Cambodia 2006 – Seminar on Salesian Brother Vocation – August 22nd
DAY TWO: Awareness of Identity of Salesian Brother – process to follow
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1- What is your personal historical context to know Salesian Brother’s vocation?
2- What are the challenges from your societal, communal context for the awareness of Salesian Brother identity?
3- How is the magisterium helping us to understand better this identity?
4- How has the magisterium on Salesian Brother identity/vocation been incorporated in Salesian communities?
5- What misconceptions, unfounded perceptions need to be identified and challenged to arrive at a better understanding of the Salesian Brother’s vocation?
QUESTION 1: Your rersonal historical context for understanding Brothers vocation?
Convergence of ideas:
Historical context for understanding the Salesian brother vocation:
Salesian environment: clerical or lay consecrated. Who compose the majority determines the inclination or the choice of vocation. But this is not absolute.
Environment of the society determines the choice. There are environments that are very clerical; other contexts are more secular. Yet this again is not an absolute factor for the choice of vocation.
Personal contact and emulation of the brother. Desire to imitate and do the same. Presence and visibility.
Salesian identity before any distinction of specific vocations. Firstly the living of the consecration, of the consecrated life that is essential and important.
Formators influence very much the choice of vocation. Some formators recommend strongly to some formands to become priests rather than to be Salesian brothers.
Good examples and direct “personal” contact of the Salesian Brothers in the early years of formation.
Experience in the Salesian school with the Salesian Brothers who worked with dedication and sacrifice.
Wanted to serve the young.
A. Positive experiences:
- living & working with SB in the community
- encountering exemplary SB
- SB relative introduced to SDB;
- Important factors: prayerful person; simplicity of life; closeness with the boys;
B. Negative experience:
- no clear introduction to/ no balanced presentation of SB vocations, even in formation houses;
- Salesian priests and Brothers do not know have clear idea of SB.
Question 2: What are the challenges from your societal, communal context for the awareness of Salesian Brother identity?
There is a lack of materials (books, notes, lives of exemplary Brothers) on the Salesian Brothers. Its one of the reasons why its sometimes hard to talk about them. It should reflect the context of the audience, thus the need to publish locally or to adapt it for local settings.
Difficulty and challenges facing the Brothers differs from one culture to another, like as the terms used. The terms used, in some areas, influence how people see a Brother.
In some areas, the mission is parish based. Some priests would question: “What can he do here, he is not a priest!”. Brothers should not be viewed as ‘What they can do’ but also for who they are, Salesians. At the same time, in the Formation stage, they should also be prepared to be open to any work.
As in other areas, the patience to answer the usual questions: ‘Why? Why a Brother?’ Even now, clerical mentality is strong among the people…sometimes also existing among the families of Brothers. Adding to this is the few or no Brothers present in some areas add to the challenge of presenting the Brother.
In some areas, due to the restrictions of the government, there are mostly Parish based communities. Since there are mostly Parish works, the Brothers work and its promotion is difficult. There are recently opening of Training Centers and Orphanage, but the official name in front of the government is different( that is, NOT Don Bosco Technical School). There are also initiatives in opening actual business type shops, accepting job orders at the same time training boys.
In some culture where Buddhism is predominant, people respect those who wear cassocks. The good thing is, promoting good relationships through regular presence and friendliness can create respect. The apostolate of the Brother comes out, especially if given roles, through living exemplary life: regular presence, respect, dedication, love for the young, and friendly contacts. In the end though, they would still ask ‘Why then are you not Ordained?’
Don Bosco’s words “Love what the boys love and they will love you!” holds true for both Priest and Brothers even now. This will be an advantage for the Brothers because of thier availability.
The Salesian Brothers themselves could be the hindrance of the vocation to the Salesian Brotherhood (financial status of the candidate).
The parent’s expects that their son becomes a priest and not a brother.
Conception of the society that the Brothers are lower than priests.
- Pressures from the family;
- Society appreciates religious only in connection with social services given by SB;
- There is family support only if they know SDB;
- Society has different values; higher values reserved for priesthood.
- However, obstacles to choose SB vocation will also be obstacles for priesthood.
Quest 3. How is the Salesian ‘Magisterium’ helping us to understand this identity better?
A common impression from the group is that the translation and inculturation of the teaching of the Salesian Magisterium still needs more effort.
Every province tries to translate the documents into their own language. A committee is set-up in the province to do the translations. The formation houses helps in translating the documents as well. However, in the provincial level there must be a continuous updating in the documents/magisterium both on the old/young Salesian Brothers.
The Salesian Magisterium is very useful and formative that support the formation.
The documents of the Magisterium helps me to strengthen my vocation as a consecrated lay Salesian. It also helps me to work hand-in-hand with confreres especially priests in the community.
It is a good material for conferences, good night, spiritual reading, recollection, community day and retreats but above all for personal growth.
The documents in English especially the golden book helps me a lot in understanding the identity as a Salesian Brother.
- There are already many documents on SB vocation. Now is the time to assimilate them.
- There is a strong emphasis forced by the congregation; otherwise, they are in bookshelves;
- Structure is helping (translation, studies, seminar, conferences); Provincial formation commission is in charge of these.
Question 4. How has the Salesian Magisterium on the Salesian Brother identity/vocation been incorporated in Salesian communities?
It depends on the rectors awareness, availability and willingness.
It depends also on every Salesian Brother in the community.
It would be better if the Salesian Brothers would be part in the front line in working with the young, i.e. working with the youth ministry/vocation promotion especially during youth camps/vocation camps.
4.1 The knowledge of Salesian Magisterium on Salesian Brother is to be made a topic of reflection by the local Salesian community. It is a future task, rather than a past achievement. In some communities the only form of incorporation is the reading of the letters of the Rector Major during the spiritual reading, without any follow-up of reflection and implementation.
4.2 Following the Salesian Magisterium, the SB give up their individual needs, uniting with the other confreres in accomplishing one common spiritual way of life. The Salesian Magisterium indicates a great road which we are called to walk together. By mutual sharing we encourage one another along this great road.
4.3 The Salesian Magisterium is a challenge to all confreres, to achieve inside the community the presence of the SB envisaged by the Salesian Magisterium.
4.4 My personal experience within the local community is a happy one. The other confreres are very attentive to the presence and the role of the SB. The young people are helped to appreciate the figure and the mission of the SB. This is a great improvement on the past. At the provincial level there has also been a great improvement. We are walking in unison with the Church.
4.5 A problem for the assimilation of the Salesian Magisterium is that of the language. The best language for assimilation is the local language. English is only second best. An enormous effort is needed to translate everything in the local language. Sometimes the translation appears when much time has already passed and many new documents have arrived. What is usually done is that the Letters of the Rector Major are read during the spiritual reading, sometimes by simultaneous translation. Direct access to the Salesian Magisterium by each confrere is not yet a reality for many of our young confreres.
4.6 “The Salesian Brother” has been translated in Korean and in Vietnamese. It is not yet translated in the Chinese language. In China the letters of the Rector Major are immediately translated in Chinese. In Vietnam all the official documents of the Congregation are immediately translated and so they are influential on the way of thinking and deciding of the confreres.
4.7 The Salesian Magisterium is a solemn way of speaking. Perhaps it is clearer if we simply speak of the documents of the Congregation. The Salesian Magisterium is proposed especially by Salesian priests. The Salesian brothers do not seem to be present in the proposal of this Magisterium.
4.8 The primary way of assimilating the teaching of Salesian tradition is the life of Salesian brothers and Salesian priests. In the intake of new missionaries in some places, unfortunately, there is a lack of Salesian brothers. Their presence and their life is essential for the adequate formation of young Salesian brothers. The old Salesian brothers have died. The new Salesian brothers have no one to look on as a model.
4.9 Salesian brothers must take the initiative to present their vocation in the Church at large. Without this initiative, the local Church is condemned to ignore the reality of the SB vocation.
4.10 In Thai the title with which we call the SB does not contain the meaning “Salesian”. The title used means “a helper in the temple”. Inside the Congregation we are clear about the identity of the SB, but because of this term the SB is not easily understood outside the Congregation. In Congregations in which there are only Brothers (La Salle etc.) perhaps this is not a problem, because they are the heads of their institutions. Some other Congregations like the Redemptorists are struggling like us to find the right terminology. In a Technical School, if the SB is directing a workshop, the young people easily can come to learn and understand the vocation of the SB. Instead, in an ordinary elementary or secondary school, the presence and mission of the SB is not so easily perceived.
4.11 The successful assimilation of Salesian Magisterium on the SB is tested by the way the individual SDB and the local communities think and act. Thank God, in Cambodia we like to speak much of Don Bosco. Don Bosco is well loved in Cambodia, where there are so many orphans. Speaking of Don Bosco, all Salesians find it easy to present also the complementary nature of Salesian brothers and Salesian priests.
4.12 Speaking of Magisterium, we may ask whether it is accepted as such, that is, as authoritative teaching. For example, in the past some Salesian Brothers asked why a Salesian Brother could not be Rector. One of them was “exiled” to East Timor. May be some SB find it hard to accept the authoritative decision made by the Superiors in this regard with the intervention of the Pope Paul VI himself. This may cause a certain resentment. This resentment may explain why some SB left the Congregation. This may explain why some SB do not like to encourage young people to follow the SB vocation. In Asia perhaps this is a point to be clearly faced. Given the importance given in society to authority, in their formation the SB must be helped to face this fact in a positive way. If the Salesian Magisterium is truly assimilated, this should not be a problem.
4.13 The Salesian Magisterium says that there is no objection to have a SB elected as a member of the General Council. This aspect of the Salesian Magisterium should be supported by a set of legal arrangements that would ensure the adequate representation of SB at the level of Provincial Council, Provincial Chapter, General Chapter, and General Council.
4.14 An interesting experience of dialogue with Congregations of Brothers reveals the validity of our Salesian Magisterium about SB. These Brothers of other Congregations appreciate very much our Salesian way of thinking about the SB. This is not surprising because of Don Bosco and because we have a definite spirituality. After this dialogue, our SB said: These encounters with other Brothers are very helpful to make us love more our Salesian vocation!
4.15 We Salesians are the second biggest Congregation. This is a great responsibility. God has filled us with abundant gifts. We have the responsibility to share this abundance of gifts with other communities in the Church. Even the Jesuits have been surprised by the quality of Fr. Vecchi’s letter on Artemide Zatti.
4.16 Salesian priests who do the work of SB are a threat to the visibility of the vocation of the SB. If priests concentrate on pastoral work, this is good for them and for the SB.
4.17 In China the communities have more SB than Salesian priests.
4.18 As at the beginning of evangelization it is easier to speak of Don Bosco than of Jesus Christ, so at the beginning of many works the presence of the SB is more revealing and easily accepted than that of the Salesian priest.
Question 5. What misconceptions, unfounded perceptions need to be identified and challenge to arrive at a better understanding of the Salesian Brother vocation?
If the young confrere does not have sufficient ability to be a priest then, he is for the Salesian Brotherhood.
The usage of the word “Brother.” A person who is called a brother is expected to become a priest.
Lay ministers (married) who are serving the parishes are also called brothers. This adds to the misconceptions of the Salesian Brothers.
There is a misconception that a SB did not pass the requirement of priesthood, that is why he became a brother…some would even say: “brod I will pray that you become a priest immediately”
But in some places like the experience of the confreres of Japan, the young people do not ask the difference of the priesthood and the brotherhood, the older ones are the ones asking
Brothers have lower status than the priests
There was a dilemma in one province that a candidate did not pass the academic requirement and expressed his desire to be a SB. The novice master did not agree but the candidate insisted that he wanted to remain a Salesian…. But in Vietnam that same incident happened and the candidate was not accepted… The process of discernment is very important. It is a matter of becoming a salesian priest or a salesian brother and not because one can’t be a priest because one lacks the intellectual capacity
To educate the faithful in the sanctity of the state of life is a good starting point to understand the SB vocation.
Formators play an important role in the discernment of the SB vocation… there is still a misconception that the SBs are second class members in the Congregation.
Some Salesian priests need to be clarified about the identity of the SB vocation so as not to put the SB vocation in jeopardy.
Some Salesian priests with good understanding of the SB vocation give encouragement and build confidence to the Salesian brothers.
Salesian society should use 50% of its resources for the SB vocation J
There are brothers who are capable to handle higher position and there are others who are happy and contented doing any role assigned to them
Other insights:
Some language has terms like “san chek sausi” brothers going to the priesthood (cleric) while “sausi” for brothers that is why there is no problem in distinguishing the cleric and the SB
Brothers having a lower status in life could be traced from the historical point of view in most religious orders like Dominicans, Jesuits, Franciscans, etc. but for don Bosco it is clear that there should be no difference between the salesian priests and the salesian brothers
To be happy as a SB is a good witness in the vocation
Some brothers do not want to go for higher studies because this will only mean that they will be put in a position that will not directly work for young people
- Brothers are not candidates for ordination;
- Brothers are not second-class members in the congregation;
- Brothers are not assistants of the priests;
- Brotherhood is for low-intellectual capacity candidates (If you cannot study for the priesthood, then, become a brother? Question: How do most of the provinces have a such practice? Is it Salesian traditional way of discerning vocations?)
