austraLasia 1596
Salesian Cooperators Association: Don
Bosco's Helpers
VATICAN CITY, JUNE 27, 2006.-
This item is a 'rare' one - rare from the point of view that
austraLasia rarely uses material 'lifted' straight from another
agency. But this one may be a useful animation item and
discussion point. Salesian Cooperators have varying degrees of
development, even of acceptance, in parts of the Region. How do
others see them? Here is one example.
(Zenit.org) Here is the description
of the Salesian Cooperators Association which
appears in the Directory of International Associations of the Faithful,
published by the Pontifical Council for the Laity.
Official name: Salesian Cooperators Association
Acronymn: ACS (Associazione Cooperatori Salesiani)
Also known as: Salesian Cooperators
Established: 1841
History: The Salesian Cooperators date back to the origins of
Don
Bosco's apostolic project to help poor, abandoned boys: the Oratories.
From the early days in Turin, he engaged men and women of different
backgrounds and places to help him, within the bounds of their
possibilities.
As he expanded his work he realized not only that he was
increasingly in need of cooperators (including priests, but above all
lay people) linked to the Salesian mission, but also to form an
association for them in order to give greater power to their work.
Initially, he wanted them to be "extern" members of the
Congregation of St. Francis de Sales, with a specific legal status in
the congregation's constitutions. The Holy See rejected this proposal,
and he decided to organize them in the Pious Union of Salesian
Cooperators (today's ACS), with its own regulations which were approved
by Pius IX in 1876.
The membership grew rapidly, and with their active help, the
cooperators made it possible to create and develop workshops for arts
and crafts, mutual aid societies, farm projects, printing shops, day
and evening schools, oratories, homes and shelters, missions and
orphanages.
In 1895 the first International Congress of Cooperators empowered
them to contribute to resolving the great social issues created by the
advent of industrialization. This work, based on the very ideals of
freedom, justice and fellowship which are themselves Christian values,
to this day continues in the business world, schools, social work,
politics and the media.
Identity: The Regulations of Apostolic Life were drawn up in
1986.
Faithful to the ideas of the founder, they followed the magisterium of
the Second Vatican Council and set out the identity of cooperators as
humanly mature people; convinced practicing Christians; laity aware of
their vocation as baptized Christians called to take part in the
mission of the Church in the world; authentic Salesians striving for
holiness, sharing and bringing their concern for education everywhere,
a key element in Don Bosco's apostolic project.
The founding element of their experience of faith and the way they
live and conduct themselves is "being Salesians," namely, possessing
that heritage of spiritual and educational values bequeathed by Don
Bosco and by Mother Maria Domenica Mazzarello (co-founder with Don
Bosco of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians)
which leads them to give pride of place to the following areas of
action:
-- the family, to foster its growth as a community of persons founded
on love and educational relations;
-- the school and educational institutions, to provide a
comprehensive education to young people through a pedagogy imbued with
the Salesian spirit;
-- youth centers, to promote the healthy and creative use of free
time, receptive to such values as friendship, solidarity, and
commitment to others;
-- the parish and the oratory, to cooperate in animating youth groups,
combining education with evangelization;
-- social communication, which creates culture and disseminates
models of living among the people so as to bring the love for truth,
concern for education, and preference for positive messages into the
world of the mass media;
-- politics, social services;
-- voluntary service, to make the institutions more attentive to
the common good, to young people, to the idea of prevention in order to
solve problems;
-- the world of labor, to bear witness and promote an ethic of
service, solidarity with the weakest and concern for the needs of the
unemployed, moving beyond the rationale of pure economic efficiency.
Organization: The basic unit of the ACS is the center, which
groups
together the cooperators working in a given territory, forming the
living cell of the association, and the place for formative and
operational exchange. The life and work of the center are governed and
animated by the local council.
Centers are grouped by province, and are accountable to the
Salesians' inspectorate (province), and animated by the Inspectorate
Council. The country or region which ensures contact and communion
between the various inspectorates is created as a national conference
in countries with a large number of cooperators (Italy, Spain, Poland
and Argentina), and as a regional conference in countries like India
and Brazil.
The world convention, made up of one member elected for each region
of the Salesian Congregation, and five members appointed by the rector
major, is responsible for animating the whole association and
coordinating the educational and apostolic activities under the
guidance of the rector major.
Membership: ACS has a membership of about 30,000, and is present
in
58 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania and South
America.
Works: Salesian cooperators generally place themselves at the
service of the works of the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB) [note: Zenit
had us as SOB!], sometimes
holding posts of responsibility. In some situations, particularly in
the Third World, they manage oratories, schools and family hostels.
Publications: "Salesiani cooperatores," published every two
months in four languages.
Web site: www.sdb.org
Headquarters:
Associazione Cooperatori Salesiani
Via della Pisana, 1111
00163 Roma -- Italy
Tel. (39) 066-5612636 -- Fax (39) 066-5612556
E-mail: cooperatori@sdb.org
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