Brazil

Volunteers - missionaries of the young

1. History

In 1970 Fr Walter Ivan de Azevedo SDB (now a retired bishop), left for Porto Velho, in the then Brazilian State of Amazonas, with twelve people – including young lay people and young Salesians in formation.

In successive years the missionary expeditions continued in Amazonia, Mato Grosso, in Brazil. Later, (in 1990), after pastoral ministry experience and after having completed their university studies former students were also sent to Angola, in Africa.

In 1994 at San Paolo an experience of missionary voluntary service for adolescents began. These are adolescents who work and develop the missionary spirituality in their own communities. During the holidays they are sent to poor parishes in small towns in the State of San Paolo.

Salesian missionary voluntary service for young people over 18 years of age is undertaken during the holidays – in the month of January. After having done the Adolescent Missionary Service and being involved in the Salesian oratory, these young people are sent in groups into the «favelas» of the city of San Paolo. Having had this experience, the better prepared leave for the missionary expeditions in Amazonia, Mato Grosso and Angola.

2. Formation Plan

The formation process for the volunteers consists in three phases:

2.1. The study of the documents of the Church on missionary issues and further study of Salesianity, in which emphasis is given to the study of the history of the first missionaries, of the Preventive System, of the natives and the peoples on the river banks.

2.2. Deeper study of Salesian Youth Spirituality, starting from the booklets on the spirituality of the cross, Salesian Youth Missionary Spirituality – with the experience of Lectio Divina.

2.3. Follow-up and accompaniment – The adolescents and the young people meet together once a month for further study and clarifications. Every two months the Salesian Youth Ministry Delegate assesses the procedure and the preparation of the coordinators.

3 . Participation

Every year during the holidays in July and January, the Salesians (priests, brothers, Salesians in formation, lay people) accompany more than 800 adolescents and young people divided into different groups, in their experience of voluntary service in the missions.

3.1. On their return, some young people go to the seminary; others continue in their groups with a variety of pastoral work.

3.2. Each day the adolescents and the young people have an experience of voluntary service in the slums, orphanages, old peoples’ homes, care centres for poor children.

4. The Process

4.1 - Age

The chronological age of the stages of development of a person in Brazil is very different when it comes to dealing with children, adolescents and young people.

Adolescence is considered to be between 12 and 14 years of age.

Whereas a young person is between 15 and 25.

One enters the adult stage after 26 years of age.

Most young people marry between 22 and 28. In this way most of the young people in the Salesian Missionary Voluntary Service are between 15 and 22 years of age. The ones sent on the missionary expeditions to Africa are over 22 and are not married.

In Brazil there are 52 million young people. Of these, 70% are living in situations of social deprivation. Every year 18 thousand young people between 15 and 24 die.

The Provinces of Brazil organise Missionary Voluntary Service in a process of four stages:

1 – Missionary Childhood – from 10 to 12 years of age
2 - Missionary Adolescence – from 13 to 14 years of age
3 - Missionary Youth – 15 to 25 years of age
4 - Young Adult missionaries – over 26 years of age

4.2 – Stages of formation and content

4.2.1 – Child missionaries

The contents for this period of formation go from the catechesis for First Communion to the missionary aids of the CNBB (National Bishops’ Conference of Brazil).

Life of Dominic Savio, Michael Magone and Laura Vicuña.

4.2.2 - Adolescent missionaries

This stage consists in the “Course of Education to the Faith” (SDB and FMA - Conference in Brazil), the topics of which are: personal identity, meeting with Christ, being part on the Church, commitment to the Kingdom and the Spiritual Booklets of the SYS.

4.2.3 - Youth missionaries

Study of the documents of the Church such as Redemptoris Missio, the Aparecida Document, Lives of Salesian missionaries in Latin America and the Memoirs of the Oratory by Don Bosco.

4.2.4 - Young Adult Missionaries

Study of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Salesian Booklets, Sacred Scripture, campaign for SMD.

4.3 – Life of prayer

- Missionary Rosary - Divine Office of youth - Spirituality booklets SYS - Vocational Prayers - Lectio Divina – Mass - Confession

4.4 - Missionary Voluntary Service Activities

4.4.1 - Childhood

Small activities of voluntary service through collection of food campaigns, missionary drawings, Good mornings and Good Nights, missionary ‘gymkhanas’, campaigns for SMD.

4.4.2 – Adolescent missionaries

Small missionary activities in Salesian Centres, helping with repeat school exams, ‘sowing seeds of hope’ in state schools, campaign for SMD.

4.4.3 - Youth missionaries

Missionary weeks in diocesan parishes, missions in the month of October in Salesian parishes, missionary activities in the «favelas» of the large cities, missionary expedition in Amazonia and Mato Grosso, among the native peoples, campaign for SMD.

4.4.4 - Adult Missionaries

Formation in groups of missionaries for education and evangelisation of the young in Youth Centres, and for educators on the streets, then those who are leaving as missionaries for Angola; the campaign for SMD.

P. Antonio Ramos do Prado, SDB