austraLasia 1694

European Youth Ministry and Mission delegates - something to say to EAO?

ROME: 22nd November 2006 -- A meeting of some 150 delegates involved in Youth Ministry and Missions in Salesian settings in Europe has just concluded. And yes, Europe is mission territory, as evidenced in many ways even at the meeting, including Asian Rectors of European Salesian communities. Unusually for such a meeting, the Rector Major 'sat in' for most of the four days, offering a formal reflection at the beginning and a letter to accompany the meeting's conclusions to the provinces at the end.  But since the austraLasia correspondent was also present a good part of the time to help with translation, it occurred to him that this bringing together of many who have 'mani in pasta' in Salesian activity throughout the entire European continent, was a veritable powerhouse of material, any amount of it touching on youth ministry and mission elsewhere, including our own region.
    Possibly more than one location in EAO can empathise with the elements from the socio-religious analysis which ran along the following lines: an ever more secularised environment of religious indifference; an environment replete with questions of a fundamental kind (meaning of life, pain, death...); a point of view which sees Church,  faith as lacking in meaning, sidelined, indeed obstacles to full human development and a hindrance to human freedom; radical changes in the understanding of family, its role in society, education to faith of children, family breakup; circumstances marked by emigration/immigration, religious pluralism, imbalance in quality of life for poorer nations.
    The Salesian responses from the meeting were one which the Rector Major says, in his final letter, "are in perfect harmony with the path indicated already in the letter convoking GC26".  The conclusions took the view that Salesians, like Don Bosco, should have no truck with complaining about all these woes, hoping for a return to some nostalgic past. Instead the very first step is to be fully convinced, joyful witnesses as individuals and communities, believing that the Risen Lord goes before us in each situation as He did for the disciples who found him in Galilee. The participants committed their provinces to rolling up their sleeves, adopting new and more explicit approaches to evangelisation, especially in the situation of 'first proclamation' they believe they now find themselves in. And they accept that new approaches to evangelisation require new evangelisers - those who believe they can evangelise in this situation to begin with, who do not give way to discouragement, who network.
    The hard work begins now!  A number of practical new approaches were shared at the meeting - some very innovative ones. A number of provinces which formerly had little contact with each other across Europe's vast spaces have set up combined opportunities to share approaches, even resources, on similar problems (facing up to the evangelisation of Gyspy communities in central Europe, but extending out to other parts of Europe now, is one such instance). And, as Fr Van Hecke, Regional for North Europe, remarked on several occasions, East met West in Europe in real terms on this occasion, perhaps understanding each other to a degree not achieved before.
    It seems to this writer, at least, that challenges, responses and 'East meeting West' or whatever other diverse contrasts one wishes to throw in, would make the 'Europe' document (a mere 3 pages, itself an achievement!) valuable reading for EAO as well.  Anyone want a copy?
GLOSSARY
mani in pasta:  literally 'hands in the pasta', or 'hands on'.
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