Europe Today.” http://cgi.www.salesians.org.uk/
cgi-bin/www.salesians.org.uk/newsitem.pl?item=item195.
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This can lead to faith and baptism, the beginning of the Christian’s per-
sonal relationship with God. Finally, the attitude of the one making the
proclamation is intrinsic to the proclamation itself. The witness to Jesus
Christ is, ideally, a person who lives their faith with conviction – loves
God wholeheartedly - and respects those to whom they witness.
One important characteristic of societies undergoing the process of
secularisation, as we have already drawn attention to, is the transfer of
services, initially delivered by the Church, to the government. This in-
evitably means a diminution of the Church’s presence in society on an in-
stitutional level. More often than not, Christians will be employed by the
government or secular NGOs and, in these circumstances, will not have
the institutional witness supporting them. initial proclamation in these
circumstances either comes from the individual Christian or it does not
come at all. Thus the importance of the awareness of how Christian
proclamation is present through the individual Christian who is com-
mitted to Jesus and is respectful and open to their work colleagues.
Awareness of initial Proclamation is also vitally important when one
is working within a Christian institution. Without it the institution be-
comes indistinguishable from a government institution or any NGO. For
instance, a Christian school, without committed Christians is, in reality, a
non-government or private institution.
F. Initial Proclamation in Societies Undergoing
Secularisation
Most of my activities are focused on Catholic Theological institute
where i am both an administrator and a lecturer. i occasionally am in-
volved with work outside CTi. That work relates mainly to committed
Catholics or committed members of other Christian churches. i suspect
when it comes to initial Proclamation, i am, indeed, on the edge. But i am
to be challenged by it and conscious of it as an ongoing aspect of the life
of all Christians, mine included.
if i might venture to make some suggestions concerning where soci-
eties undergoing secularisation especially provide opportunities for initial
Proclamation i would refer back to what i have said in an earlier part of
this paper. There i drew attention to some characteristics of societies un-
dergoing secularisation. it is these areas that might especially call for ini-
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tial Proclamation: where the young gather; among those who have drifted
to urban centres; in the mist of girls and women finding their place in the
emerging society; supporting those endeavouring to function in newly
emerging secular roles; offered to the elite in the secular world, in the en-
vironment of the media and internet technology.
in conclusion can we not say that Christians who find themselves
living in a society undergoing secularisation can be confident that they,
like their Christian forebears, are called to be, in the words of the Gospel
of St Matthew, light and salt? Reflection on initial Proclamation in soci-
eties in the process of secularisation is at the service of this calling.”
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A Response to David Willis
Sr. Margaret Bentley FMA
Thanks Fr David for the wonderful knowledge and reflection you
have shared with us today. i think perhaps i have been asked to respond
because as an Australian i come from perhaps the most ‘secular’ society
in Oceania. Perhaps that fact also that makes my commitment to Christ
more personal and deeper. i have already shared how humble Aus-
tralians are!
You have set out before us a clear definition of ‘secularization’ as a
process of separation or differentiation in society. For me this is clear and
relevant definition. it would take us more than the time we have to reflect
on the pros and cons of the secularized society and traditional society.
Your clear outline of the 8 aspects of the process of secularisation was
also helpful to see where we are along the road. Each of us could perhaps
use this guide to look not only at our own society but also my personal
response to where i am on the road. My reflection also led me to the
eternal question of where do i find and live close to Christ in the midst of
the society in which i live.
My work takes me backwards and forwards between 4 countries and
4 cultures. Often in one month i can be in all 4 countries. There is a need
to change languages, to change behaviour, as well as clothes and cur-
rency. if you will indulge me i will share a short reflection on each of
these aspects. Obviously it is superficial and based only on my personal
experience and understanding and should not be taken as definitive.
Age
in Australia i deal with the challenges of ageing and the gaps that
have arisen between generations, not only in beliefs and experience but
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also in our understanding of technology. There is a wisdom and a gentle-
ness in Australia that allows for individual differences and respects and
invites to interdependence. There is a great challenge to plan a future in
which we may well ‘close down’ rather than ‘build up’.
in the Samoan islands and the Solomon islands i deal with the chal-
lenges of a ‘young’ society where energy is put into beginnings and plan-
ning a future that is changing each day as a traditional society continues
to become more secularised.
urban growth
One of the most challenging aspects of life in Australia is the work
and living with migrants. There is a daily discussion about refugees.
Many religious take a firm stand to support refugees and those on the
margins of society.
in Samoa there is a growing urban movement but it is still largely ide-
ological; village life is still the main way of living. However the chal-
lenges for young people living village life with the other aspects of secu-
larisation continue. As religious we live between the two.
in the Solomon islands instead there is a big movement to the
urban/city areas. Here we face daily the challenges of young women
living in danger, away from their families, in need of safe accommoda-
tion and education to health and hygiene and living.
equality of men and women
in Australia – please don’t believe that there is equality yet! However
in comparison to the rest of Oceania you would see ‘liberation’.
The downside of the perceived lack of quality in the islands results in
terrible abuse and domestic violence. There are also clearly defined roles
for men and women that have not yet been challenged sufficiently.
Equality is not only about wages and votes it is essentially about dignity.
When we have a higher level of respect and dignity of all people we will
begin to question the differences between genders.
The strength of government
in Australia there is a clear freedom of thought and little compulsion
to vote according to family traditions – individualism is rife and has both
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its good points and weak points – on the whole it leads to stable govern-
ment. The response of the Australian government to the Global Economic
Crisis has kept the nation not only afloat but in growth. The people in
general trust their elected leaders and have the power of the vote.
in Samoa there is a stable Polynesian government – democratically
elected and generally strong. Debate is vigorous. Growth is evident. What
happens here i think is that without a ‘wantok’ system there is a general
trust in the levels of government. village life seems to have adjusted to a
level of equal representation (Male and Female title holders).
in American Samoa – under the US government there is little oppor-
tunity for local decision making. All the standards to be met for education
and government must adhere to US mainland laws and regulations; it is
an experience of colonization rather than independence.
in the Solomon islands there is not a very stable government and this
impacts on ways of doing things – it also means that you can ‘get away
with things’ but also that you sometimes have to use other means like per-
sistence, persuasion etc to get things done. (Awareness of wantok
system).
educated elite
Definitely present in Australia where education is the key to success.
A growing awareness in the Pacific islands as education reaches more
people and the mobilisation of people for financial reasons means that
young Samoans particularly are educated in Australia and New Zealand.
Education is also the key to improved society and job attainment in the
Solomon islands. The Salesian work in the past has included a mission to
those least educated with a ‘second chance’ at life through schooling.
Presence of ngOs
increasing evidence of this in all Pacific islands – growing awareness
of ecological issues – rising tides, sustainable crops, deforestation.
Technology
Technology has a huge impact on the life of young people (and us!) in
Australia. Growing impact in Samoa and American Samoa and Solomon
islands.
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Secular societies are also changing
The impact of technology – renewed awareness of justice issues and
environmental issues as well as the negatives of addiction, pornography
and gang gatherings.
i return to my vote of thanks for Fr. David and particularly for the
challenge he gives us to be conscious of our roles and where the concept
of initial proclamation of the Gospel fits into our increasingly secular so-
cieties.
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Part iii
formulating conclusions
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Catechesis and Evangelisation
from a Salesian Perspective
Fr. Elio Capra SDB *
1. What are the content and the criteria for evangelisation and cate-
chesis?
The General Directory for Catechesis (1997) makes a summary of
several previous document on catechesis when it states:
“The model for all catechesis is the baptismal catechumenate when
by specific formation, an adult converted to belief is brought to ex-
plicit profession of baptismal faith during the Paschal vigil. […] This
catechumenal formation should inspire the other forms of catechesis
in both their objectives and in their dynamism. …Catechesis for
adults, since it deals with persons capable of an adherence that is fully
responsible, must be considered the chief form of catechesis. All
other forms, which are indeed always necessary, are in some way ori-
ented to it.”66
2. What are the criteria of a catechumenal formation?
it is not the same as catechism lessons. it is a process inviting all
Christians into a journey of conversion and into a way of life based on
Christ and the Gospel. Paul says: “We always carry around in our body
the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our
body.” (2Cor 4:10)
* He has a doctorate in Theology and is a member of the Department of Systematic The-
ology and Department of Pastoral and General Studies of the Catholic Theological College,
Melbourne. He lectures in liturgy and Sacramental Theology.
66 General Directory for Catechesis, 59.
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3. What are the catechumenal criteria?
From the early Church onwards, all the way to Benedict Xvi’s En-
cyclical: Deus caritas est, (see no. 20-25), these have always been identi-
fied as the five criteria of Christian witness (marturia).
CHRiSTiANS ARE CAllED TO BE viSiBlE AND CREDiBlE WiTNESSES (marturia)
TO THE liFE, DEATH AND RESURRECTiON OF JESUS
Kerygma
Evangelia
Koinonia
Leitourgia
Diakonia
Jesus Christ
The Gospel
The community
The prayer life of the community
The mission of the community
The following table expands further the above diagram:
SiGNS OF CHRiSTiAN WiTNESS (marturia)
1. KERYGMA The followers of Christ must show signs that they have placed
Jesus Christ at the very centre of their lives; they must show
signs of a deep and ever growing relationship with Jesus Christ
who through his life, death and resurrection has brought salva-
tion, redemption and sanctification to each one of them and to
every man and woman and to the whole creation.
2. EVANGELIA The followers of Christ must show signs that their relationship
with Jesus Christ is based on the gospel.; they are growing in
their knowledge and love of the gospel and turn to the gospel
as a source of their nourishment and growth. They are willing
to bear witness to the gospel in their everyday life.
3. KOINONIA The followers of Christ have learned and experienced that their
relationship with Jesus and their living of the gospel can only
take place within a community. They therefore shows signs of
wanting to be a part of the life and activities of the community;
they want to belong and begin to look on the Christian commu-
nity as their family, sharing its life and tradition and beliefs.
4. LEITOURGIA The followers of Christ desire to join the community in living
out their baptismal priesthood through personal prayer for the
whole world and through participating in the public prayer of
the whole Church through the celebration of the sacraments, es-
pecially the eucharist.
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5. DIAKONIA The followers of Christ must show signs and willingness to live
their lives as a service of the community and they share in the
privilege and responsibility of carrying out the mission entrust-
ed by Christ to the Church; they accept and desire to use their
talents and their charisms for the building up of the Church, the
body of Christ.
4. What does this mean in practice?
if all catechesis must find inspiration in its objectives and its dy-
namism on the catechumenal model, we need to base and orient all our
Salesian process of evangelisation and catechesis towards it.
The following diagram is an adaptation of the catechumenal
model as applied to our Salesian context.
The objectives of evangelisation and catechesis in a Salesian con-
text must be based on a lived experience of what it means being a Sale-
sian.6. What do these criteria say to us?
SAlESiAN WiTNESS (marturia)
Kerygma
to know, to love, to make Christ the centre and the model of their
life and of the way they live, as Don Bosco did.
Evangelia
to know the Gospel and to understand its meaning, to love the
gospel and turn to it as a source of nourishment, and to bear witness
to the Gospel in their lives as Don Bosco did.
Koinonia
to have a deep sense of the Church as the family of Christ; to have
a sense of ownership and belonging to the Church; to own the
Church’s faith, customs and traditions, s Don Bosco did; to see our
Salesian Congregation as a part of the Church and at the service of
the Church with the specific task of caring for the young most in
need. This is our way of living out the Gospel and our sequela
Christi.
Leitourgia
to learn to pray both in their private life and with the community
through a pattern of prayer which is simple and yet heartfelt; to be-
lieve that God’s loving deeds become real in the liturgical and
sacramental celebrations, especially the sacraments of reconcilia-
tion and Eucharist; to long for the Eucharist as the source and
summit of the Church’s identity and mission
(segue)
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Diakonia
to desire to be a part of the mission of the Church in a way which is
both Salesian and ecclesial; to give witness to a life which is lived
with the young and for the young as a way of witnessing our ‘Da
mihi animas, coetera tolle; to invite the young towards a vocational
choice that challenges them to offer their lives for the building of
the Kingdom of God.
Our starting point must be Jesus Christ, the Gospels and the Church. i
am sure Don Bosco would cringe if, in our effort to ‘Return to Don
Bosco’, we displace Jesus Christ, the Gospels and the Church in order to
put him at the centre.
The painting of Mary Help of Christians begins with the eye of God
the Father, who sends the Holy Spirit towards Mary who brings forth
Jesus Christ to the world. This Trinitarian image is surrounded by the four
evangelists (Gospels) and by the 12 Apostles (the primary and first cate-
chists and evangelisers) and further down the Church we have the paint-
ings of another four great catechists and evangelisers: Augustine, Am-
brose, Athanasius and John Chrysostom. Don Bosco must be seen,
studied, loved and imitated within this context and not in isolation.
7. What are some practical application of this process?
These five criteria gives a framework to the following areas:
• as mentioned earlier they are the framework of our process of evan-
gelisation and catechesis. it is not just an intellectual exercise but a
way of life. Dowe truly evangelise and catechise with the heart of
Don Bosco who always guided the young towards Christ, the
Gospels, the Church, towards a life of prayer and the sacraments
and towards a life lived in service of others?
• These five criteria can also become the basis for the way we present
the lives and the witness of our Saints to the young, to our collab-
orators and to our communities. How did Don Bosco, Dominic
Savio, etc. show and live out their love of Christ, love of the Gospel,
love of the Church, love of prayer and the sacraments, and their mis-
sion towards others?
• These are also the spiritual criteria of each individual Salesian. Are
we true sons of Don Bosco ever deepening our love of Jesus Christ,
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living faithfully according the evangelical counsels, as loyal and
faithful members of the Church, as persons who pray and long for
the sacraments, especially Reconciliation and Eucharist, as persons
who live their ‘Da mihi animas, coetera tolle’ with the same inten-
sity and urgency in Don Bosco’s heart.
• The same criteria could be used by the formators during the
process of formation and for Rectors and Provincials as the criteria
for ongoing formation when meeting with the individual confreres.
Asking how the confrere is living out the five criteria.
• These criteria could be used to discern the Salesian witness of our
Communities and our Provinces. How does our community and our
Province give witness to Jesus Christ, to the Gospel, to the Church,
to a life of prayer and sacraments, to an urgency for mission and
service?
• These criteria could also be used to evaluate and discern the Sale-
sian charism of our works (Youth clubs, parishes, schools, etc.).
How does this Salesian work give witness to Jesus Christ, to the
Gospel, to the Church, to a life of prayer and sacraments, to an ur-
gency for mission and service?
8. What is the role of the eucharist in the Salesian process of evan-
gelisation and catechesis?
Pope Benedict Xvi answers this question in the following way.
“If the eucharist is truly the source and summit of the Church’s
life and mission, it follows that the process of Christian initiation
must constantly be directed to the reception of this sacrament.”67
it follows therefore that the Eucharist is
1. the summit of our work of evangelisation and catechesis because it is
• the ultimate experience of communion with Christ (kerygma);
• the primary moment of commitment to the Gospel, because it is
Christ himself who speaks to us when the Scriptures are proclaimed
in Church (SC 7) (evangelia)
67 Benedict Xvi, Apostolic Exhortation, Sacramentum Caritatis, 2007, no. 17.
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• the most intense and intimate moment of communion with the
Church as the communion of saints (koinonia)
• it is the highest form of prayer and liturgy (leitourgia)
• it is the sacrament that send us out to be living witnesses of the
death and resurrection of Jesus (diakonia).
2. the source of what we are sent out to do.
• We are sent to invite others to share the wonderful and life-giving
experience of Jesus Christ, the Gospels, the Church, the prayer and
sacraments of the Church;
We are also sent to invite others not only to share these riches, but to also
challenge them to become ‘missionaries’ to others as a response to Jesus
Christ’s desire that “they all may have life and have it abundantly” (Jn
10:10).
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A Response to Elio Capra
Sr. Alice Fulgencio FMA
i would like to thank Fr. Elio Capra for his comprehensive and focused
presentation of the topic. The theme of the day is actually more general –
initial proclamation and Christian initiation – but in his presentation
Fr. Elio dealt with the topic already applying it in a Salesian context.
The presentation is concise, well-organised and it goes straight to the
heart of the theme. Following the catechumenal criteria, it clearly spells
out how the evangelisation and catechumenal process in the Salesian con-
text should be firmly founded and rooted in the Christian and Church tra-
ditions. The practical application part gives very good indications on how
the process can be more effective in any Salesian setting.
let me limit myself to two particular observations.
To me, one thing that stands out in the presentation is Fr. Elio’s atten-
tion to the centrality of Christ in the process of catechumenal formation
and in its application to the Salesian setting. in fact, he points out that a re-
turn to Don Bosco should necessarily be the result of a return to Christ and
his gospel first.
i think this is a very important point which is how we also formulated
our working definition of initial proclamation as a witness and explicit
presentation of Christ and his good news, which invites to conversion and
a fundamental choice for him.
The content is very clear but i think we are trying to find an answer,
in the light of the discussions of the past two days, also to the question:
How could we present Jesus Christ and his gospel today to young people
and adults who are so steeped in their traditional cultures, who may not
have yet acquired a critical mind as regards the effects of secularisation
particularly those brought about by the fast changing media culture and
technology?
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Another question is regarding our life as missionaries, our life of wit-
ness: How do we become visible and credible witnesses to Jesus? Here, we
find a very good indication from the morning lectio divina by Sr. Maria Ko
and i quote “in the Acts, luke presents the first Christians as a community
that lives daily life in simplicity, totally immersed in the people. External-
ly, they are not distinguishable from the common people, but because of
the integrity of their lives, the «were looked up to by everyone» (Ac 2,47;
4,33)”.
it would be good to have a serious look and honest evaluation on how
we do evangelisation and catechesis at present in our existing works and
settings. it is a big challenge to translate the five criteria of Christian wit-
ness as applied in a Salesian setting both for us missionaries and for the
proclaimers.
Another point is the last in Fr. Elio’s presentation which is the role of
the Eucharist in the Salesian process of evangelisation and catechesis. As
one of Don Bosco’s great loves, the Eucharist holds a special place in the
formation of young people. The religion component of the Preventive Sys-
tem encompasses this. Therefore the Eucharist is something that should
never be lacking in a Salesian setting with proper preparation and motiva-
tion so that the young may truly profit from it by making it penetrate their
own daily life.
in the end, it is the Spirit that works and blows where he wills. in the
conversion of St. Paul, he was given precise directions on what to do,
while in the case of Philip, he was told “to go towards the unknown, to face
the new, to allow himself to be surprised with trust because it is the lord
who is working” (cf. lectio divina – Sr. Maria Ko). in the same way, we do
our part and then allow the Spirit to work in us in ways that are always sur-
prising and life-giving.
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Emerging insights and Perspectives during
these Study Days in view of a Renewed
Missionary Praxis
Sr. Pamela Vecina FMA & Fr. John Cabrido SDB
An explanation of the logo
The logo has four significant
items: the ocean, the bird of par-
adise, the boat with the lakatoi
sail, and the Southern cross. The
ocean represents Oceania, the
area of concern of the Study
Days. The four waves, in four
different colours, symbolise the
four geographical areas of
Oceania: Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia and Australasia. The waters
form the “ground” of the culture of Oceania, with the movement of the
waves symbolising very well the fast changing or transitory state of the
cultures of Oceania. The bird of paradise portrays the importance of cul-
ture among the peoples of Oceania. it too is shown in movement, arising
from the water in flight towards the Southern cross. The outrigger boat
with the “lakatoi” sail represents the community, composed both of
agents, the missionary and the proclaimer, and the listener. The lakatoi is
the sea vessel used by the Motu people and here signifies Port Moresby.
The boat is a universally accepted biblical symbol for God’s people (cf.
Gen 7,1; Matt 8,23). This boat’s colour (violet) is a combination of the
colours of the SDB (blue) and FMA (red) logos and is meant to represent
especially the Salesian family, also indicated by Don Bosco’s face on
the sail. The green (for “Bosco”/forest), triple outrigger poles which bal-
ances the boat signifies the Preventive System with its elements: reason,
religion and determined, pastoral kindness. in Pacific island culture, the
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conch shell or tavur is used to call the community to gather. This adorns
the boat’s front and suggests the act of proclamation. like the waves and
the bird of paradise, the boat is also in motion on a journey towards the
cross. The Southern cross represents god, Jesus Christ and the faith.
instead of using the Calvary cross (with the crucified Jesus), the Southern
cross embodies inculturation of the Faith. Unlike the other items, it alone
is stable and markedly on a level by itself. it is not merely the fourth item,
but the goal and end of the other three. Context, community and culture
find their climax only in the cross.
Context
like the waters which unite its shores, Oceania is a continent in con-
stant transition. its peoples—with their hundreds of languages and cul-
tures - are in movement from traditional, village cultures to more com-
plex modern, township and/or city lifestyles. in the more developed coun-
tries, the pace of societal fragmentation linked with secularisation is more
keenly felt, even as this trend is already present and rapidly growing more
daily. Oceania is marked by far distances. And even when villages may
be relatively close, the lack of roads makes travel long, wearisome and
hazardous. Digital, mobile technology presents great hope in the procla-
mation of the Faith.
MiSSiONARY
1. From an indifference to mass media and technology in the work of
initial proclamation… to interest in the mass media as an educative
tool and to maximise the use of technology in initial proclamation.
2. From doing mission/ministry only within our walls or presences…
to reaching out to the young where they are and establish our pres-
ence in new realities.
3. From a confused ideal between secularism and secularisation… to
a positive and critical appreciation of secularisation.
liSTENER
1. From functional, utilitarian motives… to a purification of motiva-
tions
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Culture
Culture and the need of inculturating the Faith is the predominant
concern of the participants of these Study Days. Oceania is a continent
blessed with a myriad of vast, diverse cultures. There is the awareness to
transcend the follies of ethnocentrism and, instead, after a healthy appre-
ciation of one’s own culture, to move from ignorance to a respectful, crit-
ical acceptance of the new culture one finds oneself in. The missionary
understands and strives to discover the seeds of the Gospel already
present in every culture, as well as identifying elements which need to be
purified and can be expressed in Christian symbols. While inculturating
the Faith is the mature fruit of a later evangelisation, achieved by a native
clergy and faithful, its initial, faltering steps need to be started now in the
openness to a dialogue of cultures and by the exemplary witness of lives.
MiSSiONARY
1. From ignorance of culture… to taking time to observe peoples and
their cultures.
2. From a negative, judgmental attitude regarding the people and cul-
ture… to accepting critically, respecting and appreciating the peo-
ples and the richness of their cultures.
3. From resistance to local practices, even elimination of traditional
customs… to respecting the listener’s disposition and readiness to
accept the Gospel and its purification of culture.
4. From being demanding and result-oriented… to being patient with
the listeners and taking them from where they are.
5. From ignoring traditional cultures… to committing ourselves to
understand and learn the local culture
6. From disregard, indifference and inattention to traditional cul-
tures… to identifying elements of traditional culture which can be
purified and expressed in Christian symbols.
7. From an attitude of superiority and arrogance… to giving an ex-
emplary witness of life.
liSTENER
1. From an ignorance of culture… to the listener reflects critically on
his/her own culture and understand their practice.
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Community
like context and cultures before it, the communities of Oceania are in
a state of flux. The community unites both the agents and the listeners.
The expatriate missionary and the autochthonous, native proclaimer both
need guidance in the discernment of their vocations, formation in min-
istry, and networking and support as they engage in proclamation. The
listeners too are helped by growth in awareness of their own identity and
needs. The community is both the attractive guide and support for the lis-
teners as they journey to accepting the new faith, as well as the nurturing
context in which the listeners can grow and mature. Together, mission-
aries, proclaimers and listeners - as one community - journey to one goal,
Christ the lord.
MiSSiONARY
1. From a neglect of reflection of experiences in initial proclamation...
to promoting venues for the reflection and sharing of experiences.
2. From a lack of preparation of new missionary candidates... to
proper selection, guidance in discernment and preparation of mis-
sionary candidates.
3. From neglect of the newly arrived missionary… to accompaniment
of new missionaries.
4. From a passive attitude in initiating neophytes in the catechume-
nate journey... to a more involved community in the catechumenate
journey.
5. From a lack of contact with the family of the neophytes… to more
participation and linkage with their families.
6. From doing the mission entirely by ourselves as missionaries… to
giving formation and engaging lay mission partners as co-respon-
sible in initial proclamation.
7. From half-hearted proposals in presenting Christ… to being bold
in proposing the Faith and challenging the young towards a funda-
mental choice for Christ.
PROClAiMER
1. From the missionary remaining an “outsider” in a culture… to
forming proclaimers with whom the listeners can identify.
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liSTENER
1. From no formal venue for listeners to share their experience… to
promoting venues for the reflecting and sharing of experiences.
2. From a neglect of the neophytes… strong accompaniment by the
entire community of the neophytes.
3. From a haphazard vocational orientation of the listener… to a sys-
tematic accompaniment of the listeners in vocational orientation
and discernment.
Christ
Jesus Christ is the one constant, never-changing and only goal. initial
proclamation is not Unitarian. To those who are not yet believers, the
proclamation and acceptance of faith in Christ serves as the spark on the
road of evangelisation. To those who already believe in God, belief in the
Son deepens and defines the earlier commitment (Gal 2:20; Phil 3:8; Rom
5:17). Christ rises on an utterly different plane from that of context, cul-
ture and community. While the latter three remain in constant transition
and change, Christ alone remains—as the guiding star yesterday, today
and forever (Heb 13:8).
MiSSiONARY
1. From ordinary lecture sessions in preparing neophytes… to a cele-
bration as a culmination of the first stage of acceptance in the cat-
echumenate journey.
PROClAiMER
1. From an inadequate formation and preparation… to a more sys-
tematic and holistic catechetical formation.
liSTENER
1. From resistance to forgo negative traditional practices and be-
liefs… to a positive view and critical appreciation of Faith in
Christ
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Pertaining to stages after initial proclamation
MiSSiONARY
1. From passive teaching on media awareness… to media education
2. From an indiscriminate selection of RE teachers… to assigning
prepared teachers to RE classes
3. From accomplishing the mission independently as a congregation…
to networking with other religious congregations and agencies.
PROClAiMER
1. From listeners and church-going members being silent, passive
and timid spectators… to active proclaimers who participate in so-
ciety, standing for human and Christian values
MiSSiONARY
1. From an ill-prepared celebration of the sacraments of initiation…
to more frequent follow-up on the journey of preparation for the
sacraments of initiation.
2. From a limited period of preparation for the sacraments of initia-
tion… to a more exhaustive and involved preparation in the sacra-
ments.
3. From a personal approach or style in giving formation… to a more
holistic and systematic approach in catechetical preparation.
4. From a superficial way of preparing catechumens to receive the
sacraments… to adopting the catechumenate journey.
5. From Complacency in preparing people for the sacraments of initi-
ation… to Creativity in the preparation.
6. From ignorance of Local Church documents… to awareness of
Church documents, directives on catechism & formation
liSTENER
1. From a stress on Initial formation only… to promotion of on-going
formation
2. From always compulsory attendance in liturgical celebrations…
to, other times, well-organised and attractive liturgical celebration.
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Practical Proposals
PrACTICAl PrOPOSAlS - fMA
1. Deepen the personal experience of Jesus to proclaim his message, that
is, to make witness of life the “primary and authentic” proclamation of
Jesus
2. Study and reflect personally and as a community the documents of the
Church (universal and local) and the institute in a missionary perspec-
tive.
3. Reflect on one’s own life experience from the point of view of mis-
sion.
4. Reread personally and as a community pastoral activity in the light of
mission.
PrACTICAl PrOPOSAlS - SDB
In order to face up to the requirements of the call and the challenges
of initial proclamation in Oceania in the context of traditional religions
and cultures, as well as cultures in the process of secularisation, we need
to change our mentality and our way of evangelisation, and moving from
– doing mission only within our educative institutions, parishes, to
reaching out to the young where they are (through the festive oratory
or youth centres, etc);
– sharing the faith in formal venues (parish, religious education, retreats,
etc) to greater awareness that activities are occasions for initial
proclamation (Basic Ecclesial Communities, youth groups, etc);
– ignoring culture (traditional, postmodern, secularised, etc) to commit-
ting ourselves to understand and comprehend our people’s cultures
and religious beliefs through patient and trusting listening, taking them
from where they are;
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– a lack of contact with the family to reaching out to families and in-
volving them more because initial proclamation takes place first of all
in the family;
– doing mission ourselves (mission ad gentes, initial proclamation, ordi-
nary pastoral activity, renewed evangelisation) to forming and en-
gaging lay people as our mission partners who are co-responsible in
initial proclamation and evangelisation, especially in families through
living the Preventive System as our way of witnessing the Gospel way
of life.
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Closing remarks

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Three Concluding ideas
Sr. Alaíde Deretti FMA
Thanks and three words by way of conclusion!
1. - return to Jesus of nazareth, the Son of the living God.
May his Spirit continue to work in us to become new creatures every day.
The person of Jesus, his thoughts, his actions, his style of approach to all,
especially the most marginalised, may these be ours:
– continuous journey of conversion, of spiritual growth
– criterion of discernment in our activities and work
Jesus is life, truth and path!
2. - Community Witness
Being new missionary communities that attract because they welcome
everyone, because they are expressions of God’s love for all.
Community in dialogue, creating bridges among those who are different,
between social / cultural groups, of different faiths and sensitivity. No one
is excluded!
Communities that offer, that whisper Jesus and his kingdom, that
promote the dignity of every person, the image of God
3. - Integral educative passion in every work and activity.
Education in dialogue and to dialogue, ad intra and ad extra. Stirring up
the best of every person, and proposing to be honest citizens and, for
those who are called, true Christians.
Each of us, as a person and as a community, is the initial proclamation of
Jesus
Thank you for your life given to Christ for the salvation of all!
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initial Proclamation Demands a New Mentality
Fr. Václav Klement SDB
My heartfelt ‘tenk yu tru’ to all who had contributed to the Study
Days with their reflection, sharing as well the PNG-Si Delegation organis-
ers. in a special way i’m grateful to the Delegate Fr. Raphael Galve and the
presence of two FMA provincials. i’m happy with the fruits of these days,
although we would like to reach out not only the PNG-Si Delegation con-
freres, but also the SDBs of other 4 countries of the AUl province.
These days have brought us into the heart of the Church of Jesus
Christ in Oceania. We are educators to the faith of the youth in Australia,
American Samoa, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon islands, Fi-
ji and Samoa, where the majority of the population claim to be Christians
of different denominations. These Study days were enriched by the pres-
ence of Salesian and non-Salesian experts from the region, who helped us
in our reflects in the light of Ecclesia in Oceania of John Paul ii.
At the end of these five days I would like to share three emerging
issues, on which we are called to work in the future:
1. We need to address the ‘initial proclamation of Jesus Christ’ as one
of the ongoing formation topic in the daily life of the Salesians as pastors,
educators and communicators.
During these days we understood some important dynamics of the initial
proclamation of Christ as a life-style, ongoing conversion for all believers
in Christ.
2. We need to reflect on the concrete dynamics of Christian faith of our
youth or our Christian communities. What is driving them to become
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Christian fully alive or to come closer to the person of Jesus Christ? The
cultural and religious background of Oceania requires more reflection, to
avoid only superficial evangelisation, which does not reach the hearts.
What attracts our youth to make the first step towards Jesus? Could we
learn from the Pentecostals (Holy Spirit vs. the sorcerer) or fastest growing
Christian communities?
3. We need to growth as proclaiming communities especially along
these lines:
a. From doing mission only within our institutions or formal venues to
reach out to the young where they are - vital venues (Oratory -
Youth Centre, Youth groups or youth movement, Basic Ecclesial
Communities), as opportunity for faith sharing or initial proclama-
tion.
b. From ignoring traditional cultures to committing ourselves to un-
derstand and learn the local cultures and religions (listening with
trust and patience, respect and taking them from where they are)
c. From a lack of contact with the family of our listeners, to more link-
age with the families.
d. From doing the mission entirely by ourselves as missionaries ad
gentes (foreigners), to giving formation and engaging lay Mission
Partners as co-responsible in initial proclamation, especially in their
families through living the preventive system of Don Bosco as
Gospel life witness.
i commend the whole journey to Mary, Help of Christians and Mother of
all God’s children who inspires, guides and protects us in our faith journey
day by day.
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The Study Days
in the light
of the Word of god
Every session opened with a biblical reflection
by Sr. Maria Ko Ha Fong FMA*
* She studied education in Turin and theology in Germany in
Müster. She holds a doctorate in Biblical Theology. She is a lecturer in
sacred scripture at the “Auxilium” Pontifical Faculty of the Science of
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“Go Up and Join that Chariot!”
Biblical Reflection on Acts 8, 26-40
On the desert road that leads from
Jerusalem to Gaza, a man, seated on his
chariot, was reading Sacred Scripture.
He was not a Hebrew, but a eunuch who
had come from Ethiopia, an area that
bordered on the Roman empire. The
Spirit said to Philip: “Go up and join
that chariot”. Then Philip approached.
The meeting began with a question that
showed interest, continued with them
sitting beside each other with the Sacred Scripture between them, a dia-
logue developed, then catechesis and finally, it ended in baptism. We know
the episode well. luke recounts it in a lively manner in Acts of the Apostles
(8,26-40). it is an example of “first evangelisation” in the early Church.
The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, ‘Set out at noon and go along
the road that leads from Jerusalem down to Gaza, the desert road.’ So he
set off on his journey. Now an Ethiopian had been on pilgrimage to
Jerusalem; he was a eunuch and an officer at the court of the kandake, or
queen of Ethiopia; he was her chief treasurer. He was now on his way
home; and as he sat in his chariot he was reading the prophet Isaiah. The
Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go up and join that chariot.’ When Philip ran up, he
heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, ‘Do you understand what
you are reading?’ He replied, ‘How could I, unless I have someone to guide
me?’ So he urged Philip to get in and sit by his side. Now the passage of
Scripture he was reading was this: Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter-
house, like a sheep that is dumb in front of its shearers, he never opened his
mouth. In his humiliation fair judgement was denied him, Who will ever
talk about his descendants, since his life on earth has been cut short?
The eunuch addressed Philip and said, ‘Tell me, is the prophet referring to
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himself or to someone else?’. Starting, therefore, with this text of scripture
Philip proceeded to explain the good news of Jesus to him. Further along
the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is some
water; is there anything to prevent my being baptised?’He ordered the
chariot to stop, then Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water
and he baptised him. But after they had come up out of the water again
Philip was taken away by the Spirit of the Lord and the eunuch never saw
him again but went on his way rejoicing.
1. Set out and go…
Our passage is to be found at a turning point in the general plan of the Acts.
it seems as if luke structured this second book, basing it on the program-
matic words of the Risen Christ to his disciples before returning to his Fa-
ther: “you will receive the power of the Holy Spirit which will come on
you, and then you will be my witnesses not only in Jerusalem but through-
out Judea and indeed to earth’s remotest end» (Acts 1,8). One could look at
the organisation of the Christian mission in three great stages. linked to
the movement in space there is the chronological progress and the spiritu-
al growth of the Church under the guidance of the Spirit.
Ch.1–7: Set in Jerusalem, describe the preaching of the apostles and the
consolidation of the first community, the ideal model of the
Church.
Ch. 8–12: The spread of the Gospel outside Jerusalem, in the other parts of
Judea and Samaria.
Ch.13–28: The expansion of the Gospel outside Palestine, until it ideally
reaches ‘earth’s remotest end’, passing through Asia Minor,
Greece and especially Rome, the centre of the empire.
At the beginning of Ch. 8 the situation seemed depressing. After the
death of Stephen, hatred for the Christians did not end, rather “a bitter per-
secution started against the Church in Jerusalem, and everyone except the
apostles scattered to the country districts of Judea and Samaria” (Acts 8,1).
But luke discovers rays of light among the shadows and sees everything as
part of God’s mysterious plan. The ‘dispersion’ of the Christians really
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marks the beginning of the spread of the Gospel outside Jerusalem. in fact,
“Once they had scattered, they went from place to place preaching the
good news” (Acts 8,4) and so the number of Christian nuclei multiplied.
The ardour of the Gospel pushed them towards new frontiers, not only the
geographic ones, but especially those of the heart. And so we see Philip
who begins his mission in Samaria.
Our story starts with an indication that everything begins with a divine
initiative. “The angel of the lord spoke to Philip saying, ‘Set out at noon
and go along the road that leads from Jerusalem down to Gaza, the desert
road’” (v.26). it is the lord who points out to Philip the road on which he
will meet the future non Hebrew Christian. it is the lord who directs the
‘course’ and the ‘growth’ of the Word of God (cf. Acts 6,7; 12,24; 13,49;
19,20) beyond Jerusalem in the whole world. The road seems desert, but it
is, in reality, a launching pad.
The opening imperative is interesting: “Set out and go”, we seem to
hear the command of Jesus to a paralysed man (cf. Mk 2,11; Mt 9,6; Lk
5,24; Jn 5,8), or the word that Peter said to the crippled man at the Beauti-
ful Gate (Acts 3,6). it is said to Philip the evangeliser too and, in him, to the
whole Church “set out and go”. it is an invitation to move from the posi-
tion already reached, to cross the threshold and go beyond borders, to seek
new lands for the Word of God, new peoples to be drawn to Christ. in the
Old Testament, israel usually thought that other peoples, in order to take
part in the gift of salvation, had to come to Jerusalem, to come to the cho-
sen people. in the prophet isaiah we read: “it will happen in the final days
that the mountain of Yahweh’s house will rise higher than the mountains
and will tower above the heights. Then all the nations will stream to it,
many people will come to it and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain
of Yahweh, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his
ways, so that we may walk in his paths”“ (Is 2,2-4). But in the revelation of
the New Testament the situation changes. The source of life no longer
comes from Zion or from the temple, but from the Son of God incarnate.
He does not say ‘come’, indicating a place, but rather ‘go’ into the whole
world (cf. Mt 28,19). Jerusalem is no longer the place of concentration,
rather, it has become a place of diffusion. it is no longer a question of com-
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ing to Jerusalem to obtain salvation, but rather of leaving Jerusalem to
bring salvation to all. The Church is not an immobile custodian of the faith,
but must ‘get up and go’, because, as Pope John Paul ii said: “Faith is
strengthened in giving it!” (Redemptoris Missio, 2) and Benedict Xvi
echoes him: love “by its nature, must be shared with others. love grows
through love” (Deus Caritas Est, 18).
2. The Spirit said to Philip:
‘Go up and join that chariot.’
Philip was not on the road to Gaza by chance. it was the Spirit who
placed the divine plan in his person and in his actions. The Spirit said to
Philip: “Go up and join that chariot”. it is an invitation, an urge to grasp the
occasion, to profit from the favourable moment, not to lose the opportunity
which may never return, to take the first step, to come close, to go to meet
the other person without waiting for him to come. Apostolic passion urges
one to go ahead, as Paul says: “the love of Christ urges us” (2Cor 5,14).
The Spirit tells Philip to go up to the chariot, but does not tell him
who he will find in the chariot or what he is to do or say. The Spirit that
‘breaths where it will’ (Jn 3,8), that has “groans too deep for words” (Rm
8,26), does not dictate concrete commands to be executed, but stimulates
human intelligence and creativity and enkindles human love. it acts in a
surprising way and urges on towards unexpected goals. it does not like to
dialogue with human persons within the narrowness of their schemes and
desires, but launches them towards broad spaces, towards the heights of
the divine plan.
The Spirit tells Philip to go towards the unknown, to face the new, to al-
low himself to be surprised with trust because it is the lord who is working.
The apostolic passion urges one to bring Christ to others with creativity and
ardour, but does not lead evangelisers to attribute the success to themselves,
to their own competence and diligence, to the value of methods and strate-
gies. Paul recognises this: “For what is Apollos and what is Paul? The ser-
vants through whom you came to believe and each has only what the lord
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has given him. i did the planting, Apollos did the watering, but only God
gave the growth” (1Cor 3,5-7). The Psalmist too states: “if the lord does
not build the house, in vain do the builders labour” (Ps 127,1), but the se-
curity of being called to collaborate with God, the awareness of being part
of a big project, and of feeling oneself urged on by God’s passion lead us to
say with joy: “With God we will do great things” (Ps 108,14).
3. Sitting on his chariot, he was reading
the Scriptures
On the chariot was a man, an Ethiopian, and an eunuch as well. He was
one of the human group that the orthodox Jewish teaching considered an
outsider and excluded from salvation (cf. Dt 23,2). Yet he went on a pil-
grimage to Jerusalem and he read the Sacred Scripture attentively. His ef-
fort was sincere and his openness of heart admirable, his search was atten-
tive and yet he could not understand. The Scripture is open in his hands, it
neither imposes itself nor opposes. The Word of God transcends barriers.
in what language or what form was the Ethiopian reading the text of isa-
iah? We cannot know. However that text in the hand of a foreigner and a
pagan seems highly symbolic and filled with prophecy. it witnesses to the
fact that the Bible is available to be understood by different cultures, that
the Word of God willingly accepts being translated into different lan-
guages, transformed into different ways of human communication. This is
a sign that God loves all and wants to speak to all men and women, with-
out any distinction.
The Spirit does not work only in the evangeliser, but also in people of
any sex, age, race or culture, making them open and disposed to the
Gospel. When Philip approached the chariot he was amazed to see the
Ethiopian reading Scripture and to find him so desirous and in a way al-
ready having begun to receive salvation. He recognised that he was not the
sower, but rather the reaper. in reality the Spirit had been working in both,
facilitating their encounter. He urges on and precedes the evangeliser, sup-
ports his apostolic passion, and at the same time, he prepares the recipient
for the announcement, nourishes his passion to search for truth and for full-
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ness of life. Neither one nor the other can attribute the success of the en-
counter to himself, but recognises with wonder the provident love of God
and the beauty of the work of the Spirit.
The Ethiopian, happy to have met someone who grasps his deep long-
ing, invited Philip “to get in and sit by his side” (v.31). Philip, who was
curious in the beginning and ran to catch up with the chariot, now draws
close, sits beside a friend and talks with him, with frankness, admiration
and cordiality about the things of God. The Word of God creates commun-
ion and harmony of heart. The passing on of the Gospel takes place, not
through theoretic discussion or abstract speculation but rather through the
experience of love, in mutual respect, in the simplicity of mutual sharing,
in dialogue and friendship.
in the Acts luke presents the first Christians as a community that
lives daily life in simplicity, totally immersed in the people. Externally
they are not distinguishable from the common people, but because of the
integrity of their lives, they “were looked up to by everyone” (Acts 2,47;
4,33). They had a serene and cordial relationship with the people.
Preaching to the crowds, especially to the pagans, generally aroused great
enthusiasm. The experience of Christ had made them authentically
human, optimistic, they loved everything and easily discovered the good,
the beautiful and the true in the people they met. luke often underlined
the trust, the sincere mutual respect that existed between those who pro-
claimed the Gospel and the gentiles, who easily allowed themselves to be
“cut to the heart” by the Word of God (Acts 2,37-41).
4. How can I understand if no one instructs me?
Scripture is not automatically understandable. it can appear obscure,
as if covered by a veil (cf. 1Cor 3,14-16). The Ethiopian eunuch was not
lacking openness of heart, but he needed an explanation to enlighten his
mind and set his heart on fire, like the one Jesus had given to the two dis-
ciples of Emmaus. And Philip offers it to him, not as a master of exegesis,
but as someone who, from a faith perspective, suggests the right wave
length to tune in to the Christian message, as someone sharing his own pas-
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sion. “A fire can only be lit by something that is, itself, on fire” (Ecclesia in
Asia, 23). The brief dialogue between Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch il-
lustrates the Christian approach to Scripture perfectly.
The Gospel is not a doctrinal system to be believed, it is not a collec-
tion of moral prescriptions to be observed, rather it is good news that
changes life. For this reason it is not to be transmitted through cold meth-
ods and detached techniques, but with human warmth, life witness and
love. But, as Paul vi observed, life witness alone is not enough, “even the
most beautiful witness will be powerless in the long run, if it is not illumi-
nated, justified […] explained by a clear and unequivocal proclamation of
the lord Jesus. The Good News, proclaimed by life witness, must there-
fore, sooner or later, be proclaimed by the word of life. There is no true
evangelisation if the name, the teaching, the life, the promises, the King-
dom, the mystery of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, is not proclaimed”
(Evangelii Nuntiandi 22).
quoting the extract from isaiah (53,7-8) luke wanted to give the read-
er an example of a pre-baptismal proclamation that uses scripture as its
starting point. What characterised the Christian proposal that then resulted
in the sacrament is the good news about Jesus of Nazareth. The early
Church proclaimed with courage and frankness (Acts 4, 29.31; 13,4) and as
we see here, also with art. Philip began the dialogue with maieutic type of
question: “Do you understand what you are reading?” and thus establishes
an interactive relationship. This approach to people was very much used by
Jesus too. For example, one can think of the questions: “What are you
looking for?” (Jn 1,38 ); “What is written in the law? How do you read
it?” (lk 10,26) “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” (Mk 3,33);
“Why do you call me good?” (Mc 10,17); “Why are you afraid? Have you
no faith yet?” (Mk 4,40); “Do you know what i have done to you?” (Jn
13,12); “Why are you crying?” (Jn 20,13)
The proclamation of the Gospel needs to be done with passion and
beauty. it is a case of presenting the attraction of Jesus as people who are
themselves fascinated. Apostolic passion urges the Church, at its begin-
nings as today, to incessantly search for ways and means to offer its great
treasure with human warmth, with gentleness, and with the art of the heart.
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5. He went on his way rejoicing
After his baptism the eunuch did not see Philip any more. He continued
his journey, but he is no longer as he was before, he is interiorly trans-
formed. This newness of heart permeates his whole person and is even vis-
ible from outside: he is full of joy.
Joy is a theme that penetrates all of luke’s work. The atmosphere of
joy that permeated the Gospel continued in the early Church. in the narra-
tion of the Acts even during persecutions, the apostles are filled with joy,
“glad to have had the honour of suffering humiliation for the sake of the
name of Jesus” (Acts 5,41). At every stage of the spread of the Gospel,
luke always remarks on the joyful reaction, both of those who proclaim it
and in those who receive it with sincere hearts. After having listened to the
preaching of Paul “it made the gentiles very happy to hear this and they
gave thanks to the lord for his message” (13,48). Paul and Barnabas too,
full of joy and emotion, enthusiastically told of the conversion of the pa-
gans “this news was received with the greatest satisfaction by all the broth-
ers” (15,3).
The Gospel is a proclamation of joy: the joy of human persons who re-
ceive the gift of salvation, the joy of God who gives it. To the joy of God’s
gratuitous giving, humans respond with the joy of sincere gratitude. it is
not a question of a passing emotion, but a deep sentiment that involves and
moves the whole person. Joy is always diffusive, contagious. “The one
who has discovered Christ – said Benedict Xvi to young people at the end
of the World Youth Day on Cologne – must lead others to Him. One cannot
keep a great joy for oneself. Preaching the Gospel, therefore, means shar-
ing this immense joy with others”. Paul confesses to the community of
Corinth: “We have no wish to lord it over your faith, but to work with you
for your joy” (2Cor 1,24). John confides to his Christians: “We are declar-
ing to you what we have seen and heard, so that you too may share our life.
Our life is shared with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are
writing this to you so that our joy may be complete” (1Jn 1,3).
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Apostolic passion urges Christians to pass on to others the joy they
have in their hearts, to give it freely as they in their turn received it freely
(cf. Mt 10,8). The Ethiopian eunuch no longer sees Philip, but he continues
on his way full of joy. The evangeliser does not establish a relationship of
dependency. He can disappear, but the seed of the faith continues to devel-
op, the fire lit continues to burn, the love of God continues to transform
life and joy continues to sustain one on the journey.
Philip too felt full of joy, a “sweet and comforting” joy (Evangelii Nun-
tiandi 80). This is the joy of seeing the pagan receive the Gospel, the joy of
having won someone for the kingdom of Heaven. But Philip will be joyful
above all because he himself has come a bit closer to the Kingdom of
Heaven. He would have heard the story told by eye witnesses of this scene:
when the disciples came back from their practical missionary training
“filled with joy” because of the visible fruits and immediate success ob-
tained, Jesus shared their joy, but at the same time revealed a motive for
deeper joy to them: “do not rejoice because the spirits submit to you; re-
joice instead that your names are written in heaven “ (Lk 10, 20). The evan-
gelising mission benefits not only the recipients of the mission, but in the
first place the apostle.
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How Many loaves Do You Have?
Go and See!
Biblical Reflection on Mark 6, 30-44
The apostles gathered around Jesus
and reported to him all they had done and
taught. Then, because so many people
were coming and going that they did not
even have a chance to eat, he said to them,
“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet
place and get some rest.” So they went
away by themselves in a boat to a solitary
place. But many who saw them leaving
recognised them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of
them. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on
them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teach-
ing them many things. By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples
came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very
late. Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding country-
side and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” But he answered,
“You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “That would take
more than two hundreds denarii! Are we to go and spend that much on
bread and give it to them to eat?” “How many loaves do you have?” he
asked. “Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five—and two
fish.” Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on
the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. Taking
the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks
and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the
people. He also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were
satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of
bread and fish. The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.
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it should have been a tranquil, restful day spent in intimacy with the
Teacher. The disciples had returned from the mission and had many ad-
ventures to recount, many experiences to share, many emotions to elabo-
rate. Jesus listens to them attentively. He knows their tiredness and the ef-
fort these first time missionaries have sustained. He knows they need to
renew their strength and so he invites them to go to a quiet place to spend
some quiet time with him. But their lovely plans are suddenly upset. The
people have seen their boat arriving near their resting place and they have
rushed to reach them. Mark helps us to imagine the race between the boat
on the lake and the people on foot along the shore. Eventually the people
win because when Jesus arrives at the resting place, it is already crowded
with people.
how does Jesus react? Mark’s description is concise and dense with
meaning. “He saw…he had compassion…” Jesus’ glance embraces the
agitated crowd desirous of meeting him. The spectacle moves His Good
Shepherd’s heart. He sees faces that are sincere and good, that are uncer-
tain and lost, that are anxious and restless, that are full of dreams and de-
sires. He sees faces that ask questions, faces that are marked by suffering
and the burdens of daily life, faces that are searching and await enlighten-
ment, guidance, and comfort. He seems to find himself before a flock that
is without a shepherd and feels deep compassion for them. (The Greek
word esplanchnísthê used by Mark can be translated with “it wrung his
gut”.) Jesus sees, feels moved, and begins “to teach them many things”.
Thus he goes from his glance to his heart and from his heart to action.
And the disciples? As Jesus is looking at the crowd with compas-
sion, they are worried of the setting sun. While Jesus lets the people reach
him, investing on them his time and energies, his heart and mind, his dis-
ciples are thinking about how to send them away. They take the initiative
to propose something to Jesus while he is totally immersed in teaching
the crowd. “This is a remote place and it already very late. Send the
people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and vil-
lages and buy themselves something to eat.” They know how to evaluate
the situation well in regard to time for it is late, to place for it is remote,
and to people for they are many. Thus they draw a conclusion and make a
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proposal. it is a common sense proposal, logical, realistic, opportune, ap-
propriate and convenient. it is easy to execute, foreseeing, and even wise.
However, it conflicts with the logic and sentiments of Jesus. The disciples
do not intend to take responsibility for the people. All should provide for
themselves and see to themselves! They solicit Jesus ‘to close the school’
and dismiss the crowd.
Jesus does not comment on the apostles’ suggestion. instead, he in-
vites them to think in another direction. Rather than distance themselves
from the people’s needs, why not try to ask themselves, ‘What can we do
to help them?’ He gives them a clear mandate, “you give them some-
thing to eat.”
He urges the apostles to leave their ‘comfort zone’, to go from a pas-
sive mind-set to active involvement, from negative inertia to industrious
search, from the temptation to delegate to creative commitment, from the
attitude of taking distance to a deeper immersion in history. Jesus stimu-
lates them to use their head but even more, their heart. He wants all those
who follow Him to share His own compassion for the people. They must
have His tender, great heart, His strong and caring love. Paul will say,
“The love of Christ moves us” (2 Cor 5,14).
He will experience that love is the powerful motor that calls all our
human resources into action. We are dealing with the “fantasy of love”
(Blessed John Paul ii in Novo Millennium Ineunte, 31, 50), with the apos-
tolic passion of Don Bosco’s Da Mihi Animas, and with the “I entrust
them to you” addressed to Mother Mazzarello.
Seeing the Teacher’s insistence, the disciples make another sugges-
tion. “That would take more than two hundred denarii (half a year’s
wages for a normal worker)! Are we to go and spend that much on
bread and give it to them to eat?” They have formulated it as a hypo-
thetical question because they know it is an unrealistic and impossible so-
lution. They calculate the cost, make an estimate, and see the sum is diffi-
cult to meet. But even if they could pay it, where would they go to buy so
much bread in a remote place at the end of the day? Stimulated by Jesus,
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they have by now abandoned the initial idea of dismissing the crowd and
have begun to use the imagination thinking in a more constructive way.
They have the good will to help, but they are still in their perspective of
common human sense.
Jesus, considering their two proposals, suggests a new one from a dif-
ferent perspective. “how many loaves do you have? go to see.” He in-
vites them to look into their own knapsacks, paying attention to the little
they have with them. No escaping the problem, no delegation, no buying
with money, the first thing to do is to examine their own resources better.
They need to discover and gather all they already have in order to share
it. Jesus does not ask them, ‘Do you have any bread?’ but ‘how many
loaves do you have?’ He is sure they have something, however little it
may be. A proverb says, ‘No one is so poor as to have nothing to give.’
“go to see.” They need to search. They need to act. Those who search se-
riously, those who dig deeply, find something to offer. Sometimes we do
not even know we possess something and we become aware of having it
only at the moment we decide to share with others.
The five loaves and the two fish are very little, way out of proportion
to the size of the crowd. However, poverty may be the material for a mir-
acle. Passing through the lord’s hands, sharing multiplies.
Accepting their humble contribution, Jesus asks the disciples to have
the people sit in groups on the grass, so that the persons who at first
seemed like sheep without a shepherd, now find themselves arranged for
a banquet. They are the guests of Jesus and his followers. The account
then proceeds from verbal communication to that of gestures and sym-
bols. Jesus uses a series of gestures that are dense with meaning. “Taking
the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave
thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to
distribute to the people.” in Jesus’ hands, the loaves donated by the dis-
ciples become the holy place in which human poverty encounters God’s
infinite spaces. The fruit of the earth and of human labour, enabled by de-
tachment and generous offering, now rise to heaven in Jesus, to God’s
throne. it is pleasing to God and He blesses it.
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At the end, Jesus returns the loaves and fish to the disciples. They had
placed them in the Teacher’s hands as their humble gift. Now they take
them back, blessed and broken, to share them with the people. The loaves
and fish have been multiplied to satisfy five thousand persons. The disci-
ples have been transformed. At the beginning they appeared to be distant
spectators who had little empathy, content with quick solutions that did
not engage them. Now they are totally involved in Jesus’ compassion for
the people. They have become his industrious collaborators in working
the miracle.
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The Encounter of Jesus with Three
Different Persons in Different Contexts
Biblical Reflection on John 3-4
After describing the first 7
days of the public life of Jesus
(John 1:19-51), John introduces a
section that we may call “from
Cana to Cana”, because it begins
with the first miracle performed by
Jesus in Cana, where He changed
water into wine, and ends with the
second miracle, again in Cana, the healing of the son of a royal official.
The essential structure of this section can be introduced by this scheme:
1. The revelation of Jesus a. the sign of the wedding at Cana (2:1-12)
b. the sign of the temple, foretelling of the resurrection
(2:13-22)
2. The different responses a. Nicodemus (2:23-3:36)
b. The Samaritan woman (4:1-42)
c. The royal official (4:43-54)
The three characters introduced in chapters 3-4 are very different: sex,
ethnicity, place of origin, social status, culture and tradition, religion,
lifestyle. They have different expectations and different interior disposi-
tions. With them, Jesus begins three different itineraries of faith. Even the
time (night, midday, an hour after midday) and the setting of the meeting
(in the house, next to the well, on the street) are different. in John’s writing,
the three characters are not only three individuals that Jesus meets by
chance. They represent three types of people we can meet in whatever
epoch and three itineraries of faith which can also be repeated today.
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1. Jesus with Nicodemus
“Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews”
(3:1): This is how John introduces him solemnly, stating his name, his re-
ligious affiliation and his social status. We see here a man of authority and
of good reputation, a ruler of the Jews, which means a member of the San-
hedrin, which, for us today, is equivalent to being a member of the parlia-
ment. He was a learned man, a “teacher of Israel”, as Jesus himself would
say during his dialogue with him. Therefore, Nicodemus was a qualified
interpreter of the law. All these prerogatives show him as a political and
spiritual guide of the people, a perfect representative of Judaism, an official
exponent of Jewish orthodoxy and tradition.
With self-assurance, Nicodemus comes to Jesus. He starts the conver-
sation by speaking in first person plural, very much aware of his responsi-
bility and duty: “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come
from God, for no one can do these signs that you are doing unless God is
with him.” (3:2). He affirms to have understood the origin and the identity
of Jesus. He thinks himself capable of a dialogue with Jesus, as with a col-
league. As a learned man, he believes himself capable of interpreting and
of correctly appraising the signs that Jesus does: he must be a man sent by
God, equipped with valid credentials. From Jesus’ actions, he goes back to
His identity, from the effect to the cause: a reasoning that doesn’t provoke
contradiction and is in perfect conformity with the canons handed down by
the pharisaic school. The mystery of Jesus would be totally there, logical-
ly reduced to a justified case, confined in a preset frame. For Nicodemus,
Jesus is not the teacher, but a teacher worthy of being so. Nicodemus is a
sincere and good person, but who is very much bound to his social status
and his rigid intellectualism. He is an “admirer” of Jesus, but is not willing
“to follow him” and to become his disciple; at least he was not when he
came to visit Jesus, hidden by the darkness of the night.
The dialogue during this meeting is the first discourse of Jesus’ public
ministry. Therefore it is loaded with a singular importance in the Gospel of
John. in the dialogue, it is Nicodemus who says the first word, but it is Je-
sus who leads its unfolding. in fact, after the first affirmation, Nicodemus’
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speech becomes shorter and with less security as the dialogue progresses,
until he arrives at total silence; while the words of Jesus, systematically in-
troduced by the solemn expression: “Amen, amen, I say to you”, become
longer and stronger.
Already in the first expression, Jesus puts in discussion Nicodemus’
security and upsets his reasoning. He speaks to him of the necessity “to be
born from above”, of “being born of the Spirit”, and he doesn’t understand
these. it is immediately seen that the dialogue proceeds on two parallel
lines that do not meet. Jesus speaks on the spiritual level; on the contrary,
Nicodemus remains on the physical, earthly, immediate. “How can a per-
son once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot re-enter his mother’s
womb and be born again, can he?” With these questions Nicodemus re-
veals himself as truly “old”, incapable of opening himself to the new, to
think and to live with flexibility and freedom. His reasoning is fixed on
what has already happened, on what is already known and, therefore, on
something that is under control. instead, Jesus invites him to look ahead, to
take a leap, in the unknown. While Jesus exhorts him to enter the Kingdom
of God”, he ponders on the problem of repeating the past, that of “entering
the mother’s womb”; while Jesus indicates to him the way of being born
again, he thinks about the absurdity of being born as an old person.
However, Jesus does not content himself with only bridging the dis-
tance. He leads his interlocutor to make the further step that would free
him from his closed-mindedness and from the darkness that is symbolised
by the maternal womb and, therefore, to the physical origin of man, in or-
der to take a leap towards the light, absolutely new and transcendent, that
is, the Kingdom of God that israel has always waited for.
This new way of being born, and therefore of being and of living,
contains something that will remain a mystery for human logic and un-
reachable by human means. it is the work of the Spirit. Man is born from
above, that is by the mysterious power of the Spirit. He participates in the
freedom of the Spirit and, without separating himself from his physical
and sensible nature; he enters into a sphere that transcends the flesh. He
acquires a new ability to see, a new criterion for judging and a new way
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of acting. The Spirit transforms him and makes him similar to the Spirit.
Nicodemus pretends to know Jesus, but in reality he only knows some
signs. He has in his hands a few data whose deep and complete meaning he
doesn’t grasp. He must be born again, from above, of the Spirit; he must be
transformed by the Spirit so that he may understand the mind of Jesus and
believe him. This birth is not fruit of human effort, as what he may think as
a Pharisee; rather it is a free and gratuitous gift from above.
Did Nicodemus take this leap? The evangelist does not want to give us
a reassuring response. The conclusion of the dialogue remains open. Con-
version does not have instant effects. Nicodemus finds it difficult to under-
stand the full sense of Jesus’ discourse, although he is strongly attracted by
its newness and depth. in the end he still shows the perplexity of any man,
of a strict and traditional Pharisee: “How can this happen?” The question
still reveals the pretence of reducing mystery to a doctrine that can be
demonstrated and verified. And Jesus answers him with another question:
“You are the teacher of Israel and you do not understand this?
The story’s conclusion must be deduced from the ulterior development
of the story. This Pharisee who was attracted by the person of Jesus, will
courageously defend him against the whole Sanhedrin (Jn 7,48-52); after
the death of Jesus, Nicodemus will solemnly honour his body with pre-
cious ointments and, together with Joseph of Arimathea, will provide a
worthy burial to this esteemed Teacher (Jn 19,39).
From an encounter “at night” Nicodemus slowly goes towards the
light, as Jesus says “whoever lives the truth comes to the light” (Jn 3:21).
Nicodemus is the paradigm of a believer whose faith progressively
emerges from the shadows of ambiguity and of fear in order to become ma-
ture and capable of public witnessing.
2. Jesus with the Samaritan woman
Under the scorching heat of the midday sun, Jesus, tired and thirsty, sits
beside a well (Jn 4:5-42): it is an evocative image. in every culture, the well
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is something that has a strong link with life. it protects the fresh water that
gushes forth from the heart of the earth. it speaks of a gift that is humble,
free and generous. it evokes the effort of drilling and of drawing. it suggests
a tranquillity that is present in the mysterious depth. The well, a vital knot in
any community, is also a place of encounter, the place where lives meet,
where water is asked and is given, where unexpected interpersonal relation-
ships are forged, where strangers become friends. The well is a place that is
particularly important to the woman. While for men, the public plaza and
the city gate are the typical places of coming together, for women, it is the
well. The well offers them the possibility of social life, of exchanging news
and experiences, of participation and of solidarity, of sharing the little
events of everyday life: joys, sorrows, problems, worries, desires, dreams,
curiosities. The well offers a free space for connecting the private with the
public, personal and community life, work and leisure. in the Old Testament
we find the figure of different women at the well and different encounters
with the well as setting: between the servants of Abraham and Rebecca
(Gen 24,11-14), between Jacob and Rachel (Gen 29:9-11), between Moses
and the daughters of Jethro, priest of Midian (Ex 2,15-22) etc.
Here we find Jesus seated by the well, ready for an encounter that will
prove to be transforming. A woman arrives with her jar to fetch water. it is
Jesus who takes the initiative of the dialogue. He makes her a request:
“Give me a drink”, something that is very simple and obvious in a normal
situation, but which could sound provoking in the context of the old feud
between Jews and Samaritans. Then we can understand the woman’s silly
and disdainful reaction: “How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan
woman, for a drink?”
Jesus doesn’t mind the offensive irony. Jesus takes the courtesy denied
him as an opening for a dialogue that dispels the hatred among the two
people and widens the woman’s narrow horizon: “If you knew the gift of
God and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked
him and he would have given you living water.” Jesus implies an astonish-
ing overturn of the situation. The woman, however, has difficulty in un-
derstanding. How can this unknown man give her water when he doesn’t
even have the means of drawing from the well? How can he dare to pre-
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tend, promising her living water, of being greater than the patriarchs who
had dug this well? Even if she has not as yet overcome her doubts about
this “Jew”, nevertheless the woman’s tone becomes lighter. She calls him
with more respect: “Sir” and ends by asking him to “give me this water”,
thus inverting their roles.
But the woman’s astonishment is still to increase. Jesus tells her: “Go
call your husband and come back”. There is an unexpected turn in the di-
alogue; the order is direct, explicit and precise. in a totally unexpected way
the woman feels the need to go to the depths of her life. Her attempt to ex-
tricate herself from this embarrassing situation by saying that she doesn’t
have a husband sounds trite. She is forced to enter within herself and to be
aware of the truth without escaping and without defending herself.
God loves to reveal Himself by revealing man to himself. When God
breaks through in one’s life and penetrates the heart, man cannot but feel the
sentiments of the psalmist that confesses: “Lord, you have probed me, you
know me … where can I hide from your spirit, from your presence, where
can I flee?” (Psalm 139). it is from the same state of the soul that the Samar-
itan woman exclaims with surprise: “Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.”
in the journey of faith, the deepest discovery of oneself and the truest
knowledge of God go together. in fact all of man’s experience of God
could be summed up in the two-fold question: Who are you? Who am i?
Even Saint Augustine prayed thus: “that i might know you and that i might
know myself”.
Under the guidance of Jesus the woman discovers herself. She also
gradually discovers who is this mysterious man that converses with her: a
Jew that goes beyond nationalistic barriers, one that is perhaps greater than
the patriarch Jacob, one who wants to give her something precious, one
who knows how to search the heart, a prophet. But the discovery does not
end there. There is still something greater in this man seated at the well.
As the dialogue continues, the woman asks Jesus about the real place
of worship. For centuries this has been a controversial question that pitted
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Jews against Samaritans. it is clear that the woman is still trapped inside
the old and blind schemes, from which Jesus frees her now, by drawing her
attention on the newness that happens in the present: “Believe me, woman,
the hour is coming, … and is now here.”
The woman finds it difficult to follow him. She doesn’t find the right
place to put herself, but oscillates between a fossilised past and a vague fu-
ture. “I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Anointed;
when he comes, he will tell us everything.” At this point, Jesus makes an
explicit self-revelation that helps the woman to make the decisive leap. “I
am he, the one who is speaking with you.” The Messiah is not only to be
described through old dreams, nor to be expected in an unknown future.
He just needs to be recognised because He is already present. But Jesus
does not put himself as the final goal to which he wants to bring the
woman; rather, it is the Father, who lovingly “seeks” his “true worship-
pers”. Jesus is the space that is open to the Father. Jesus wants to commu-
nicate this message to the Samaritan: You do not seek God, rather, God
seeks you, knows you and loves you. You have been found by God.
At the end of the encounter the woman forgets her jar and runs to the
city to proclaim Jesus to other people: That which was her only concern is
now abandoned. And Jesus forgets his tiredness and his need to drink, be-
cause his real thirst, that of communicating salvation, has been quenched.
3. Jesus with the royal official
The account of the pagan royal official is similar to the account of the
healing of the centurion’s servant which we find in the Synoptic gospels
(Mt 8,5-13; Lk 7,1-10), and more so to the account of the healing of the
daughter of the Canaanite woman (Mk 7,24-30; Mt 15,21-28), wherein
faith appears to be tested, like here, by a first apparent refusal on the part of
Jesus.
The royal official arrives at faith because of his gravely ill son. He goes
to Jesus urged by paternal love and desperation. it isn’t a religious or moral
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problem that moves him. His is a human problem. He would not have
understood anything of that profound discourse of Jesus with Nicodemus,
nor of his dramatic dialogue with the Samaritan woman. The royal official
is a simple man, with problems of everyday life, with the problem of suf-
fering.
He doesn’t know well who Jesus was. He only heard about the mira-
cles performed by him. Compared with the intellectual Nicodemus who
knows to deduce the divine origin of Jesus from the miracles performed by
Him, this man sees in Jesus a miracle worker who can heal the sick with
his physical presence and with his touch. Because of this he asks Jesus
to go from Cana to Capernaum before his son dies. For the royal official,
Jesus represents the last recourse.
Jesus’ response sounds quite strong: “Unless you people see signs and
wonders, you will not believe.” it is formulated in the plural, therefore,
Jesus criticises not only this man, but the whole popular mentality that
exalts him only as a miracle worker, that whole current that looks for the
sensational and extraordinary.
“You may go; your son will live.” in the end Jesus gives the grace that
has been asked, and gives him even more. “The man believed what Jesus
said to him”: it is John’s typical expression to indicate authentic faith
(cf. 2,22; 4,41-42; 17,20). The royal official makes a leap of faith: from
believing in Jesus’ power to make miracles to trusting his word and his per-
son. Jesus is not only a miracle worker. He is the Word of the Father, cre-
ator and life-giving. His word is alive and life-giving. Whoever believes
in him and in his word, believes that He alone has the word of eternal life
(cf. 6,68). like in the case of the Samaritan woman, her faith is born and
grows in the measure that one grows in the knowledge of Christ.
As in the case of the Samaritan woman, here as well, faith shows its
force of attraction. Faith tends to conquer others through one’s witnessing.
it is not only the royal official who arrives at the fullness of faith in Jesus,
but “his whole household came to believe.”
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There is an interesting detail that we must not overlook. Throughout
the account the personage is called either by his profession: “the royal of-
ficial” or simply “this man”. it is only when news is given of the healing of
the son that he is presented as “the father”: The father realised that just at
that time Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live,” and he and his whole
household came to believe. The love of God experienced in the encounter
with Jesus makes human love more authentic, true and intense.
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“What Are You looking For?”
“Come and See”
Biblical Reflection on Jn 1, 35-42a
John’s account of the vocation of
the first disciples, reveals also the
“first proclamation” of Jesus to
mankind. The episode is very differ-
ent in style, structure and context to
the account transmitted by the syn-
optics. There we have the scene by
the sea of Galilee; Jesus is passing,
he stops and calls the brothers Peter
and Andrew, James and John, saying to them: “Follow me! i will make you
fishers of men” ( Mk 1,17; cf Mt 4, 16-22; lk 5,1-11) Here we have a dif-
ferent account: not near the lake of Galilee, but in some unspecified place,
almost to suggest that the first meeting with Jesus can be repeated any-
where during the time of the church. The disciples are not called together,
but in different moments, like a chain attraction.
1. Literary setting
The episode 1, 19-51 lies between the prologue (1,1-18) and the first
revelation of Jesus to the world, which takes place in Cana (2,1-12). After
an intense contemplation of the mystery of Jesus the author invites his
readers to follow the historical facts of the works of God the Son made
man that reach out to people, arousing in their hearts a faith response. The
Eternal inserts himself in time, the Almighty takes up his dwelling in lim-
ited space. He passes from the transcendent sphere to the human scene,
from ecstatic poetry to concrete human facts.
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The passage is structured in a scheme of 4+3 days with the recurring
refrain: “the day after” (1,29. 35.43) and “three days after” (2,1. These
‘days’ interest exegetes very much. Many link them to the seven days of
creation. The scheme is:
First day (vv. 19-28):
the negative witness of John the Baptist – he
confesses that he is not the Messiah and affirms
his function to prepare the way for the manifesta-
tion of the true Messiah.
Second day (vv. 43-51: the positive witness of the Baptist – he witnesses
that Jesus is Son of God.
Third day (vv.35-42):
following the witness of the Baptist, two of his
disciples follow Jesus, and one of them Andrew
leads his brother Peter to Jesus; Jesus gives him
the name Cephas.
Fourth day (vv. 43-51): Jesus takes the initiative and calls Philip, who
then brings Nathanial to Jesus.
After three days (2,1):
these days reach a climax in 2,1-12: beginning of
the manifestation of the glory of Jesus through
the first “sign” given during the wedding at
Cana.
Our reflection will concentrate on the facts of the third day.
The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples , and
as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed: “Look, here is the lamb of
God!”. The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.
When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them: “What are
you looking for?”. They said to him “Rabbi, where are you staying?”.
said to them, “Come and see”. They came and saw where he was staying,
and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the af-
ternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was An-
drew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to
him, “We have found the Messiah”. He brought Simon to Jesus.
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2. A chain attraction
The scene began with the disciples and John the Baptist. Jesus passes.
The text doesn’t say where he is going nor where he has come from, nor
why he is passing that way. He simply passes and remains unnoticed until
someone points him out: “look!”
John the Baptist whose life was geared to “testify to the light, so that
all might believe in him” (Jn 1,7), watched Jesus walk by and exclaimed
confidently and with passion: “look, here is the lamb of God!” The
strength of his witness is all-embracing and his enthusiasm contagious.
Two of his disciples set out to follow Jesus. One of them, Andrew, happy
to have found the Messiah, calls his brother Simon and leads him to
Jesus. The next day Philip, once he has become a disciple, brings in
Nathanial. So those attracted to follow Jesus create a chain and the circle
of disciples Jesus’ disciples widens.
Underlying this chain of attraction, narrated by the evangelist in a
beautifully smooth style, there is the invisible and more fundamental at-
traction.
The Father attracts: For John, to go to Jesus is first and foremost the
fruit of an attraction exercised by the Father. “ No one can come to me
unless drawn by the Father who sent me” (Jn 6,44) ,says Jesus. The Fa-
ther’s initiative is not always explicitly apparent but it is always there,
real and often surprising.
Jesus attracts everyone to himself: The Father who no one sees, re-
veals himself in Jesus and draws all h is creatures to himself through
Jesus, above all manifesting his tremendous love, the total gift of self on
the cross. Jesus himself says: “And i, when i am lifted up from the earth,
will draw all people to myself” (Jn 12,32). During his earthly life, Jesus’
whole being, his words, his actions, all attracted and fascinated so many
people who with sincere hearts, were open to God.1 The witnesses and
disciples, before drawing other people to Jesus, were first attracted to him
themselves. They transmitted their attraction to others.
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3. A chain motion
From John’s first proclamation: “look, here is the lamb of God”, a
series of movements take place, that at first sight seem only external:
follow, seek, listen, speak, see, find, remain, however, they also describe
much more intense and deep interior movements. Body, senses, heart and
intelligence: the whole person is involved. Andrew’s affirmation at the
end is a confession of faith and at the same time the first proclamation to
his brother: “We have found the Messiah!” . it is a point of arrival and a
new departure. in following Christ there is a receiving and a giving, a
seeking and finding, a coming and going, a togetherness of words and
looks, of thoughts and convictions, of love and passion.
As we cannot meditate on the whole passage, we shall focus our at-
tention on Jesus’ words: “What are you looking for?”, “Come and see!”.
These are the first words of Jesus in the Gospel of John and represent a
sort of first proclamation made by Jesus himself. “Come and you will
see!” is also the word proposed in the 2011 Strenna to the whole Salesian
Family.
4. What are you looking for?
Aware of the hesitant steps behind him, Jesus deliberately “turned
and saw them”. it is he who takes the initiative, he turns round to wel-
come and increase the desire of those who follow him. He turns round to
urge them to take the leap of faith in him.
Ancient israel had an ardent desire that the lord would turn and show
his face. The psalmist manifests this explicitly when he prays: “Turn, O
lord, how long? Have compassion on your servants!” (Ps 90,13). Now
Jesus turns to his two future disciples with a question: “What are you
looking for? it’s a hard question that makes them clarify their deeper mo-
tivations: what are you looking for in following me? what do you seek in
me, who am i for you?, what do you expect from me? The Congregation
for Consecrated life, in the text: “The service of authority and obedience”
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that has as leitmotiv the search for God, cites this question of Jesus to his
first disciples and comments: “in this question we can read other radical
questions between the lines: what is your heart seeking? what are you
concerned about? are you seeking yourself or the lord your God? Are
you following your own desires or the desire of him who made your heart
and wants it to be fulfilled as he knows it can be? Are you running behind
passing things or are you seeking the One who does not pass? (n.4).
After many years of intimate communion with God and fervent service
in the Church, Augustine asked himself these questions: “Who are you for
me? … Who am i for you?” (Confessions 1,5-6); “ What do i love when i
love my God?” (X,7). These are serious questions that make us go deep
within ourselves. “ Return to your heart”, exhorts Augustine, there you will
see the image you have made of God” (Homily XVII on John, 10).
A fact that strikes us spontaneously when we read the Gospels atten-
tively is that Jesus appears to be greatly sought after. Many people look
for him, individuals and groups, for various and more or less intense rea-
sons. They seek him all the time, in all kinds of situations and places
throughout his life. At his birth he was sought out by the magi who had
come far to adore him, by the shepherds invited by heavenly messengers,
by Herod who wanted to kill him. As an adolescent in Jerusalem his par-
ents sought him anxiously, fearing him lost in the confusion of the crowds
of pilgrims. During his public ministry he was sought by his enthralled
disciples, by his worried relatives, by the suffering who needed his help
and by his adversaries who wanted to find fault with him. Toward the end
of his life he was sought by the priests and scribes who wanted to elimi-
nate him, by Judas to betray him, by the soldiers to capture him. Even
after his death friends and enemies sought him at the tomb.
Did Jesus let them find him? Not always. To those who seek him for
their own purposes, Jesus reacts with a clear refusal. When the disciples,
faced with the hassle of the inhabitants of Capernaum, tell Jesus:
“Everyone is searching for you”, Jesus ironically responds: “let us go to
the neighbouring towns so that i may proclaim the message there also, for
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that is what i came out to do” (Mk 1,36). Jesus avoids every effort to
cling to him, he refuses those who try to possess him, to make him fit into
their mind set. He opposes those who want to restrict the universal hori-
zons of his mission, reducing him to a cheap healer, a country magician.
in the same way he responds with cutting words to the crowd who are
looking for him after the miracle of the multiplication of bread: “you are
looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill
of the loaves (Jn 6,26). Jesus unmasks their searching for him for their
own selfish, small-minded reasons. He knows that the crowd does not re-
ally seek him but are out for all they can get from him.
Sometimes Jesus frustrates the immediate expectations of those who
seek him, not in a final way but so as to open them up, to purify and
transform them. He lets them find him, but elsewhere, on another level, in
another way. “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that i
must be in my Father’s house?” (lk 2,49). With this question to his par-
ents, Jesus recognises the sincerity of their searching for him, he accepts
and brings them to another level. He likens their search for him to his
continually seeking the will of the Father. He unites them in this tension
toward the same goal.
Often Jesus responds with a tremendous surprise gift, an answer that
goes way beyond the request. He doesn’t only “fulfil” expectations, he
goes beyond, he doesn’t just satisfy the search for him but transcends it,
he lets us find him in an original way, beyond anything we can think of,
greater and more beautiful than man dares to dream. Climbing a tree, Za-
ccheus “was trying to see Jesus”, but Jesus gives him the great surprise of
going to his house. in reality it is not Zaccheus who is seeking Jesus but
Jesus who is looking for Zaccheus, because “ the Son of Man came to
seek out and save the lost”. (lk19,10). The woman with a haemorrhage
who timidly and secretly tried to touch Jesus’ garment, received healing
and public praise.
Toward the end of the Gospel we find Jesus posing the same question.
He is facing Mary Magdalene in front of the empty tomb: “Why are you
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weeping?” “Whom are you looking for? (Jn 20,13). Mary was looking for
his dead body, instead she finds he is alive! From the beginning to the end
the questions “What are you seeking and who are you seeking” embrace
the whole Gospel.
5. Come and you will see
When the disciples ask: “Rabbi, where are you staying? ”Jesus an-
swers with an invitation “Come”, and a promise: “You will see”. To be-
come a disciple, it is not enough to feel admiration, nor to express desire,
nor make your own research, nor rely on the witness of others; you must
meet Jesus, have a personal experience of him. The first proclamation of
Jesus was not hasty. He did not force people to accept because they felt
drawn to him, nor was he content with superficial devotion. He did not
hand over a doctrine to be understood or precepts to observe, but called
for a personal relationship with him. The “Come” to Jesus and “See him”
are expressions that for John mean faith and communion in love. it is a
“seeing” that discovers ultimate reality, the obvious centre, the original
source, the hidden divine presence that is the foundation of all that is.
Jesus invites us to an intense experience of himself, to listen to him, con-
template him, dialogue with him, let him love us and teach us, lead us
gradually into his mystery, to become one with his heart and mind, until
we reach what St. Paul says: “we have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor 2,16),
“let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus” (Phil 2,5).
The first proclamation made by Jesus inspires our first proclamation, as
John Paul ii wrote: “The first proclamation has a central role that cannot be
substituted, because it introduces us into the mystery of God’s love, which
calls us in Christ, to form a personal relationship with God” (Ad gentes 13)
and “opens the way to conversion” (Redemptoris Missio, 44).
The two disciples agree to begin this process and John concludes the
first meeting with the words: “they came and saw where he was
staying, and they remained with him that day”. Here we have an inter-
esting change of perspective: from the place where Jesus stays to the
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place where the disciples stay. They wanted to know where Jesus was
staying now Jesus himself becomes their dwelling place. The “Come and
see” for Jesus, is not an external movement but an inner dynamism, a re-
maining in him in communion of life and love. later, Jesus exhorts:
“Abide in me as i abide in you” (Jn15,4-5), and promises: “Whoever
serves me must follow me, and wherever i am, there will my servant be
also”( Jn 12,26); “i will come again and take you to myself, so that where
i am you may be also” (Jn 14,3).
There is still another point to underline. “To see Jesus” means also “to
see the Father (Jn 12,45; 15,18), the one who remains in Jesus, remains in
the Father, because he, the Son dwells close to the Father’s heart (Jn1,18).
This remaining with Jesus and in Jesus, becomes for the disciples an
inexhaustible inner resource for their life and mission. Remaining con-
stantly in him like the branches on the vine and letting ourselves be pene-
trated always more intimately and deeply by him, the disciples life Those
who abide in me and i in them, bear much fruit (Jn15,4-5).
The evangelist does not tell us what the disciples actually saw, he re-
ports the dialogue they had with Jesus once they had gone after him and
then the result of the meeting: “We have found the Messiah!”. The
“Rabbi” at the beginning of the episode has become the “Messiah”, seen,
experienced, loved, and now he must be proclaimed to others.
in this short and very full episode, the evangelist has traced in a won-
derful way the journey of the disciple of Jesus, from the initial attraction
to seeking, from timidly following Jesus to remaining with him. The
whole journey is guided by Jesus. it is he who attracts, dialogues, helps
and clarifies motivations, invites into an experience, to enter into intimate
communion with him.
At the end John notes: “ it was about four o’clock in the afternoon
(The Greek text says the tenth hour). Perhaps this is a personal remem-
brance. We tend to remember exactly the time of strong moments of love
in our live. But the sentence can also have a symbolic meaning to indicate
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fulfilment (10 is a perfect number). in Hebrew terms, it is used to mark
the end of the day. The two disciples reach the end of that day and begin a
new one after their meeting with Jesus. Their life now has a new
meaning, a new quality, a new vision and a new orientation guided by a
new love.
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Mary the “first Evangelised”
and the “first Evangeliser”
Biblical Reflection on Mary
The Biblical presentation of
Mary is for me, a Chinese,
something similar to a painting
on silk with the following typi-
cal characteristics: a few brush-
strokes, plenty of white space,
light colours, not totally defined
contours, simple and unpreten-
tious subjects, an atmosphere of
sacred silence. The few brush-strokes fall harmoniously in appropriate
points and spring out energies: thanks to them, even the white space be-
comes dense with meaning. The whole thing invites us to launch ourselves
towards infinity and to let ourselves be involved in the mystery.
The Gospel passages in which Mary appears are very few and in total
Mary has spoken only six times. For twenty centuries, the Church con-
templates this serene beauty; and it still succeeds to discover ever new
meanings, new lights and new energies for its own journey. “De Maria
numquam satis”, affirms St. Bernard. The contemplation of the few evan-
gelical passages about Mary has never ended.
let us concentrate our reflection on two of these few brush-strokes, in
which the character of Mary as the “first Evangelised” - the first to re-
ceive the Good News of God’s plan of salvation to be realised in Jesus
Christ and the “first Evangeliser” – the first to bring Jesus to the other.
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1. From Fiat to Magnificat
While Mary crosses the crooked ways up the mountain, an interior
itinerary of faith unfolds within her, going from the docile adhesion of the
fiat to the joyful explosion of the Magnificat, from being visited by God
to being a visit of God for others.
a. “Mary went quickly”
- A missionary journey
Mary has travelled a lot during her life, much more than the common
Jewish women of her time: from Nazareth to Ain Karem and back to
Nazareth, from Nazareth to Bethlehem, to Egypt and back to Nazareth, to
Cana, to Jerusalem, etc.
From Galilee to Judea she covers the same distance that Jesus would
later have to cover..Walking quickly up the mountain, Mary evokes the fa-
mous prophetic text, ”How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the
messengers announcing peace….” (is 52,7).
The care she takes in her journey towards Ain Karim, as well as the so-
licitude in the wedding of Cana, reveal the active, enterprising, creative
and resolute style of Mary. Her going in a hurry is an image of the mis-
sionary Church that, soon after Pentecost, invested with the Holy Spirit,
sets on her journey to spread the good news up to the extreme corners of
the earth. Paul knows this hurry very well: “the love of Christ urges us” (2
Cor 5, 14).
- A journey from “Seeing a sign” and “being a sign”
Mary leaves from Nazareth and sets on her journey after a “sign” that the
angel had given her, «Your cousin Elizabeth also, in her old age, has con-
ceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month”
(lk 1, 36). in the modest house of the Priest Zachariah, the aged Elizabeth
waits for a son, given to her in a surprising grace. This is for Mary a proof of
God’s power, for whom nothing is impossible (See: lk 1, 37).
Mary’s trust is strengthened by the “sign” God had offered to her, but
in reality, she herself is a sign of God given to humanity, “a sign of hope
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and consolation” (Lumen Gentium 68) in fact, Mary signs the dawn that
precedes the rising sun, signs the gushing in of salvation into history,
signs the “fullness of time” (Gal 4,4). While isaac, the child of Sara, and
John, the son of Elizabeth bring the message that God can do everything,
the child of Mary is the God who can do everything, the all powerful God
made a hidden and weak man.
in Mary’s faith journey, there is a circular movement between discov-
ering the sign of God in others and being the sign of God for others. it is
a matter of a marvellous solidarity among the believers. The encounter
between Mary and Elizabeth reveals it in the fullness of its beauty.
- A journey of the new Ark of the new Covenant
While going up the mountain, Mary feels that she is not alone. The
Son of God is present, hidden in her. luke describes this journey in a
clear analogy with the transfer of the Ark of the Covenant towards
Jerusalem, narrated in 2 Samuel 6, 2-11. The leaping of John in the ma-
ternal womb reminds us of David’s joy before the arch and the words
with which Elizabeth greets Mary reproduce the exclamation of the king,
“How is it possible that the Ark of the lord comes to me?” The greeting
of the angel in Nazareth, “The lord is with you”, that Mary finds difficult
to understand, now becomes a real experience and a deep conviction.
Mary, Mother of the God-with-us, is now the ark of the new Covenant,
the new abode of God, a new transparency of the divine presence among
men, a new motive for everybody’s joy
- A journey that unites contemplation and action
Mary does not look at the distances, at the eventual risks; she does
not calculate the time or the fatigue. The ardour in her heart puts wings in
her feet. She feels urged and sent by the Son within her. However, her
walking is not just an external movement; it is a going, yet remaining in
the lord, a journey with him in her heart. it is her interior live that
moves, directs and gives sense to her external actions; it is silence that
makes the word mature.
An internal, lively activity corresponds to her external solicitude and
work. “Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart”
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(Lk 2, 19. 51). luke has wanted to underline the reflexive and wise atti-
tude of Mary before the mystery, by repeating this sentence twice.
The disciples of Jesus, particularly consecrated persons, must learn from
Mary, a wise teacher, the secret of the vital unification between interiority
and activity, between the “to be “ and the “to do”, between “believing” and
“working”, between “prayer” and “work”, between “memory” and “cre-
ativity”, between concentration “and “diffusion of the Word of God; between
keeping everything in the heart” and “walking in a hurry”, between “wel-
coming the Gift of God” and “making oneself a gift of God” for others.
b. “Mary entered the house”
With her walking along uncomfortable streets to reach the other in his
own house, Mary inaugurates God’s style, the style of service, of loving
care, of solidarity with people in need. The incarnate God becomes in her
the God who enters the human fabric and permeates our daily life. Salva-
tion acquires a domestic tonality. “Today i must enter your house”.
“Today salvation has entered this house” (Lk 19, 5.9): what Jesus will
later say to Zaccheus, is somehow an anticipated reality through Mary.
c. “Mary encountered Elizabeth”
Mary and Elizabeth are two women tending towards the future of
their womb, two women who guard within themselves an ineffable mys-
tery, a stupendous miracle. The awareness of being the object of God’s
particular predilection unites them; the common mission of co-operating
with God for a marvellous project arouses their enthusiasm and makes
them to explode in a blessing and a song of praise; the experience of a
prodigious maternity joins them in solidarity. Thus the two women are for
one another places of their discovering God, motive to praise and thank
him. in recognising each other as sign of God, their densely intuitive
communication, permeate with respect for the mystery, turns into
blessing, song and poetry. The reciprocal confrontation of faith makes the
reciprocal prophecy to flow, animated by the strength of the Spirit, and
both of them become a sign of God’s solidarity with humankind.
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From fiat up to the magnificat becomes the exemplar itinerary of
every Christian who fulfils his pilgrimage of faith from the initial adhe-
sion to the project of God, towards the full rejoicing in the beauty of the
project itself,
2. From Fiat to Facite
At Cana, Mary plays a prophetic role. The two words Mary pronounced
at Cana “They have no wine” (Jn 2, 3) and “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn
2, 5), underline this dimension. Mary reads our human history to its very
depth, can see unknown problems in it, picks up not yet verbalised groans,
can see still nameless sufferings. She can see the essential knot of the jum-
ble and presents it to her Son, the only one who can unbind it. Meanwhile,
with a sure indication, she prepares the servants to welcome the divine help.
«Do whatever he tells you», these are among the few words pronounced
by Mary in the Gospel, the only ones addressed to men, for which they are
justifiably considered as the “commandment of the virgin». it is also her last
word recorded by the Gospel, just like a “spiritual will”. After this, Mary
will no longer speak; she has expressed the essential idea, opening the hearts
to Jesus, who alone has “words of eternal life” (Jn 6, 68). in these words of
Mary we perceive the echoes of the Sinaitic formula of the covenant. At the
conclusion of the covenant the people promise, «Whatever Yahweh has
said, we will do» (Ex 19, 8; 24, 3.7; Dt 5, 27). Mary personifies israel obey-
ing the covenant, not only, but she also is the one who induces no longer to
the covenant, but to Jesus, from whom a new covenant begins as well as a
new people. This appears even more clearly if we read these words of Mary
as parallel with the last words of the Risen lord in the Gospel of Matthew,
«Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations (….) teach them to observe all
the commands i gave you» (Mt 28,19).
Therefore, Mary leads us to follow Jesus, to obey his word and to
consider him as an absolute reference. Mary helps to form the new com-
munity of Jesus, indeed she helps Jesus to make his friends in the sense
revealed by him: «You are my friends, if you do what i command you»
(Jn 15, 14).
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The “Do whatever he tells you” pronounced by Mary is not just a the-
oretical invitation, but an exhortation matured in a personal experience.
The word enters the life and the heart of the interlocutor only if it flows
from the heart and the life of the person who speaks. Being expert in
trusting the Word of God, Mary can help others to do the same. Her faith
is contagious, the fiat deeply lived by her becomes a convincing facite ad-
dressed to others.
it is necessary, for us consecrated persons, like Mary, to have the an-
tenna simultaneously tended towards God and towards history. Only a
deep relation with God and a wise understanding of the world, can make
our words and actions, the facite with which we help others, flow from
our personal fiat in adhesion to God.
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Activity Sheets for
Community Meetings of
Ongoing formation
These 10 activity sheets
are intended for the local community
so that these Acts of the Study Days
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Sharing the Word
Opening Song
Seven Steps Bible Sharing
Start with a Song to the Holy Spirit or
“Come to the Water”
Chorus
Come to the water! You who are thirsty!
Though you have nothing, I bid you come!
And be filled with the goodness I have to offer!
Come! Listen! Live.
Why spend your money on what cannot fill
The emptiness deep in your heart?
listen to My word and you will enjoy
Goodness and peace in your heart!
Just as the heavens are high above earth;
My ways and thoughts beyond you!
Call me your Father and know i am near!
i will be Father to you!
Just as the rain falls to water the earth;
Just as a seed becomes bread
My word upon you can never return
Until My longing is filled!
Introduction
We start our Bible Sharing reading
an excerpt from the Post-synodal
Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in
fIrST STeP: We invite the lord
We invite the lord through song or
prayer to send us his Sprit to help us
understand his Word
SeCOnD STeP: We read the text
The guide invites someone to volun-
teer to read aloud the text. A moment
of silence follows. Then the guide in-
vites each on to read the text silently
ThIrD STeP: We dwell on the text
Each participant reads aloud the word
or words (only short phrases or indi-
vidual words) that have impressed
them three or four times.
fOurTh STeP: We are quiet
The guide invites someone to read the
reflection on the text. This is then fol-
lowed by personal reflection for
around three minutes.
fIfTh STeP: We share what we
have heard in our hearts
After the time of quiet we share briefly
with one another what we have heard
in our hearts or our faith experience in
order to help each other to grow in the
faith.
SIXTh STeP: We search together
What does this Scripture text mean to
our community today
SevenTh STeP: We pray together
The guide now invites everyone to say
a personal prayer.
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Oceania 38 of Blessed Pope John Paul ii. This is followed by a brief mo-
ment of silence for personal reflection:
“The Word of God in the Old and New Testament is fundamental for
all who believe in Christ, and it is the inexhaustible wellspring of evange-
lisation. Holiness of life and effective apostolic activity are born of con-
stant listening to God’s word. A renewed appreciation of Scripture allows
us to return to the sources of our faith and encounter God’s truth in
Christ. Acquaintance with the Scriptures is required of all the faithful, but
particularly of seminarians, priests and religious. They are to be encour-
aged to engage in lectio divina, that quiet and prayerful meditation on the
Scripture that allows the word of God to speak to the human heart. This
form of prayer, privately or in groups, will deepen their love for the Bible
and make it an essential and life-giving element of their daily lives.”
The Word of God
Choose a passage from the texts used during the Study Days
reflection
For the third step take one of the Biblical Reflections of Sr. Maria Ko.
Each one reads it silently
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initial Proclamation: What is it?
The Concept of Initial Proclamation
The guide asks someone to volunteer and read the definition and the
need of initial proclamation. This is followed by a brief moment of si-
lence for personal reflection:
“in the whole process of evangelisation, the complex process of pro-
claiming the good news of Jesus Christ, initial proclamation is considered
the beginning of the whole complex process and reality. it is the first
stage in the whole journey of evangelisation and re-evangelisation. Then
proceeding from this initial acceptance of Christ and his message, is the
maturing of such faith, the decisive personal acceptance and commitment
to the person of Christ, called catechesis.” (Towards a Common Under-
standing of Initial Proclamation)
«Certainly there are complex reasons why many Catholics abandon
the practice of the faith after school or after faithfully attending parish
catechesis. Sweeping and simplistic statements do not do justice to the
complexity of issues involved. Yet, we are aware that many of the young
people who frequent our RE classes and parishes have neither con-
sciously opted to be Christians nor do they all live committed Christian
lives. it is a fact that in traditional societies of the Pacific islands many
Christians continue to keep superstitious beliefs and practice traditional
religions side by side with their Christian faith. While in societies which
have become “Western in its cultural patterns and social structure” and
“marked by increasing secularisation, individualism and consumerism,” 68
Christianity, and any religion for that matter, “is moved to the margin and
tends to be regarded as a strictly private matter for the individual with
68 Ecclesia in Oceania, 18.
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little relevance to public life.” […] it is precisely because the faith of
Christians is not deeply rooted that traditional practices contrary to the
Gospel continue to thrive, or that there is “a gradual lessening of the nat-
ural religious sense which has led to disorientation in people’s moral life
and conscience.” in technologically advanced societies there is faith fa-
tigue among Christians – which, unfortunately, is also reflected in reli-
gious life-which could be noticed in the joylessness, weariness of spirit
and despair and an inner sadness in living their faith, which ultimately
lead to its abandonment.69 in both contexts of traditional cultures and cul-
tures in the process of secularisation, the initial proclamation that one re-
ceives in the family is often not adequate to become the foundation of a
robust faith. (An Overview of the Topic of the Study Days)
Initial Proclamation in Oceania
The guide asks someone to volunteer and read the texts below from
the Post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Oceania of Blessed
John Paul ii. This is followed by a brief moment of silence:
“18. […] The Gospel must be heard in Oceania by all people, be-
lievers and non-believers, natives and immigrants, rich and poor, young
and old. indeed all these people have a right to hear the Gospel, which
means that Christians have a solemn duty to share it with them. […]
During the Special Assembly, the Bishops shared their rich store of pas-
toral experience and that of the people with whom they work most
closely; and thus they discerned together new perspectives for the future
of the Church in Oceania […] They were aware that new circumstances
in that vast region present great challenges, and that the time is ripe for a
re-presentation of the Gospel to the peoples of the Pacific, so that they
may hear the word of God with renewed faith and find more abundant life
in Christ. But to do this, they agreed, there is a need for new ways and
methods of evangelisation, inspired by deeper faith, hope and love of the
lord Jesus”.
69 Ecclesia in Oceania, 18, 20.
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“20. […]As ‘witnesses of divine and Catholic truth’, the missionaries
in Oceania travelled over land and sea, passed through deserts and floods,
and faced great cultural difficulties in accomplishing their remarkable
work. inspired by this story of the Church’s birth in Oceania, the Synod
Fathers felt the need for a new and courageous preaching of the
gospel in our own day.”
Deepening
Has the Bishops’ Conference in your own context made any statement
about initial proclamation? if they have, please read a part of the state-
ment.
Sharing
What was your understanding of initial Proclamation before? What is
your understanding now? What shift of understanding did you have re-
garding initial Proclamation?
How can we foster initial proclamation (as start of the evangelisation
process) especially with the youngsters in our context?
in what way does the style of life of each member and of the whole
community contribute to initial proclamation among the people we meet
and work with everyday?
What are the challenges and opportunities of initial proclamation for
our religious community?
Our Experiences
Share positive examples or experiences of initial proclamation that
you know of.
Pray
We conclude by putting into spontaneous prayer all our hopes and
fears in responding to the challenges and opportunities of initial procla-
mation in our context.
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Get Up and Go!
Why is initial proclamation needed in Oceania?
“The challenges of modernity and post-modernity are experienced by
all the local Churches in Oceania, but with particular force by those in so-
cieties most powerfully affected by secularisation, individualism and con-
sumerism. Many Bishops identified the signs of a dwindling of Catholic
faith and practice in the lives of some people to the point where they ac-
cept a completely secular outlook as the norm of judgment and behaviour.
in this regard, Pope Paul vi already cautioned Christians, saying that
“there is a danger of reducing everything to an earthly humanism, to
forget life’s moral and spiritual dimension and to stop caring about our
necessary relationship with the Creator”. The Church has to fulfil her
evangelising mission in an increasingly secularised world. The sense of
God and of his loving Providence has diminished for many people and
even for whole sections of society. Practical indifference to religious
truths and values clouds the face of divine love. Therefore, “among the
priorities of a renewed endeavour of evangelisation there has to be a re-
turn to the sense of the sacred, to an awareness of the centrality of God in
the whole of human existence”. A new evangelisation is the first priority
for the Church in Oceania. in one sense, her mission is simple and clear:
to propose once again to human society the entire Gospel of salvation in
Jesus Christ. She is sent to the contemporary world, to the men and
women of our time, “to preach the Gospel...lest the Cross of Christ be
emptied of its power. For the word of the Cross... is the power of God” (1
Cor 1,17-18).” (Ecclesia in Oceania, 18).
Look Beyond
“Get Up and Go” is an invitation to leave our present positions and
reach out, to cross the threshold and the border, to seek new frontiers to
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spread the Word of God, to attract new people to Christ. Passion for the
Gospel urges us to cross frontiers, not only geographical, but social and
cultural, especially those of the heart.
From the Bible
Get up and go is the command Jesus gave to a paralysed man (Mk
2,11; Mt 9,6; lk 5,24; Jn 5,8), the word Peter addressed to the cripple at
the Beautiful Gate (Acts 3,6). Philip the evangeliser, and with him, the
whole Church was also told ‘Get up and go!’
Appeals
The Church is not the static guardian of the faith, but must “get up
and go”. “Faith is strengthened by sharing it!” (Redemptoris Missio, 2)
and “love, by its very nature must be communicated to others. love
grows through love” (Deus Caritas Est, 18).
– We need to “’Be ready to give reasons for your hope’ (1 Pt 3:15)
(Ecclesia in Oceania, 24), in a language that is comprehensible to
the people we live with.
– Preferably use concrete ‘experience’ methods that are recognisable
as part of our human story with its weakness and strength.
– Be reborn again, like Nicodemus, to discover the breath of the
Holy Spirit, the way God is present and surprises us, the many
mysterious ways he shows his interest in us.
Questions for Discussion
1. What can we say about Jesus of Nazareth to Oceania that is ever more
multi-cultural, and ever more experiencing the effects of a secular so-
ciety?
2. How can we proclaim and bear witness to Jesus of Nazareth to immi-
grants in Oceania?
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The discussion concludes with the “Galilee Song”
1. Deep within my heart i feel
voices whispering to me
words that i can’t understanding
meanings i must clearly hear
calling me to follow close
lest i leave myself behind
calling me to walk into
evening shadows one more time!
Chorus
So I leave my boats behind!
Leave them on familiar shores!
Set my heart upon the deep!
Follow you again, my Lord!
2. in my memories i know
how you send familiar rains;
falling gently on my days;
dancing patterns on my pain!
and i need to learn once more
in the fortress of my mind:
to believe in falling rain
as i travel deserts dry!
3. As i gaze into the night
down the future of my years
i’m not sure i want to walk
past horizons that i know!
but i feel my spirit called
like a stirring deep within -
restless ‘til i live again
beyond the fears that close me in!
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Saint Francis de Sales:
Humanism as initial Proclamation
Introduction:
St. Francis de Sales was a missionary and a preacher in the difficult historical
situation Chablais. Though he lived in a different cultural milieu his example could
enlighten our commitment to foster initial proclamation in Oceania. The saintly
Bishop was born on August 21, 1567. He was ordained priest on December 18, 1593.
As a young priest he sought to win back Catholics who had become Protestants. He
was elected and ordained Bishop of Geneva in 1602. As a missionary in the
Chablais, and later as a Bishop, Francis won the people due to his personal gifts of
charity, serenity and openness to dialogue, together with his brilliance as a spiritual
guide. His example and message is extremely relevant for us in Oceania. He stated
that there is a longing for God in the soul of every human person. His God is Father
and Lord, husband and friend, who has maternal and nurturing characteristics, he is
the sun to which the night is mysterious revelation. Such a God draws the human
person to Himself with bonds of love, “because love has no prisoners nor slaves, but
reduces all things under its obedience with a force so delicious that, if nothing is
strong as love, nothing is amiable as its force” (Treatise on the Love of God, Book I,
Ch. VI). He died in Lyon on 28 December 1622. Charles Taylor writes that “for the
devout humanists, the principal goal was to cultivate in oneself the love of God, to
use the crucial term of one of their founding figures in this century, St. François de
Sales. This meant that they were ready to trust the first promptings of this love in
themselves; they set out to cultivate a germ which could already be identified.” (A
Secular Age, p.510). During the General Audience of March 2, 2011 Pope Benedict
XVI stressed that the Christian humanism of Saint Francis de Sales has lost none of
its relevance today. Below is an excerpt of the Pope’s address.
Instruction for Sharing:
Someone reads aloud the text below for general comprehension. Then
each one personally reads it again in silence for attention to specifics. On
the second reading, each one underlines words and phrases which one
may consider important, and makes notes in the margins of anything that
one does not understand; questions one would like to ask the group, and
examples or applications that might occur.
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Our Text:
«“God is the God of the human heart” (“Treatise on the love of
God,” i, Xv): in these seemingly simple words we see the essence of a
great teacher’s spirituality, St. Francis de Sales, bishop and doctor of the
Church [...] in 1602 he became bishop of Geneva, at a time when the city
was the stronghold of Calvinism, so much so that the episcopal see was
‘in exile’ in Annecy. As pastor of a poor and tormented diocese, in a
mountainous landscape in which he knew well both its harshness and
beauty, he wrote: “i found [God] full of sweetness and gentleness among
our highest and roughest mountains, where many simple souls loved and
adored him in all truth and sincerity; and deer and chamois ran here and
there among the frightening frost to proclaim his praises” (letter to the
Mother of Chantal, October 1606).
And yet the influence of his life and of his teaching on the Europe of
that time and of the following centuries was immense. He was an apostle,
preacher, writer, man of action and prayer; committed to carrying out the
ideals of the Council of Trent; involved in controversy and dialogue with
Protestants, experiencing more and more the efficacy of personal rela-
tionships and of charity, beyond a necessary theological confrontation. He
was charged with diplomatic missions at the European level, and with so-
cial tasks of mediation and reconciliation. However, above all, St. Francis
de Sales was a guide of souls [...].
[...]He embodied the different meanings of the word “humanity”
which this term can assume today, as it could in the past: culture and
courtesy, freedom and tenderness, nobility and solidarity. His appearance
reflected something of the majesty of the landscape in which he lived and
preserved its simplicity and naturalness. Moreover the words of the past
and the images he used resonate unexpectedly in the ears of men and
women today, as a native and familiar language[...].
Reading the book on the love of God and even more so the many let-
ters of direction and of spiritual friendship, one perceives what an expert
St. Francis de Sales was on the human heart. To St. Jane of Chantal, he
wrote: “[...] Here is the general rule of our obedience, written in capital
letters: DO All THROUGH lOvE, NOTHiNG THROUGH CON-
STRAiNT; lOvE OBEDiENCE MORE THAN YOU FEAR DiSOBE-
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DiENCE. i want you to have the spirit of liberty, not the kind that ex-
cludes obedience - this is freedom of the flesh - but the liberty that ex-
cludes constraint, anxiety and scruples” (letter of Oct. 14, 1604). Not for
nothing, at the origin of many paths of pedagogy and spirituality of our
time we rediscover the stamp of this teacher, without whom there would
be no St. John Bosco or the heroic “little way” of St. Thérèse of lisieux.
[...] St. Francis de Sales is an exemplary witness of Christian hu-
manism; with his accessible style, with words that at times have the touch
of poetry, he reminds that man bears inscribed in his deepest self nos-
talgia for God and that only in him is found his true joy and most com-
plete fulfilment».
Our Context:
What has the Church said about this topic?
Blessed John Paul ii’s Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia
in Oceania, 14:
“The Synod Fathers wanted Jesus Christ to be heard and understood
by the people entrusted to their care, and by many more. They saw the
need to reach out to those who live with unfulfilled hopes and desires, to
those who are Christians in name only, and to those who have drifted
away from the Church, perhaps because of painful experiences. Every ef-
fort should be made to heal such wounds, and to return the lost sheep to
the fold. Above all, the Synod Fathers wanted to touch the hearts of
young people. Many of them are searching for truth and goodness […]”
Questions for Discussion and Sharing:
1) in what way could the example of the humanism of St. Francis de
Sales be an important approach to initial proclamation among
young people in your context?
2) “Do all through love, nothing through constraint” advised St.
Francis de Sales. Blessed John Paul ii underlined in Redemptoris
Missio 39 that “the Church proposes, imposes nothing” and in Ec-
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clesia in Oceania, 3 that “it is the lord himself who looks upon the
people (of Oceania) with a love which presents itself as both a
challenge and a call”. What do these statements imply in your ef-
fort to foster initial proclamation?
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Seated in the Chariot,
he was Reading the Scriptures
From Your Own Experience
What has helped you share your faith with people?
Let Us Dialogue
“Before starting to proclaim the Good News to Melanesians the pio-
neer Christian missionaries had to overcome the natural distrust, or even
hostility, on the part of the native population. The strategy used was that
of exchanging goods particularly valuable to the locals, such as tobacco,
axes, knives, fish hooks, and medicines. They specialised in exchanges
done through the heads of the clans (chiefs or big-men), and thus entered
into ‘friendly’ politico-personal relations with them.” Another means used
by the early missionaries was “the study of the languages and the cultures
of the natives was a priority to which the early Christian missionaries
dedicated a lot of time. Witnesses of these are the diaries, books and dic-
tionaries written by those pioneers. Those who had studied ethnology
were certainly better prepared for the understanding of the Melanesian
cultures but most of them, after the long years spent in the mission field,
had a remarkable grasp of those cultures. However, missionaries varied in
their evaluation of those cultures. Some showed some appreciation while
many considered them as depraved and satanic.” (Initial Proclamation of
Christ in the Context of Traditional Cultures and Religions in Melanesia)
Look Beyond
Jesus is god incarnate participating in our life story in different cul-
tures.
This gives rise to a positive attitude of trust and hope in human exis-
tence, in the personal experience of individuals, and in the concrete situa-
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tions of young people who are different (ethnic origins, culture, aware-
ness) and seem far apart in historical and scientific development. This sit-
uation demands a personal adult faith that is open to foster the positive
values and forms in the culture or cultures they are immersed in which
can enrich “the way the Gospel is preached, understood and lived,” yet at
the same time capable to discern, elements or practices that require “some
values and forms change” (Ecclesia in Oceania, 16).
From the Bible
In the chariot there was a man.
The Spirit does not direct Philip towards the chariot, but towards the
man inside it. it is not the institutional structures, nor efficient evange-
lising methods, but the man who “is the first road the Church must tread
to carry out her mission” (Redemptor hominis, 14), all men and women
are by the Father, “predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son,
so that he might be the first born of many brothers” (Rom 8, 29).
An Appeal
Carry out the initial proclamation of Jesus of Nazareth in the field of
education or in the various moments of daily life, in dialogue with the so-
cial, cultural, religious situation of young people and adults, making the
Preventive System become ever more relevant in Oceania.
Questions
1. What do we need to emphasise particularly in our cultural context
in order to foster the initial proclaim Jesus?
2. What elements in the culture of our young people could become
opportunities for initial proclamation? How could initial proclama-
tion actually take place?
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A Constantly Changing Context
Introduction:
During the Study Days it became clear to the participants that
Oceania is in constant change. In fact the “Emerging Insights” underlined
that “like the waters which unite its shores, Oceania is a continent in con-
stant transition. Its peoples - with their hundreds of languages and cul-
tures—are in movement from traditional, village cultures to more com-
plex modern, township and/or city lifestyles. In the more developed coun-
tries, the pace of societal fragmentation linked with secularisation is more
keenly felt, even as this trend is already present and rapidly growing more
daily. Oceania is marked by far distances. And even when villages may
be relatively close, the lack of roads makes travel long, wearisome and
hazardous. Digital, mobile technology presents great hope in the procla-
mation of the Faith.”
Instruction for Sharing:
Someone reads aloud the text below for general comprehension. This
is followed by a brief moment of silent reflection.
Our Text:
From the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Oceania, 20:
“The Church faces a twofold challenge in seeking to proclaim the
Gospel in Oceania: on the one hand, the traditional religions and cultures,
and on the other, the modern process of secularisation. In each case, “the
first and most urgent task is the proclamation of the Risen Christ by way of
a personal encounter which would bring the listener to conversion of heart
and the request for Baptism”. Whether faced with traditional religion or re-
fined philosophy, the Church preaches by word and deed that “the truth is
in Jesus Christ” (Eph 4:21; cf. Col 1:15-20). In the light of that truth, she
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in Jesus Christ” (Eph 4:21; cf. Col 1:15-20). in the light of that truth, she
makes her contribution to discussion about the values and ethical princi-
ples which make for happiness in human life and peace in society. The
faith must always be presented in a rationally coherent way, so as to favour
its capacity to penetrate into ever wider fields of human experience. Faith
in fact has the force to shape culture itself by penetrating it to its very core.
Alert to both Christian tradition and contemporary cultural shifts, the word
of faith and reason must go hand in hand with the witness of life if evan-
gelisation is to bear fruit. Above all, however, what is needed is a fearless
proclamation of Christ, ‘a parrhesia of faith.’”
understanding the Text:
1) Can you narrate examples of constant change that you have expe-
rienced in your own context?
2) in what way could cultural change in your context foster initial
proclamation? in what way could it hinder initial proclamation
Deepening the Text:
1) it is not unusual in Oceania to see in one and the same context ex-
pressions of traditional religions and the modern process of secu-
larisation?
2) Why is the presentation of the Christian faith “in a rationally co-
herent way” important in our context?
3) How could we foster the dialogue of faith and reason among our
young people?
Our experiences:
Share examples where the presentation of the Christian faith “in a ra-
tionally coherent way” has borne fruit.
Conclusion:
Each one is invited to say a short thanksgiving prayer. A song con-
cludes this activity.
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Reach Out!
Introduction
The mandate of Jesus spurs us onto commit ourselves to initial
Proclamation. A deeper awareness of the Church’s mission in the context
of the Asian reality can offer us some more motivations. We encounter
our brothers and sisters of other religions among whom the rays of that
Truth, which enlightens everybody coming into the world, are already
present. This hidden presence is the starting point for the Church’s
proclamation. Gradually through the proclamation of the Good News, the
proclaimers and the hearers will grow into the fullness of the mystery of
salvation in Jesus Christ.
Look Beyond
run, catch up with that chariot is an invitation to welcome an op-
portunity, to take advantage of the right moment, not to waste the chance
of opening up and taking part in the Biblical story…
Witness and talk about god
The Gospel is not a system of doctrine to believe in, nor a list of
moral duties to observe, it is good news that changes life; therefore it is
not transmitted by means of cold statements or techniques but with
human warmth and the witness of a life lived with love.
As Paul VI observed, witness of life is not enough, “even the most
wonderful witness can lose its value if it is not explained and justified
[…] explained by a clear, unequivocal proclamation of the Lord Jesus.
The Good News, proclaimed by the example of one’s life, must sooner or
later be proclaimed by the word of life. There is no real evangelisation if
the name, teaching, life, promises, Kingdom, and mystery of Jesus of
Nazareth, Son of God, are not proclaimed” (Evangelii nuntiandi 22).
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From the Bible
The Spirit tells Philip to overtake the chariot but he is not told
who he will find in it nor what he must do or say.
The Spirit who “breathes where he wills” (Jn 3, 8), who prays with
inexpressible sighs (Rm 8, 26), does not give concrete commands to
follow but stimulates man’s intelligence and creativity and enkindles his
love. He acts in surprising ways and urges toward unexpected goals. He
does not like dialoguing with man within his narrow schemes and desires,
but launches him towards vaster horizons, to the heights of God’s plan.
Deepen
Read excerpts from “initial Proclamation in Catholic Educational in-
stitutions” (Appendix 3)
Questions
Many authors affirm that the crisis today is not one of faith but of
form. What forms should be abandoned?
Many people, faced with social fragmentation and an uncertain fu-
ture, look for security and direction in religious movements. Can this sit-
uation be an opportunity for initial proclamation? in what way?
Share
Share your reflections and enrich your community.
Celebrate
hymn: Any appropriate one
guide: Attentiveness in possibilities for initial proclamation is what
keeps alive our missionary zeal and enthusiasm.
lord Jesus, help us to be attentively aware of possibilities for initial
proclamation. r. Lord hear our prayer.
lord Jesus, grant us the courage to make an initial proclamation when op-
portunities come our way. r.
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Jesus Christ you are God’s gift to us and we have been given the mandate
to share you with others. Guide us lord, that we may be driven by an ar-
dent desire to share you with everyone. r.
Help us lord to be ever aware of the need to prepare the laity to collabo-
rate with us in the proclamation of Jesus and through our systematic vil-
lage/family visits. r.
Give us zeal lord in our catechetical ministry and see it as an important
way of sharing the gift of Jesus with the baptised. r.
Our Father (sung)
Thought to Remember
Apostolic passion urges the Christian to give others the joy that he
has in his heart, to give freely as he has received (Mt 10, 8). The
Ethiopian eunuch did not see Philip again, but went on his way full of
joy. initial proclamation does not encourage a dependent relationship. it
is planting the seed of faith and lets it continue to develop; the fire once
enkindled continues to burn. Catechesis through all the stages in life be-
comes the continued support throughout life’s journey.
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Kindness as initial Proclamation
Instruction for Sharing:
Someone reads aloud the text below for general comprehension. Then
each one personally reads it again in silence for attention to specifics. On
the second reading, each one underlines words and phrases which one may
consider important.
Introduction:
“The Church faces a twofold challenge in seeking to proclaim the
Gospel in Oceania: on the one hand, the traditional religions and cultures,
and on the other, the modern process of secularisation. in each case, “the
first and most urgent task is the proclamation of the Risen Christ by way of
a personal encounter which would bring the listener to conversion of heart
and the request for Baptism’”. (Towards a Common Understanding of Ini-
tial Proclamation in Oceania)
“The Synod discussions stressed that, in presenting Jesus, the Church
must show his compassionate love to a world in need of healing.” (Eccle-
sia in Oceania, 5). “The apostolate of charity witnesses to the fullness of
Christian love not only in speech but in action. Such love leads people to
wonder about its source and makes them ask why Christians are different
in their values and behaviour. Through apostolic charity such as this, Christ
touches the lives of others, and leads them to a greater sense of what it
might mean to speak of and build a “civilisation of love”.(Ecclesia in
Oceania 32).
Our Text:
“Through his many activities (St. Francis de Sales) educated the faith-
ful, and showed them that holiness is possible in whatever state of life,
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which gave rise to a different spirituality. He considered it a heresy to say
that a state of life was incompatible with piety. in fact, he introduced to the
“Devout life” those who wanted to serve Christ, opening to them the se-
crets of God’s love, paying attention to the spiritual life also in the field of
action of the laity, and making devotion pleasant and desirable.
it is surprising that, in the midst of this tireless work, the Bishop of
Geneva would find time to carry on a voluminous correspondence and
write which are masterpieces for spiritual guidance: “introduction to the
Devout life”, “Treatise on the love of God” , “spiritual conferences”. The
first is addressed particularly to lay people and continues to be of great rel-
evance and validity. At the Salesian level, in addition to those elements
which were so strongly emphasised by Don Bosco, the figure of St. Fran-
cis de Sales is presented to us as a model for his kindness, goodness and
meekness, with respect to any person. Not by chance is called “the kindest
of the saints”, “the doctor of love”, “the most humane and loving the
saints.” Reading his biography and knowing how much he had to suffer
from those who were not pleased by his goodness, even through libel and
slander, we know his meekness was not natural, but the fruit of the Spirit
through education and the development of those values and of those virtues
mentioned by Paul in his letter to the Galatians (5, 22). According to his bi-
ographers, Francis was naturally irritable, fiery. And it was only after years
of intense effort and patient he became gentle, tender, gentle, holy. Even
the humanism of Don Bosco is inspired by that of St. Francis de Sales, and
results in the love and respect for nature and acceptance of human values
and the goodness of man, the love for art and expressions of beauty, love
and appreciation for good manners, love and respect for human affection.”
(excerpts from the homily of Fr. Pascual Chávez, January 24, 2012)
Questions for Discussion and Sharing:
1) The gentleness and kindness of St. Francis de Sales continue to touch a
chord in the minds and hearts of the people of Oceania. in what way
could kindness, goodness and meekness become initial proclamation in
my context?
2) Although St. Francis de Sales lived in a different age and context, his
humanism is truly relevant in Oceania today. How can you express in
your own context his “love and respect for nature and acceptance of hu-
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man values and the goodness of man, the love for art and expressions of
beauty, love and appreciation for good manners, love and respect for
human affection”?
Concluding Song:
Chorus
I thank my God each time I think of you!
And when I pray for you, I pray with joy.
Now there is one thing i am sure of,
He who began His work in you,
will see that it is truly finished,
when the day of Jesus comes!
That i should feel like this towards you
Seems only natural to me.
For you have shared with me my labours!
The Gospel privilege with me!
Since you have borne with me my burdens,
i now bear you within my heart!
And God alone knows how i miss you!
i love you just as Christ loves me!
i pray your knowledge will be deepened!
Your love be mutual and strong!
Then you will reach the perfect goodness!
Then to the lord you will belong!
i will be Spirit who walks with you!
You will be always within My hand!
Take my heart and give it all to Me!
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The Challenges and Opportunities
of our Secular Age
Live
let us share in small group(s) our experiences.
● identify some expressions of secularisation among our young people
today?
● What are my experiences in sharing the faith with our young people
who are students in our school or who frequent our oratory?
Discuss
Read and discuss and excerpt of Charles Taylor’s A Secular Age and
David Willis’s «initial Proclamation in Societies in the Process of Secu-
larisation»
“Thus, people today, says Taylor, declare “some faith in God, and
identifying with a Church, without actually attending its services.” They
take “a distance from their ancestral churches without altogether breaking
off. They retain some of the beliefs of Christianity, for instance, and/or
they retain some nominal tie with the church, still identify in some way
with it: they will reply, say, to a poll by saying that they are Anglican, or
Catholic.” Hence, more and more people “consider themselves Catholic
while not accepting many crucial dogmas, or they combine Christianity
with Buddhism, or they pray while not being certain they believe.” Soci-
ologists try to come to grips with this new phenomenon by inventing new
terms like “believing without belonging”, or “diffusive Christianity.”
(Young people and Religion in our Secular Age, Appendix 2)
“One important characteristic of societies undergoing the process of
secularisation, as we have already drawn attention to, is the transfer of
services, initially delivered by the Church, to the government. This in-
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evitably means a diminution of the Church’s presence in society on an in-
stitutional level. More often than not, Christians will be employed by the
government or secular NGOs and, in these circumstances, will not have
the institutional witness supporting them. initial proclamation in these
circumstances either comes from the individual Christian or it does not
come at all. Thus, the importance of the awareness of how Christian
proclamation is present through the individual Christian who is com-
mitted to Jesus and is respectful and open to their work colleagues.
Awareness of initial Proclamation is also vitally important when one is
working within a Christian institution. Without it the institution becomes
indistinguishable from a government institution or any NGO. For in-
stance, a Christian school, without committed Christians is, in reality, a
non-government or private institution” (Initial Proclamation in Societies
in the Process of Secularisation)
Discover
● What has the Church said about this topic?
Blessed John Paul ii, in the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ec-
clesia in Oceania 7 writes:
“The cultural variety of Oceania is not immune from the worldwide
process of modernisation which has effects both positive and negative.
Certainly modern times have given a new and higher profile to positive
human values, such as respect for the inalienable rights of the person, the
introduction of democratic procedures in administration and government,
the refusal to accept structural poverty as an unchangeable condition, the
rejection of terrorism, torture and violence as means of political change,
the right to education, health care and housing for all […] Yet modernisa-
tion also has its negative effects in the region […] A large part of
Oceania, particularly Australia and New Zealand, has entered upon an era
marked by increasing secularisation. in civic life, religion, and especially
Christianity, is moved to the margin and tends to be regarded as a strictly
private matter for the individual with little relevance to public life. Reli-
gious convictions and the insights of faith are at times denied their due
role in forming people’s consciences. likewise, the Church and other re-
ligious bodies have a diminished voice in public affairs.”
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Deepen
“Unwittingly the introduction of Christianity became a factor of secu-
larisation, as it was still noticed in the 1980s.
European missionaries, as part of the Western influence, have often
unwittingly been agents of secularisation in their efforts to proclaim
the Gospel. Although one would hope that Christianity would become
as deeply integrated into the whole of life as was the traditional reli-
gion, it seems that many Melanesian converts tend to live in a more
compartmentalised world, and so Christian faith tends to become a
Sunday-only ritual activity” (Initial Proclamation of Christ in the
Context of Traditional Cultures and Religions in Melanesia).
What has the Bishops’ Conference of our own country said about this
topic?
(if a document about this matter exists read a number or a part of the
document)
Share
Sharing in small groups
How can initial Proclamation take place in our context?
What are the challenges and opportunities secularisation offers us?
What are the challenges and opportunities of secularisation for our reli-
gious community?
Celebrate
(make a big circle for all the participants)
● Hymn
● Opening prayer
● Gospel: Mt 28, 19-20
● intercessions (spontaneous)
● Our Father (sung)
● Conclusion
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initial Proclamation & Catechesis
Introduction:
“Catechesis, distinct from the initial proclamation of the Gospel, pro-
motes growth in this initial conversion and provides instruction in the
faith to those who have converted, thus incorporating them into the Chris-
tian community. […]
The relation between these two forms of the ministry of the Word is
not, however, always easy to discover; nor is it easily done; nor should it
necessarily be stated emphatically. instead, the relation can be perceived
as a two-fold action which is found united in the same pastoral activity. in
fact, frequently people who come for catechesis need to live more truly
converted lives. Therefore, the programmes of catechesis and introduc-
tion in the faith might benefit from putting greater emphasis on the
proclamation of the Gospel, which is a call to this conversion and which
fosters and sustains it. in this way, the new evangelisation can reinvigo-
rate the present programmes of instruction in the faith by accentuating the
kerygmatic character of proclamation.” (Towards a Common Under-
standing of Initial Proclamation in Oceania)
Instruction for Sharing:
Someone reads aloud the text below for general comprehension. This
is followed by a brief moment of silent reflection.
Our Texts:
“Catechesis is an important element in our work of evangelisation. it
is the process of helping the believer to know, contemplate and celebrate
the mystery of Jesus Christ. its main aim is to help people come into a
personal relationship with Jesus. Catechesis helps conversion to grow
into a living faith. People converted as adults and those baptised as in-
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fants all need on-going catechesis to accompany their lifelong journey in
the Christian community.
Our catechetical renewal has five important characteristics:
1. Catechesis must be Christ-centred.
it leads us to contemplate Christ’s face (NMi 16) and to be in per-
sonal relationship with him.
2. Catechesis must be rooted in the Word of God.
Familiarity with the Bible through prayerful use, sharing and study, is
essential for our Christian life. ‘ignorance of the Scriptures’, says St.
Jerome, ‘is ignorance of Christ’ (NMi 17).
3. Catechesis must be authentically Melanesian.
We use tools, methods and expressions of our local cultures in Papua
New Guinea and Solomon islands because the Catholic faith is trans-
mitted and expressed through our people’s cultures.
4. Catechesis must be systematic.
The whole of the Catholic faith must be presented in an ordered and
programmed way
5. Catechesis must bear witness to the Kingdom of God.
Catechesis bears fruit when Christians radiate the joy of a life with
Jesus.”
(Catholic Bishops’ Conference of PNG & Si, Nurturing the Faith Pas-
toral Letter on Catechetical Renewal)
“if all catechesis must find inspiration in its objectives and its dy-
namism on the catechumenal model, we need to base and orient all our
Salesian process of evangelisation and catechesis towards it. ... The ob-
jectives of evangelisation and catechesis in a Salesian context must be
based on a lived experience of what it means being a Salesian” (Catech-
esis and Evangelisation from a Salesian Perspective)
understanding the Texts:
1) How is initial proclamation connected to catechesis?
2) Why do you think are the 5 characteristics of catechesis outlined by the
Bishops of PNG & Si important for their work of evangelisation?
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3) What is the ‘catechumenal model’ of catechesis?
Deepening the Text:
1) The Bishops of PNG & Si pointed out that catechesis in their
countries need to have these 5 characteristics. Has your local
Bishops’ Conference identified the characteristics of catechesis in
your country? How do you apply them in your catechetical min-
istry?
2) How could you foster initial proclamation, evangelisation and cate-
chesis in your Salesian context?
Our experiences:
Share your experience or positive examples you know of initial
proclamation that led to the catechumenate.
Among the positive examples we have heard which of these could be
helpful in our own context today? How could we adapt these to our con-
text?
Conclusion:
Each one is invited to say a short thanksgiving prayer. The song
below or any other song concludes this activity.
Strong and constant is My love!
Strong and constant is My love!
Should you wander far away from Me,
i will search for you in every land!
Should you call, then you will truly know:
When you know sorrow within your life,
i will come! i will embrace your heart!
Through your pain you will discover Me!.
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Appendices

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Appendix
1
Priorities & Strategies Salesian
Family Missionary Seminar
(Port Moresby, September 4-7, 2004)
Caritas Sisters of Jesus
Priorities & Strategies
1. Pre service formation
• on-going formation
• inculturation - living with national communities for about 2
months
• vocational, pastoral activities, vocation camp encounters, re-
treats
• assistance, volunteer work
• networking, spiritual sharing with Salesian family
• evangelisation
2. Inculturation
• boarding with local community
• learning pidgin
3. Working with the poor
• recollection for ancillary staff
• scholarship for primary school children
• out-reach programs
• establish community learning centre in the school - for those
who cannot afford school fees
Salesian Cooperators / Past Pupils /
Lay Collaborators
Priorities
1. inculturate Salesian charism into the Basic Ecclesial Communities
2. integral Salesian education
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3. Build proper networking to break cultural barriers Strategies
4. Seminars, workshops, basic formation
5. Being educated in the Salesian setting - school and parish
6. Have place or office where they can feel welcome.
Daughters of Mary Help of Christians
Priorities & Strategies
1. Consolidate our presence by having our own place for vocation,
for security and expand our work look for avenues for funding for
consolidation of project, network with other FMAs
2. Formation and preparation of personnel (FMA, lay collaborators,
catechists, mission partners)
• sharing of resources for spiritual formation with other FMAs of
other countries in Oceania
• Have regular formative sessions with other religious to be en-
riched with their experiences and challenges
• Program spiritual formation for communities
• Have a component right from the start on formation (in view of
inculturation)
• Formation or study for missionaries prior to the mission
3. vocation promotion
• initiate vocation awareness and prayer encounters for girls
4. Continue the yearning desire to open other possibilities of aposto-
late~ for family, parish, home visitation, mothers’ club
Salesians of Don Bosco
Priorities
1. inculturation and ongoing formation of personnel
2. Promotion of local vocation
3. New evangelisation
4. Networking
Strategies: PNG
• Hold another Delegation Assembly before celebrating 25th an-
niversary of Salesian presence in PNG
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• Have an annual gathering for the Salesian Family, integrating it
within the yearly plan
• To promote vocations organize: a meeting of the vocation theme;
formulate a plan of vocation promotion; conduct vocation
Camps, Come and see programmes
• Consider opening a new presence for street lads
• Facilitate sharing of materials, resources and personnel among
our Salesian schools.
Strategies: Solomon islands
• PNG Delegation house to be a resource centre for training and
ongoing formation for Oceania. Fr. luciano Odorico could or-
ganise and coordinate the ongoing formation of the confreres
• strengthen the vocation area of the EPP: vocation groups, voca-
tion days, come and see programs, personnel for vocation pro-
motion
• need to involve families
• need to deepen catechesis
• prepare trainers
• Salesian missions to be an NGO - to represent, lobby, present
projects to Australian agencies and get volunteers
Strategies: Australia, Fiji & Samoa
• Province formation commission to review the current situation
against criteria and norms outlined in the New Ratio
• Recommendations are passed on to the Provincial and his
council for action
• Samoa - continue come and see programs, personal interview,
visit of families, discernment of applicants
• SDB continue to support church rallies
1. Continue exchange of personnel in early and on-going formation;
greater sharing of Salesian experiences from the Provinces at Re-
gional meetings.
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Religion and Young People
in Our Secular Age
Appendix
2
in his A Secular Age, which won the 2007 Templeton prize for
progress toward research or discoveries about spiritual realities, the
philosopher Charles Taylor suggests that a society may be defined as
“secular” when it is 1) one in which one “can engage fully in politics
without ever encountering God, that is, coming to a point where the cru-
cial importance of the God of Abraham for this whole enterprise is
brought home forcefully and unmistakably,” 70 2) one in which there is a
“falling off of religious belief and practice, in people turning away from
God, and no longer going to Church,” 71 and 3) one in which belief in God
“is understood to be one option among many” which clearly implies that
“at least in certain milieu, it may be hard to sustain one’s faith.” 72
in our region, Nicholas Tonti-Filippini, Associate Dean of John Paul
ii institute for Marriage and Family in Melbourne claims that
“Apart from some vestigial prayers on such an occasion as the opening
of Parliament, now to be preceded by a welcome from the original
owners of our land, (or an occasional speech from a member of minor-
ity religious party who became elected through the vagaries of the sys-
tem for electing upper chambers and inter party dealing on prefer-
ences), Australian politics are basically secular according to Taylor’s
characterisation.” He further pointed out that “Australia is even more
secular than our American counterpart. in 2005, only 40% of Aus-
tralian marriages took place in the presence of a Minister of religion.
70 Charles Taylor, A Secular Age (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2007), 1.
71 ibid., 2.
72 ibid., 3.
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Whereas in America, 40% took place without a Minister of religion.
America, despite a rigorous separation of Church and State, is the
Western society with the highest statistics for religious belief and prac-
tice. Formal religious practice in Australia is in decline. in that sense a
secular society may mean a society in which people are predominantly
not religious by belief or practice especially where that is considered in
terms of attendance at formal religious observances. in that case,
though constitutionally secular, one would not describe Turkey as sec-
ular, given the vast majority of the population is Muslim, with 95% de-
claring their belief in a God and adopting religious practices.73”
it is in the light of the above situation that Ecclesia in Oceania no. 7
points out that “contact with secularised and urbanised Western societies
and with the growing cultural influence of Asian immigrants” has caused
“a gradual lessening of the natural religious sense which has led to disori-
entation in people’s moral life and conscience.” This affirmation is better
explained by Charles Taylor’s analysis that many young people in secular
societies today are not only “looking for a more direct experience of the sa-
cred, for greater immediacy, spontaneity, and spiritual depth,”74 but they al-
so long for “a kind of unity and wholeness of the self, a reclaiming of the
place of feeling, against the one-sided pre-eminence of reason, and a re-
claiming of the body and its pleasures from the inferior and often guilt-
ridden place it has been allowed in the disciplined, instrumental identity.”75
He further clarifies that “this kind of search is often called by its prac-
titioners ‘spirituality’, and is opposed to ‘religion’. This contrast reflects
the rejection of ‘institutional religion’, that is, the authority claims made
by churches which see it as their mandate to pre-empt the search, or to
maintain it within certain definite limits, and above all to dictate a certain
code or behaviour.”76 They prefer “a kind of autonomous exploration,
which is opposed to a simple surrender to authority; and people who en-
73 http://www.jp2institute.org/Portals/39/Documents/NTF_Religion_in_a_Secular_Soci-
ety_AMF_.pdf (accessed April 1, 2012).
74 Taylor, 506.
75 ibid., 508.
76 ibid.
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gage in this kind of spiritual path are indeed, put off by the moralism and
code-fetishism which they find in the churches.”77 Although this ‘spiritu-
ality’ is often indiscriminately lumped together under the label of “New
Age,” they are in reality “mere extensions of the human potential move-
ment, hence totally focussed on the immanent, and/or being a variety of
invitations to self-absorption, without any concern for anything beyond
the agent, whether the surrounding society, or the transcendent,” 78 hence,
they are reputed for “its subjectivism, its focus on the self and its whole-
ness, its emphasis on feeling.”79
Charles Taylor outlines the characteristics of this new spiritual panora-
ma, positively, as bringing about the breaking down of barriers and divi-
sions between different religious groups. inversely, today there is “a rise in
the number of those who state themselves to be atheists, agnostics, or to
have no religion, in many countries, including Britain, France, the U.S.,
and Australia. But beyond this, the gamut of intermediate positions greatly
widens: many people drop out of active practice while still declaring them-
selves as belonging to some confession, or believing in God. On another
dimension, the gamut of beliefs in something beyond widens, fewer de-
claring belief in a personal God, while more hold to something like an im-
personal force; in other words a wider range of people express religious
beliefs which move outside Christian orthodoxy.” 80
Thus, people today, says Taylor, declare “some faith in God, and iden-
tifying with a Church, without actually attending its services.”81 They take
“a distance from their ancestral churches without altogether breaking off.
They retain some of the beliefs of Christianity, for instance, and/or they re-
tain some nominal tie with the church, still identify in some way with it:
they will reply, say, to a poll by saying that they are Anglican, or
Catholic.”82 Hence, more and more people “consider themselves Catholic
77 ibid., 509.
78 ibid., 508.
79 ibid.
80 ibid., 513.
81 ibid., 514.
82 ibid., 518.
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while not accepting many crucial dogmas, or they combine Christianity
with Buddhism, or they pray while not being certain they believe.” 83
Sociologists try to come to grips with this new phenomenon by in-
venting new terms like “believing without belonging”, or “diffusive
Christianity.”84 quoting John Wolfe, Taylor describes “diffusive Christi-
anity” as
“a vague non-doctrinal kind of belief: God exists; Christ was a good
man and an example to be followed; people should lead decent lives
on charitable terms with their neighbours, and those who do so will
go to Heaven when they die. Those who suffer in this world will re-
ceive compensation in the next. The churches were regarded with ap-
athy rather than hostility: their social activities made some contribu-
tion to the community. Sunday School was felt to provide a necessary
part of the upbringing of children, and the rites of passage required
formal religious sanction. Association was maintained by attendance
at certain annual and seasonal festivals, but weekly participation in
worship was felt to be unnecessary and excessive. Women and chil-
dren were more likely than men to be regularly involved, but this did
not imply that adult males were hostile; merely-it can be surmised-
that they tended to see themselves as the main breadwinners and felt
that women should therefore represent the family’s interests in the re-
ligious arena. The emphasis was on the practical and the communal
rather than on the theological and the individual.”85
But in this context the desire to a deeper practice of religion for one’s
spiritual life remains. This need, claims Taylor, is answered through in-
volvement through some form of meditation, charitable work like the vol-
unteer movement, a pilgrimage or some other form of prayer or religious
celebration. in their search for meaning in to a secular society “the tradi-
tional figure of the pilgrim can be given a new sense today, as young peo-
83 ibid., 513.
84 ibid., 518.
85 ibid., 519. Taylor quotes John Wolfe, God and Greater Britain (London:
Routeledge, 1994) 92-93.
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ple travel in search of faith or meaning in their lives. The pilgrimage is al-
so a quest.”86 Thus, it is no surprise that “people are drawn to a pilgrimage,
or a World Youth Day, or a meditation group, or a prayer circle.87 Young
people feel the need to give “the continuing importance of the festive. Peo-
ple still seek those moments of fusion, which wrench us out of the every-
day, and put us in contact with something beyond ourselves.” We see this
in pilgrimages, mass assemblies like World Youth Days, in one-off gather-
ings of people moved by some highly resonating event.”88
Although Taizé is not totally festive it draws young, claims Taylor,
people because there they feel welcomed as searchers and feel free to ex-
plore Christianity without any obligation to believe nor to an expected
outcome. in Taizé “there certainly is the departure from the everyday, and
the contact with something greater, a sense of universal brotherhood,
even if not always its source in the fatherhood of God; but the sense of
fusion is not always prominent. it is not, however, totally absent; a central
part of the Taizé experience is singing together, chants especially de-
signed by the community, each in his/her own language, a model and
foretaste of the reconciliation sought between peoples and cultures. it is
not surprising that Taizé should provide the template from which World
Youth Days were developed; a form of Christian pilgrimage/assembly for
the Age of Authenticity.”90
This phenomenon, claims Taylor, also explains “the growth of non-
Christian religions, particularly those originating in the Orient, and the
proliferation of New Age modes of practice, of views which bridge the
humanist/spiritual boundary, of practices which link spirituality and
therapy.”91
in the light of the above analysis, Taylor underlines that in our secular
age, although we experience falling off or alienation from the Church or
86 ibid., 517.
87 ibid., 516.
88 ibid., 516-517.
90 ibid., 517.
91 ibid., 513.
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institution, those who are committed to secularism are, in reality a rela-
tively small minority. in fact, “in terms of belief, nominalism rather than
secularism is the residual category”!92
92 ibid., 520.
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Appendix
3
initial Proclamation
in Catholic Educational institutions
(Secrétariat Général de l’Enseignement Catholique, France)
Pierre Robitaille
Introduction
in November 2005 the Bishops Conference of France adopted the Texte
National pour l’Orientation de la Catéchèse en France et Principes
d’Organisation (National Document for the Orientation of Catechesis in
France and Organisational Principles)93.
The document Principes d’Organisation explains the organisation of cat-
echesis at the diocesan level in four ”catechetical proposals”:
- catechesis oriented to all stages of life,
- by areas and by clusters,
- articulated with the liturgical year,
- in response to sacramental requests.
Catholic educational institutions are challenged directly and named ex-
plicitly in the catechetical activity of the second proposal “ an organisa-
tion of catechesis by areas and by clusters”. They are invited, as part of
their mission in the Church, to participate in the “initial proclamation” as
are families and ecclesial movements.
“We call each of these areas and clusters to develop even more the concern
that already animates them towards faith in agreeing to support this form
the ministry of the word called “initial proclamation”.94
93 Bishops’ Conference of France, Texte National pour l’Orientation de la Catéchèse en
France et Principles d’Organisation (Bayard/Cerf/Fleurus-Mame: Paris, Novembre 2006).
Henceforth this is referred to as TNOCF.
94 TNOCF, p.81
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I – understand “Initial Proclamation”
Since the publication of the National Document, the term “initial procla-
mation” is used with different meanings, sometimes even in contradiction
within the document itself. it is important, therefore, to redefine what it
is, and its specificity compared to other approaches.
I-1. Characteristics of Initial Proclamation
By studying closely the National Document - even if it barely devel-
oped initial proclamation - it underlines a set of five useful features
to identify, articulate and deepen the reflection and practice of initial
proclamation.
• Logic of circumstance, of ordinary daily life
Confined mainly in the context of daily life, initial proclamation is at
the heart of ordinary daily life. it follows, therefore, the logic of the
moment, of the circumstance. There may be many starting points:
pedagogical and educational activities, happy or painful events,
reading, surfing the internet or television programs,…
“An act of initial proclamation is always on the spot, motivated by an event,
a moment, a circumstance or all other needs which demand that we to take
the initiative.”
Therefore, one does not organise “activities of initial proclamation,”
nor a “celebration of initial proclamation,” ... Nevertheless it is true
that certain activities foster more than others fundamental questions
and the possibilities of initial proclamation.
• A logic of resonance
initial proclamation lies at the heart of people’s lives and their search
for meaning in their lives. it does not correspond to a conventional
discourse.
it responds to statements or to spontaneous or encouraged questions
fostered either by educational activities, by a way of being and acting
that raises questions and fosters a search for meaning.
initial proclamation takes therefore in the context of relationship
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with children, youth and adults of the educative community, relation-
ship in which existential questions may expressed, heard and allow
dialogue in truth.
“it takes place in the context of an encounter, “according to the same
pedagogy of Christ who constantly approaches, meets, seeks rela-
tionship, calls to conversion and to faith” 95
• A logic of witness
in an initial proclamation, someone reacts to a situation and dares to
speak about the name of the person and life of Jesus who gives life.
This is a personal testimony, backed by the faith of the Church.
“Initial proclamation is oriented to listen what keeps believers alive.”96
“In an initial proclamation, someone reacts to a situation by presenting
oneself as a believer.”97
if any witness has as its basis a personal character, in a Catholic in-
stitution, it is part of the collective mission of the educative commu-
nity.
• A logic of making explicit
A proclamation is a declaration, which is why the term “implicit
proclamation” is inherently contradictory and “explicit proclama-
tion” a tautology .98
An initial proclamation states what keeps believers alive. it is
coming out of the implicit to say our reasons to believe and hope.
The importance of this passage to the explicit is even greater now
that with the advent of secularisation, the implicit ... is hardly heard.
95 TNOCF, p.81
96 idem
97 idem
98 A tautology may be voluntary to reinforce an idea. The emphasis on explicit di-
mension must not cause the use of the term “implied proclamation.”
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“As indicated by the word “proclamation”, we mean any effort to formulate
that is structured, rational, explicit and adapted by the faith.” 99
• A logic from the threshold
if catechesis is a free initiative, initial proclamation does not expect a
response of adhesion from the listener. it is above all words, words
which by its quality, may be an invitation to take the path towards
Christ, to enter into a relationship with Christ.
“These are specific proposals, which do not already presuppose a voluntary
act on the part of those to whom they are addressed.”100
“Whoever receives the proclamation is free to listen, to accept or reject it,
to let oneself be questioned.”101
I-2. requirements related to these characteristics
On this basis four consequences may be drawn out:
• The necessity to listen
if one wishes that “ initial proclamation takes place at the heart of peo-
ple’s lives and their search for meaning of life,” as noted above, this
requires real attention and listening to others and their situation in life.
• The necessity to total coherence
initial proclamation requires an atmosphere that stirs up interest to go
further, through a real attention to the person, through the permanent
concern for the quality of relationships. This witness of life makes ex-
plicit proclamation credible and motivates embarking on a journey. it
builds on what one sees in the whole educative community
• The necessity to returning to the source
To bear witness requires that this word may be a word in truth: it is not
a matter of reciting an article of the catechism, but in speaking about
99 TNOCF, p.81
100 TNOCF, p.29
101 TNOCF, p.81
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in what way Jesus Christ and his gospel enables us to live. Hence the
importance of returning the source that nourishes our faith.
• The necessity of formation
The shift to make explicit requires that the word be clear, audible to
the listener, centred on the basics, which means having the words to
express one’s faith and build one’s own witness on the faith of the
Church. Hence, the importance of the time of formation to help
structure one’s own faith.
• The necessity of adaptation and creativity
Although initial proclamation itself is neither planned, nor organised,
however, some activities increase the likelihood of an initial procla-
mation more than others. The proposals are numerous, but it is im-
portant that they be adapted or conceived closely in line with the
mission of the school and the needs of people.
I-3. The essence of initial proclamation: kerygma
The term “initial proclamation” is often associated with the word
kerygma. Kerygma is etymologically “proclamation aloud.” in the New
Testament it refers to the contents of this proclamation, namely, the first
statement of the Christian faith, the profession of faith of the first Chris-
tians, the core of the apostolic preaching.
it often includes three key statements:
- Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the son of God;
- Crucified, he is risen, and the one who speaks personally testifies to
this;
- Proclamation of forgiveness and call to conversion.
The early kerygma, 102 gradually integrated dogmatic statements
against the various heresies, would develop to become the professions of
102 There are many examples in the Acts of the Apostles and in Paul’s epistles, for ex-
ample: “God has made lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified” (Ac 2,36). The
shortest kerygma « Jesus is lord” (1 Co 12,3).
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faith known as “Apostles’ Creed” and “Nicene-Constantinopolitan
creed.”
This term clarifies that initial proclamation:
- is focused on the core of what keeps us alive as believers: the incar-
nation, death and resurrection of Jesus;
- it calls to conversion, in the sense of a change of heart and a greater
faith;
- it is the logic of witness who speaks about one’s own encounter with
the Risen Christ, and not the transmission of information.
- personal witness is rooted on the faith of the Church.
Moreover, to say that initial proclamation is linked to context of life,
means that if it bears witness to this kerygma it does so not only by ex-
pressing the essence of the faith, but also - and perhaps especially - by
bearing witness to the presence of the Risen Christ in our lives today.
I-4. The term “Initial”
The initial term has several meanings. if for some an initial proclama-
tion could mean a initial contact with the Gospel, in the expression “ini-
tial proclamation” this term is not centred on the chronology but on the
fundamental aspect and on the path to conversion. There are as many ini-
tial proclamations as there are possible invitations to return to the essence
of the life of faith and the call to convert our hearts.
“This proclamation is called “initial” because it calls to believe and leads
to the threshold where conversion may be possible. It aims at stirring up the
desire, invites to a path of faith, generates interest for it.” 103
I-5. Distinctions between initial proclamation and catechesis
in initial proclamation, the setting is centred on the proclamation
therefore on the messenger, “first born in the faith” who cannot keep for
himself the good news which is at the centre of his life. So it is word of
103 TNOCF, p.29
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the witness “which does not already presuppose a voluntary act on the
part of those to whom it is addressed”104
Catechesis, “is what the Christian community offers to those who
freely wish to participate in the experience and knowledge of the
faith.”105. it is not possible other than through a request of a person who is
therefore the actor. “One joins the catechetical journey by deciding for
oneself to take the move or to accept the invitation to join.”106
Initial Proclamation and pre-catechesis
The two terms are not synonymous. Footnote 187 of the General Cat-
echetical Directory107 states: “in the present directory it is supposed that
those to whom kerygmatic catechesis or pre-catechesis is addressed will
be interested in the Gospel. in situations where they have no such interest
then primary proclamation is called for.”
We find here the importance of knowing whether there is a need of ac-
companiment or not.
II. facilitate initial proclamation in the Catholic
educational institution
II-1. A prerequisite: redefine the mission of the Catholic institution
The mission of a Catholic educational institution is an educative mis-
sion. The documents of the Church regularly recall this: the School fulfils
its mission of evangelisation by being a school.
Thus no. 16 of the document The Catholic School of the Congrega-
tion for Catholic Education of 1977 states:
“In the light of her mission of salvation, the Church considers that the
Catholic school provides a privileged environment for the complete forma-
tion of her members, and that it also provides a highly important service to
mankind. Nevertheless, she is aware of the many problems that exist and
objections that are made against Catholic schools sometimes regarding the
very validity of their existence and their functions. The issue is really part of
104 idem
105 TNOCF, p.27
106 TNOCF, p.46
107 General Directory for Catechesis. 1997
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a much wider problem which faces all institutions as such in a society as the
present, characterised by rapid and profound change.”
Or in another document The Catholic School on the Threshold of the
Third Millennium108 of 1997:
“The ecclesial nature of the school lies at the heart of its identity as an edu-
cational institution. It is a real ecclesial subject Church because of its edu-
cational activity where ‘faith, culture and life merge harmoniously’.”
Hence, the emphasis is also on the quality of education provided there. So we
can read in no. 17 of the most recent document:109
“21. One of the fundamental requirements for an educator in a Catholic
school is his or her possession of a solid professional formation...
22. The professional formation of the educator implies a vast range of cul-
tural, psychological and pedagogical skills, characterised by autonomy,
planning and evaluation capacity, creativity, openness to innovation, apti-
tude for updating, research and experimentation. It also demands the ability
to synthesise professional skills with educational motivations, giving partic-
ular attention to the relational situation required today by the increasingly
collegial exercise of the teaching profession.”
Therefore, it is central to its educational mission, neither on the periph-
ery nor parallel to it, that the Catholic institution can fulfil its mission of be-
ing Church, while complying with the contract that binds it to the State and
with respect for all who are members of the educative community.
II-2. To be an “audiovisual” of the gospel in the institution
Through initial proclamation there is another vision of the institution
which unfolds with an invitation to express the proclamation of the
Gospel through the lives of each and everyone. it is a constant invitation
to be a Gospel “audio-visual”110 by linking the educational experience
with religious practices, with a witness to what is experienced, with what
108 Congregation for Catholic Education.
109 Congregation For Catholic Education, Educating Together in Catholic Schools. A
Shared Mission between Consecrated Persons and the Lay Faithful (2007).
110 A successful audiovisual associates closely a complementary image and sound,
avoiding the juxtaposition of the two components into a single product.
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– or for whom - keeps us alive and strong in faith, both individually as
well as a community.
• Made to be seen
An educational institution is a “school sign of life” each time that
• the daily experience of the institution is “Good News”.
• the school activity allows students to grow: by content, pedagogy
and educational relationship
• the time for reflection on fundamental issues, on religions, on
Catholicism ... are organised.
• educational activities help develop attitudes of being attentive to
others and the environment, of sharing, of mutual aid and of soli-
darity, of commitment.
• visible signs make sense to its members.
To understand the meaning of what is seen or desired
This is for example the case when:
• there is an explicit link between educative plan with the Gospel and
the teachings of the Church
• This link is present in the remarks of the Principal at the enrolment
interview, at the parents’ meetings, at the welcome given to new
teachers and staff
• members of the educational community succeed in witnessing their
faith in various meetings when fundamental questions are asked
• during moments of reflection whether it is offered institutionally or
not: Governing Board, days of educative communities, volunteer
groups …
II-3. education and initial proclamation111
For this reflection, three levels were identified for education to happen:
content, pedagogy and educational attitude. These points can constitute a
way of living the Gospel and condition which makes the proclamation of
the Good News in the institution credible.
111 This section was written Commission for National Pastoral Animation in 2007. it
is extracted from the 2007.11 CNAC sheet: Pédagogie en Pastorale & Pastorale en Péd-
agogie. Site : http://ec-ressources.fr/ item: Commissions nationales >CNAP
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1. The educational content
• Report about the programs
Although the programs are defined, the implementation is none the
less different from one teacher to another,
- because their formulation is at a general level;
- because they deliberately leave the choice up to the teacher;
- because everyone interprets them accordingly.
This indicates, therefore, the latitude that an educator has in his or her
class and it shows that, even by just reading the program, neutrality
does not exist. This is the case regarding issues such as: What concep-
tion of the person and of society do these programs reveal? is the pro-
gram consistent to its own concept? How consistent is it with the edu-
cational plan of the school?
• The textbooks
One must be equally vigilant about how textbooks integrate the pro-
grams: their content, the choices made, anthropology, and even the un-
derlying ideology …
2. The pedagogy
To attain the goals of Catholic education, it is important that educa-
tion contributes to the integral formation of the person.
Some paths:
• Foster a pedagogy of success
- through confidence building
- through progressive learning and a pedagogy that provides the time
- through formative evaluation
- through pedagogy of contract
• Exercise the pedagogy of proximity
- through the knowledge of the student, of his or her family and soci-
ological context
- through the introduction of time to listen, to share, to regulate
• Practice a pedagogy of inquiry
- which develops critical thinking
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- which opens to existential questioning through extracurricular ac-
tivities, witnesses …
- which promotes learning from one’s curiosity, critical thinking
- which makes the content as objects of reflection and judgment and
not just of memorisation…
• Develop interiority and sensitivity
- by providing moments of silence
- by fostering sensitivity to beauty, through works of art and of music
- by expanding opportunities for autonomy
- by introducing time for reflection regarding one’s experiences
• Educating for life in society
- through openness to the realities of the city and the world
- through learning how to work as a team, the democratic func-
tioning, life in an association
- through the development of the sense of morality and of gratuity
• Take into account the physical development and affective maturity
- cultivating the desire to excel through sport
- putting in place a genuine affective and sexual education
3. The educational attitude
The educational attitude represents a third level of analysis and of ac-
tion in education. There are four paths:
• Faith in the educational potential of students
Whatever his capacity, or the marks of the child or youth, it is a matter
of believing in his or her possibilities to progress. This does not pre-
vent one from realistically proposing relevant stages
• Capacity to listen, dialogue, mental availability
This corresponds to the ability to decentralise, to listen without trying
to always want to give advice, to respond, to make the effort to mo-
mentarily forget one’s own concerns.
• Being an adult before a child or youth
This requires to be in authority not by statute but by virtue of one’s ex-
pertise and one’s person, which means to have personal exigencies, to
be happy with oneself. This requires unity among the teaching staff,
an ability to work as a team.
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• Be clear about their educational options and those of the institution
This requires reflection on one’s concept of the teaching profession, a
knowledge of the educational plan of the school and of Catholic Edu-
cation, of the guidelines of the Diocesan Catholic Education Office
and, where applicable, of the charism of the Congregation.
III. Situate initial proclamation in the pastoral context
III-1. Initial proclamation and pastoral animation
in order to situate initial proclamation in the context of the whole pas-
toral animation of the Catholic institution, it is appropriate to adopt the
four axes of pastoral animation specified in the policy document on
“School Pastoral Assistant “ adopted by the CNEC in November 2007.
- Axis 1. Make the school a place of education animated by the
Gospel spirit
- Axis 2. Offer to each and everyone the opportunity to discover
Christ
- Axis 3. Make available to all those who wish suitable ways to grow
in faith
- Axis 4. Integrate the Catholic institution and its activities in the life
of the Local Church
initial proclamation corresponds to the second axis, but relies on the
first which gives it credibility to take up the above proposals.
These two lines do not exhaust all the religious and spiritual needs of
young people. it is important that the institution make internal or external
proposals for those who wish to go further. This is the meaning of axes 3
and 4.
III-2. Initial proclamation and catechesis in Catholic institution
• Initial proclamation
in the “National Document” Catholic educational institutions are ex-
plicitly invited, as part of their mission in the Church, to participate in the
“initial proclamation” as are families and ecclesial movements.
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“We call each of these places and clusters to develop even further the con-
cern which already animates it with regard to faith, in accepting to assume
this form of ministry of the word called “initial proclamation”112.
• Catechesis
Conversely catechesis implies guidelines and diocesan organisation
“Local characteristics, available resources or constraints of geographical
location may also cause them to organise systematic catechesis by modules.
The bishop will then specify the diocesan catechetical project how these
clusters are organised with local Christian communities. The mission state-
ment of the person responsible will mention this. A Catholic institution
which welcomes children from numerous scattered parishes, a movement or
a chaplaincy of public education may be led to organise catechesis in re-
sponse to requests for baptism, first holy communion or confirmation. Ec-
clesial coherence of catechetical action requires again a diocesan agree-
ment which specifies the conditions for such responsibility.”
initial proclamation is, therefore, inherent in the mission of Catholic
schools, catechesis is subject to the diocesan plan, to human and material
capacity of the institution to organise it, as well as to requests addressed to it.
In Conclusion
The documents of the Church remind us that the Catholic institution
fulfils its mission as Church by being a school with classes which are rig-
orous and of high standards. its mission is essentially a mission of service
(diakonia) of education. it is at the heart of this mission in society that it
should proclaim what keeps us living as believers.
if catechesis is part of a global organisation at the diocesan level and
may not be compulsory to persons as it is based on a free adhesion, it is
equally clear that initial proclamation is an integral part the mission of the
Catholic institution. it participates in a specific manner in the mission of
the Church which is to evangelise, that takes into account its particular
mission – the mission of education - which is somehow its “own char-
acter” in the Church.
112 TNOCF, p.81
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initial proclamation will bear fruit if an overall climate makes it cred-
ible and relevant. it will bear fruit if it bears witness to truth invigorating
oneself through a personal and collective return to the sources. it will
bear fruit if there is an effort to form in order to foster a “structured, ra-
tional, explicit and adapted formulation of the faith.”113
113 TNOCF, p.81
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Appendix
4
Nurturing the Faith
Excerpts from the Pastoral Letter of the Bishops
of Papua New Guinea & Solomon Islands on Catechetical Renewal
Evangelisation is the process of leading all to know and share in the
life of Christ through the proclamation of the Gospel. it has many ele-
ments like, among others, witness of life, first proclamation, witnessing
the love of Christ through the practice of charity and catechesis. We must
however remember that “there is no true evangelisation if the name the
teaching the life, the promises, the Kingdom and the mystery of Jesus of
Nazareth are not proclaimed” (Paul vi, Evangelisation in the Modern
World no. 22).
A New evangelisation
The way of Jesus is always the path of mission. He is now inviting us
to proclaim the Gospel anew, so that culture and Gospel proclamation
will meet in ways that enrich each other. in this way the Good News will
be heard, believed and lived more deeply by our peoples. This must be
done in faithfulness to the tradition of the Church, and in a truly Melane-
sian way that flows from the very heart and soul of our peoples and so
has the power to change our communities for the better (Pastoral Letter
on the General Assembly).
Evangelisation will bear fruit when a person turns away from sin and
undergoes a change of mind and heart and decides to follow Jesus.
Meeting with the Risen Christ brings a person to conversion of heart.
Once people believe and have changed their lives, they are ready for cat-
echesis. A renewed catechesis will bring about a new evangelisation in
Papua New Guinea and the Solomon islands.
Our common experience shows that if we want to plant a tree we pre-
pare the ground and plant the seed and water it regularly until it grows.
Once it has roots it will somehow survive on its own. However, if we
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want this tree to bear abundant fruit we still have to fertilise it regularly,
and clean around its trunk. Only this hard work will assure us of a good
harvest. We know that if we don’t take care of it, it will not bear much
fruit.
When the first missionaries came to our countries they planted the
seed. We call this the first proclamation. The tree has grown now, but it
still needs care and nourishment. We call this catechesis. Catechesis has a
very important role: inspire people to live according to Gospel values. A
renewed catechesis will help us to be a Church alive in Christ.
What is Catechesis?
Catechesis is an important element in our work of evangelisation. it is
the process of helping the believer to know, contemplate and celebrate the
mystery of Jesus Christ. its main aim is to help people come into a per-
sonal relationship with Jesus. Catechesis helps conversion to grow into a
living faith. People converted as adults and those baptised as infants all
need on-going catechesis to accompany their lifelong journey in the
Christian community.
Characteristics of a renewed Catechesis
Our catechetical renewal has five important characteristics:
1. Catechesis must be Christ-centred.
it leads us to contemplate Christ’s face (NMi 16) and to be in per-
sonal relationship with him.
2. Catechesis must be rooted in the Word of God.
Familiarity with the Bible through prayerful use, sharing and study,
is essential for our Christian life. ‘ignorance of the Scriptures’,
says St. Jerome, ‘is ignorance of Christ’ (NMi 17).
3. Catechesis must be authentically Melanesian.
We use tools, methods and expressions of our local cultures in
Papua New Guinea and Solomon islands because the Catholic faith
is transmitted and expressed through our people’s cultures.
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4. Catechesis must be systematic.
The whole of the Catholic faith must be presented in an ordered
and programmed way
5. Catechesis must bear witness to the Kingdom of God.
Catechesis bears fruit when Christians radiate the joy of a life with
Jesus.
Those To Be Catechised
Adulthood is when we make important choices in life. Therefore, al-
though catechesis accompanies us through all the stages of life, Adult cat-
echesis is of greatest importance as it is at this stage in life that we make
real faith options. Adult catechesis aims at helping adults to understand
and live the faith they received at Baptism. The faith of adults needs to be
continually enlightened, developed and protected so that it may give
sense, unity and hope to their many experiences. The catechesis of adults
is a priority because it is adults who are capable of a fully responsible
faith.
The catechumenate is an important expression of adult catechesis. it
is a time of catechesis or formation in faith for catechumens accompanied
by liturgical rites called Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). Be-
cause it is so important for all to receive a good Christian formation, the
catechumenate for new Christians must last at least one (1) year in all
our dioceses, though this length of time may not be necessary for Chris-
tians from mainline churches who desire to be accepted in the Catholic
Church.
it is only when our catechetical programs for children, adolescents,
youth and young adults is effective that adults will feel the need to con-
tinue in their faith development. Young people need a particular catech-
esis which addresses problems affecting their lives like the formation of
conscience, education to love, involvement in society and vocational
guidance. in this light pre-sacramental catechesis for Baptism, First Holy
Communion, Confirmation and Marriage should be given great impor-
tance.
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We must not forget that we as Church are called to reach out to
people in special situations: the disabled, handicapped, seriously sick and
the elderly; the marginalised like drug addicts, prisoners and victims of
Hiv/AiDS; the workers, professionals, politicians, members of the police
and military, artists and university students, lapsed Catholics, etc. We are
all challenged to organise adequate catechetical programmes that respond
to their situations. Catechesis and a programme of re-entry may be neces-
sary for Catholics who have left and now decide to come back to the
Church.
Catechesis is also important for old people. For those who have a rich
and solid faith catechesis brings to fulfilment their journey of faith. For
others who live a faith weakened by a poor Christian life, catechesis be-
comes for them a moment of new light and religious experience.[…]
[…] Blessed Peter ToRot is a shining example of a person who has
given his life to bear witness to Jesus. He lived his vocation as a catechist
with great commitment. As a catechist he shed his life in defence of the
holiness of the sacrament of Marriage. His example is an invitation to all
of us to take to heart the work of catechesis. in this light the first week of
July will be celebrated every year as national Catechetical Week which
culminates on or around the feast of our first Melanesian martyr. This will
be a privileged occasion for each parish and Diocese to highlight the im-
portance of the ministry of catechesis and recognise those involved in this
ministry. […]
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Appendix
5
Catholic Schools at a Crossroads
Excerpts from the Pastoral Letter of the Bishops of NSW and the ACT
Catholic education is at a crossroads. Changing circumstances have
radically affected the composition and role of the Catholic school in re-
cent years. in this Pastoral letter the Bishops of New South Wales and
the Australian Capital Territory (NSW-ACT) invite Catholic educational
leaders, staff and parents, as well as the broader Catholic community, to
join with us in reflecting upon the future of Catholic schools in NSW-
ACT. We here reaffirm our commitment to Catholic education, while at
the same time challenging all those involved to embrace the new evange-
lisation to which our schools are called in this new century.
The Catholic Bishops of NSW-ACT invite all those involved in
Catholic education – our educational leaders and staff, clergy and reli-
gious, parents and parish communities – to dedicate themselves to en-
suring that our schools:
• are truly Catholic in their identity and life
• are centres of ‘the new evangelisation’
• enable our students to achieve high levels of ‘Catholic religious lit-
eracy’
• are led and staffed by people who will contribute to these goals.
Identity of the Catholic School
Much has been written in previous Church documents and elsewhere
on the identity of the Catholic school and we need not repeat that here.
Put simply: the Catholic school is the principal educational arm of
Catholic families, parishes and the wider Church for those generally aged
under eighteen. it is there to assist parents and parishes in their educa-
tional, evangelical and catechetical mission, as well as to help the wider
community in its educational and civic service.
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it is for this reason that the Church remains committed to ensuring
that there is a ‘critical mass’ of Catholic students in our schools, even
though we also readily welcome students from other religious back-
grounds. We exhort our school leaders to re-examine how they might
maximise enrolment of Catholic students, including those from socio-
economic bands and ethnic and special needs groups currently underrep-
resented in their schools. Parish schools should continue to seek out and
give preference to the children of their own parishioners, then to other
Catholic children especially from the surrounding district, then to other
Christian children, before offering any additional available places to chil-
dren of other religious backgrounds. Regional secondary schools and
Congregational schools should apply similar principles. However, much
more is required for a genuinely Catholic school than just a preponder-
ance of students from Catholic families.
it is essential that:
• leaders and staff understand, and are solidly committed to, the
Catholic identity of the school
• the Religious Education (RE) curriculum is sound, attractive and
professionally taught by teachers with appropriate RE qualifications
• other disciplines also consider the Catholic dimension of their sub-
ject areas
• schools are Eucharistic communities within the parish context
where, as far as possible, students regularly take part in Mass and
Reconciliation
• schools continue to be places of prayer, including prayer at assem-
blies, in classes and in other staff and student meetings, and places
where practices are encouraged such as Scripture reflections, the
Angelus, Eucharistic adoration and prayerful silences
• schools are places cultivating a Catholic imagination, where prayer
and liturgy are supported by a Catholic visual culture, including cru-
cifixes and pictures of Our lady and the saints
• schools are connected to their local parish(es) and diocese, through
inviting the periodic presence of the bishop, clergy, religious and
parents in the school, and through active collaboration with the
wider Catholic community
• families and parishes support their schools in these important en-
deavours.
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Catholic Schools as Centres of ‘the new evangelisation’
in his Encyclical on the Church’s Mission John Paul ii said: “i sense
that the moment has come to commit all the Church’s energies to a new
evangelisation.” (Redemptoris Missio, 1990) This call was the antiphon
of his pontificate as he called the Church to preach the Gospel anew in
previously Christian communities which were falling away from the
Gospel in the face of secularisation and other cultural change. in his
Apostolic Exhortation on Catechesis the Pope explained that the defini-
tive aim of evangelisation “is to put people not only in touch but in com-
munion, in intimacy, with Jesus Christ: only He can lead us to the love of
the Father in the Spirit and make us share in the life of the Holy Trinity.”
(Catechesi Tradendæ, 1979) in this John Paul ii echoed his predecessors
such as Paul vi, whose own Encyclical on Evangelisation in the Modern
World, Evangelii Nuntiandi (1975), remains a classic on this topic. This
emphasis on evangelisation and catechesis has been reiterated by Pope
Benedict Xvi and by Church leaders around the world.
Evangelisation means proclaiming the Good News of salvation in
Jesus Christ. its goal is bringing people to faith through a personal en-
counter with Him. it is to be distinguished from catechesis, which in-
volves deepening and instructing that faith already received. in his Post-
Synodal Apostolic Exhortation on Jesus Christ and the Peoples of
Oceania, John Paul ii noted that:
Living the life of Jesus Christ implies…a living spirituality and authentic
morality, strengthened by the word of God in Scripture and celebrated in the
Sacraments of the Church. When Christians live the life of Christ with
deeper faith, their hope grows stronger and their charity more radiant. That
was the goal of the Synod, and it is the goal of the new evangelisation to
which the Spirit is summoning the whole Church…The present generation of
Christians is called and sent now to accomplish a new evangelisation among
the peoples of Oceania, a fresh proclamation of the enduring truth evoked by
the symbol of the Southern Cross. This call to mission poses great chal-
lenges, but it also opens new horizons, full of hope and even a sense of ad-
venture. (Ecclesia in Oceania 2001, 8 and 13)
The ‘sense of adventure’ inspired by the new evangelisation is all the
more urgent in the context of growing numbers of non-practising
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Catholics, under-catechised Catholics and other-than-Catholic students in
our schools. All Christians receive the gift of faith at Baptism, and many
others carry “the seeds of faith” within their hearts. But many of them
need the Gospel to be proclaimed to them anew. This is not a matter of
proselytising or “forcing beliefs down students’ throats”– quite the con-
trary. Genuine faith cannot be imposed: it is freely received or rejected. if
we are “up front” about our educational and catechetical goals with any
prospective student, teacher or parent, while encouraging students to en-
gage with open hearts and reasoning minds, then we are fully justified in
engaging in activities of witness, formation and service.
if Catholic schools are to be centres of the new evangelisation:
• the life and activity in the school would be the context for a per-
sonal encounter with Christ and would promote, and never contra-
dict, the teachings of the Church
• all those involved in our schools would appreciate their roles in re-
ceiving and proclaiming the Good News by word and deed, and by
the example of their lives
• students would participate in RE classes, liturgies, retreats and
prayers which are, as far as possible, tailored to their place in the
journey of faith, addressing the core of our faith and inviting a re-
sponse
• special programs would be developed for students who first enter a
Catholic school later than Kindergarten (for instance in Year 7) and
may not have received much prior religious education
• schools would work with their local parish(es) to establish programs
for initiating children
and young adults into the Church
• other efforts would be pursued to integrate the activity of our pri-
mary and secondary schools with the life of the surrounding
parish(es) and diocese, so that our young people are given a sense of
belonging to a wider Church beyond their family and school
• consideration would be given to the desirability of establishing
Catholic pre-schools, with catechesis appropriate to this crucial
stage in faith formation
• every effort would be made to engage our students and young
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teachers in preparations for, participation in and enrichment after
major religious events such as World Youth Day
• families and parishes would back up and support their schools in all
these activities.
Passing on Catholic faith, life and Culture
Evangelisation is crucial, but not enough. Faith, like a seed newly
planted in the soil of the human heart, needs water and light. That is why
our schools must deepen and instruct the faith once received. We call this
catechesis or religious instruction. Faith must also be supported by the re-
ligious culture of the school so that it will be practised in worship, voca-
tion and action in the world.
it is sometimes observed that many young people emerge from our
schools with insufficient knowledge of the Catholic faith or interest in
practising it. Of course seeds of faith may have been planted that will
only show forth fruit later in their lives. Nor is this solely the responsi-
bility of the school: society, parishes, families and the young themselves
also bear the burden of this trend. The Catholic school is well placed,
however, to support young people, teachers and families to grow in their
knowledge and love for the Catholic tradition. As some teachers have re-
ceived limited faith formation themselves, they need particular support
and professional development. We commit our Catholic Education Of-
fices and parishes to providing this where possible.
Young people in our schools and their families deserve no less than
the fullness of “the faith that comes to us from the apostles”. (Eucharistic
Prayer I) Therefore enthusiasm for social justice, ecology, the charism of
the founder or some particular school initiative must always be situated
within the broader context of Catholic faith and morals. it must never
eclipse the building of a relationship with Jesus Christ and his Church.
No student should leave our Catholic schools without knowing the essen-
tials of Catholic teaching as found in the Catechism of the Catholic
Church and its Compendium, and all catechetical programs and RE texts
should build upon these.
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if Catholic schools are to succeed in passing on the Catholic faith to
the next generation:
• schools will have as their goal the formation of Christian disciples,
with appropriate world view, character and behaviour
• RE curriculum, methodologies, texts and other resources will be
chosen to ensure that by the end of their schooling students know
the core teachings of our faith, our Scriptures, history and tradition
(‘Catholic religious literacy’) and how these are to be lived in the
world
• in particular, students will be brought to a knowledge and, as far as
possible, love of the person, life and teachings of Christ and of the
Trinitarian God of love
• students will also be brought to a knowledge and love of the People
of God, the Church, who join them in their pilgrimage through life
and support them through the Word of God and the Sacraments
• students will be prepared for the challenges to their faith that may
come while still at school or after they have left school
• RE classes will therefore be given priority with regard to the school
curriculum, time and space allocation and the choice and recogni-
tion of staff
• there will be demonstrations of Catholic religious literacy through
appropriate assessment and religious activities
• our schools will also seek to involve parents and families in the
process of evangelising and catechising their children, seeking in
the process also to educate those families in the faith.
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List of Participants
SDB
Fr. václav KlEMENT
Fr. Alfred MARAvillA
Fr. Heraldo BOSqUEZ
Fr. John CABRiDO
Fr. Elio CAPRA
Fr. Dominic KACHiRA
Fr. Albert lENON
Fr. Eduardo REvillA
fMA
Sr. Alaíde DERETTi
Sr. Mercedes AlvARES
Sr. Margaret BENTlEY
Sr. Alicia FUlGENCiO
Sr. Sarah GARCiA
Sr. Anna Maria GERvASONE
Sr. Josefina iMPEliDO
Sr. Juliet DE lEON
Sr. Annie SAliGUMBA
Sr. Eleanor SAMSON
Sr. Pamela vECiNA
Sr. Thuy Trinh vU PHUONG
SAleSIAn fAMIly
Sr. Florentina CHO SCG
Sr. Azaria lEE KYUNG HE SCG
Mr. Thomas RAivET (ACS)
Ms. Dianne lAvi (DBPP)
Mr. George iSOAiMO (DBPP)
Fr. Franco ZOCCA SvD
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Publications of the SDB Missions Department
(by title and year of publication)
1. Il Missionario (1980)
2. Salesian Africa (1986)
3. Pastoral Amazonica. Semana de Estudos Missionarios - Camp Grande (1986)
4. Evangelization in India. Study sessions for the Salesian Family on Evangelization in
Tribal Areas of India - Shillong (1987)
5. Africa Salesiana. Visita d’Insieme - lusaka (1988)
6. Spiritualità Missionaria Salesiana I. La Concezione Missionaria di Don Bosco
(1988)
7. Spiritualità Missionaria Salesiana II. L’Educazione Cristiana e Missionaria di Don
Bosco (1988)
8. Salesian Missionary Spirituality III. Prayer and the Salesian Missionary (1988)
9. Espiritualidad Misionera Salesiana IV. The Ideal of Mission (1988)
10. Spiritualité Missionnaire Salésienne V. The Missionary Project of the Salesians of
Don Bosco (1988)
11. Pastorale Salesiana in Contesto Islamico (1989)
12. Animazione Missionaria Salesiana II. Secondo Incontro di Studi per DIAM - Madrid
(1989)
13. Pastoral Mapuche. Encuentro DIAM Salesiano - Junin de los Andes (1989)
14. The Far East. Cultures, Religions, and Evangelization- Hua Hin (1989)
15. Lettura Missionaria di “Educate i Giovani alla Fede” CG XXIII. Incontro di Procu-
ratori e DIAM dell’ Europa - Roma (1991)
16. Animación Misionera Salesiana. Primer Encuentro de DIAM de America Latina -
lima (1991)
17. Missionary Animation. First Meeting of the PDMA for Asia and Australia - Banga-
lore (1992)
18. Spiritualité Missionnaire Salésienne, Les Jeunes Africains en Quête de Leur Identité.
Séminaire d’Animation - Yaounde (1992)
19. Evangelización y Cultura en el Contexto de Pastoral Amazonica. Seminario de Ani-
mación - Cumbayá (1993)
20. Evangelización y Cultura en el Contexto de Pastoral Andina. Seminario de Anima-
ción - Cumbayá (1993)
21. Evangelización y Cultura en el Contexto de Pastoral Mapuche. Seminario de Ani-
mación - Ruca Choroi (1993)
22. Evangelization and Interreligious Dialogue. Missionary Animation Seminar - Bat-
ulao (1994)
23. Evangelization and Interreligious Dialogue. Missionary Animation Seminar - Hy-
derabad (1994)
24. Evangelización y Cultura en el Contexto de Pastoral. Seminario de Animación -
Mexico (1994)
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25. The Volunteer Movement and Salesian Mission (1995)
26. Educare alla Dimensione Missionaria (1995)
27. Presenze dei Salesiani in Africa (directory published annually from 1986 to1996)
28. Church - Communion and Mutual Missionary Relationship. Missionary Animation
Seminar - Addis Ababa (1997)
29. Incontro Europeo DIAM - Roma (1997)
30. National Missionary Animation Meeting for PDMA - Mumbai (1997)
31. Manual for the Province Delegate for Missionary Animation (1998)
32. Uniqueness of Salvation in Jesus Christ and Need of Primary Evangelization. Ani-
mation and Missionary Formation Seminar SDB-FMA East Asia Oceania - Hua Hin
(1998)
33. Missionary Praxis and Primary Evangelization. Animation and Missionary Forma-
tion Seminar SDB-FMA - Calcutta (1999)
34. Seminário de Pastoral em Contexto Afro-Americano. Seminario de Animação e For-
mação Missionária-Belo Horizonte (1999)
35. G. Ballin, I Fioretti d’un Missionario. Paraguay Cuore d’America (1999)
36. Le Projet-Afrique face au Defi de la Première Evangelisation et de la Phase de
Consolidation. Seminaire d’Animation et de Formation Missionnaire-Yaounde-
Mbealmayo (1999)
37. La Primera Evangelización en Diálogo Intercultural. Experiencias y Formación de
Catecquistas. Seminario de Animación y Formación Misionera en el Contexto Pa-
storal Andino y Mesoamericana - Cumbayá (2000)
38. Seminário Sobre a Práxis Missionaria na Região Amazônica. Seminario de Ani-
mação e Formação Missionária - Manaus (2000)
39. Missionari nel Paese del Sol Levante Discepoli di Don Cimatti. Figure che Parlano
ancora (2000)
40. P. Baldisserotto, Rio de Agua Viva. Cartas de Pe. Antonio Scolaro Para a Missão e
Testemunho (2000)
41. Sprazzi di Vita. Figure che Parlano Ancora (2000)
42. Project Africa Between the Challenges of First Evangelization and the Phase of
Consolidation. Animation and Missionary Formation Seminar SDB-FMA – Nairobi
(2001)
43. Seminario di Animazione e Formazione Missionaria. SDB-FMA in Contesto Isla-
mico - Roma (2001)
44. Presenza Salesiana SDB-FMA in Contesto Ortodosso. Seminario di Animazione e
Formazione Missionaria - Roma (2002)
45. Salesian Family Missionary Seminar. Mission Animation Notes 1 - Port Moresby
(2005)
46. East Asia and the Challenges of Mission Ad Gentes. Salesian Family Missionary
Seminar. Mission Animation Notes 2 - Hua Hin (2005)
47. Planning and Development Office. Proceedings of the Seminar - Rome (2005)
48. Les Defis de la Mission Ad Gentes en Afrique. Seminaire de Missiologie de la Fa-
mille Salesienne. Animation Notes 3 - Kinshasa (2006)
49. Mission Ad Gentes Today in Africa. Challenges to Mission Ad Gentes in the English
Speaking Provinces of Africa in the Light of the Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in
Africa. Mission Animation Notes 4 - Nairobi (2006)
50. Pueblos Indigínas y Evangelización. V Encuentro de Misioneras y Misioneros Sale-
sianos en Contextos Pluriculturales – Cumbayá (2006)
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51. Project Africa [1980-2005] (2006)
52. Impegno Salesiano nel Mondo Islamico. Dossier (2008)
53. Voluntary Service in the Salesian Mission (2008)
54. Mantén Viva tu Llamada Misionera. II Seminario Americano de Animación Misio-
nera SDB-FMA - Cumbayá (2012)
55. Planning and Development Office at the Service of the Salesian Charism in the
Province - Hyderabad (2012)
56. Provincial Mission Office at the Service of the Salesian Charism - Bonn (2012).
57. Study Days on the Salesian Mission and Frontier Situations and Initial Proclama-
tion in Europe Today - Prague (2013)
58. Study Days on the Salesian Presence Among Muslims (2013)
59. Study days on the Salesian Mission and the Initial Proclamation of Christ in
Oceania in the Context of Traditional Religions and Cultures and Cultures in the
Process of Secularisation – Port Moresby (2013)
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Tipolitografia Istituto Salesiano Pio XI - via Umbertide, 11 - 00181 Roma
Tel. 067827819 • tipolito@donbosco.it
Finito di stampare: giugno 2013