austraLasia #1864

KOR Cooperator growth now focusing on quality

SEOUL: 5th June 2007 -- The Salesian Cooperators Association in Korea has been numerically strong (500 members in 39 centres) for a long period, and continues to be so, but a recent 23rd May joint meeting of the ASC Provincial Council in Seoul with the SDB Provincial Council and all the Rectors of the province emphasised another kind of growth - in quality.  The quality discussed was that relating to formation, mission and a degree of maturity now in the Association's 'autonomy in communion'.

    As expressed in the words of the main speaker, the executive secretary Gabriel Kim,  'We need to be more deeply rooted in order to grow in every sense. Without the zealous help of SDB/FMA delegates at the moment, its seems quite difficult. Also the will of the Founder, to be truly 'external Salesians' is pointing us in this direction'.  As the key to this growth, the right contribution of the SDB/FMA Delegates (in the majority of the situations a function exercised by rectors) seems be crucial: a word from the SDB or FMA Delegates tends to get things moving at times. A similar meeting with the FMA Sisters took place in April.    

    At both meetings the provincial coordinator (John Kim) and four other members of the council were present, and they shared frankly their vision of the proper role and contribution of Consecrated Salesian members to ASC growth (input on formation, local centre life, apostolate at the association level, financial solidarity within the association) all within the 2001-2008 guidelines of the ASC called  'Autonomy in Communion'.  A number of questions were raised: the role of the delegate (spiritual director?) and 'accompaniment', what kind of 'distance' there should be between the delegate and the centre (the question of autonomy); what do when members retire from the Association simply because they have retired from some active involvement in the Salesian work they are associated with.  A question specific to the Korean situation was the desirability or otherwise of them registering the Association as an NGO for civil society recognition.
    The meetings have been especially appropriate given the formal promulgation of the new Project of Apostolic Life and the revised Regulations - along with the Rector Major's insistence that the ASC are an integral part of Don Bosco's apostolic movement.  The days of devotional group, benefactor, Don Bosco 'sympathiser' should be far behind us as far as ASC members are concerned.  But the Seoul meeting recognised that this only becomes the case through formation.  Indeed, the new PAL and Regulations will shortly be available in Korean translation and the 10 year old formation programme is due for thorough revision.
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