DAY 05: Vocation promotion – Reflection
Br. Joseph DAS, INM
REFLECTION
A. Vocation in general
1. Human vocation
Every human being has a specific vocation that he is expected to fulfill during the course of his life. As one student put it “ Is my life meant only to study, get a degree, get a lucrative job, get married and raise a family or is there any thing broader than that?’ He himself comes to the conclusion that God had created him for something greater. He says that God wants him to be of service to others in whatever way he could. He was a non-Christian, but I think he had a vision in life that was broader and more fulfilling too.
Hence all our educational institutions should, as part of their pastoral plan help our students to identify their call and consider that call not just as a career but as a vocation that gives them a broader vision of life – a life of service to the family, the community,
the region and the country to which they belong. This will help them to be a good husband, a good father, a good engineer or doctor or whatever and a good citizen – that was one of the principal aims of Don Bosco”s system of education.
2. Christian vocation
Then we have to keep in focus the other aim of Don Bosco’s system that requires us to help our boys to become good Christians and in our Asian context, good children of God. This spiritual dimension becomes more specific for Catholics with the education to faith. Their Christian vocation should be clearly understood by them and it must be helped to become operative in their daily life through teaching, animation and experience. This will help them to become effective disciples of Jesus and Temples of the Holy Spirit as were Dominic Savio and other boys of the original Oratory of Don Bosco. They must be helped to reflect their obligations as sharers of the Common Priesthood of Christ. Thus they will be able to understand the dignity and the duties of the lay faithful, which is essential for other forms of Christian Vocation to take root.
3. Lay Christian vocation
It is essential also that the students gradually grasp according to their age, the nobility and sacredness of the Sacrament of Matrimony and its obligations. As one Christian teacher told us in a seminar, speaking often about priestly and religious vocation to the youth we tend to forget to give them a clear picture of the sacredness of family life. He ended by asking us. “ How would you get good vocations to priesthood and religious life, if you don’t educate Catholics to be good and holy parents which is the vocation that majority of them would be choosing?” When I was asked to give a talk to the deacons on Salesian Brotherhood, the organizer told me to first give them a clear understanding of the lay Christian vocation without which he felt they would not understand the vocation of a religious brother. And I think there is a lot of wisdom in that suggestion. This lay vocation has different dimensions – single life, married life, consecrated laity etc and all these choices and their ministry in the Church must be placed before the youth to give them a fair chance of choosing their vocation
4. Consecrated life
Even while presenting the vocation to religious life it is essential that we present the whole picture – the different orders – contemplative and active and their relative ministry in the Church. There is some times reluctance in presenting this whole dimension in the belief that we would concentrate on Salesian Vocation alone to promote vocation to our congregation. But this would be unfair to the candidates. It is in this context we have to bring in the concept of religious priesthood and brotherhood and distinguish it from the diocesan priesthood giving the relevance of each in the context of the ministry of the Universal Church. The youth must be made aware of the preciousness and relevance of religious vocation. It would be profitable to give them a brief history of the origin of religious life. I have found this very useful while giving talks on vocations. It is essential that through out this presentation we stress the fact that the different vocations are gifts of the Spirit for the service of the people and for the common good. They must understand that it is not a question of who is higher and who is lower but it is one of being where God wants one to be in order to serve Him.
5. The two elements of one Salesian vocation
Then we have to present the two elements of the Salesian vocation – the lay and the priestly and also point out how Don Bosco, departing from traditional way of presenting these vocations, made them equal and complementary without ascribing any grades to them. In presenting these vocation it is good to follow what one senior and experienced confrere advised us to do: avoid presenting solely what one can do or what positions in the congregation one can look forward to but present religious life as a radical following of Christ the Good Shepherd, giving concrete examples from the life of confreres especially those who have worked in the region and the amount of good they were able to do because of their faithfulness to their vocation. It is for this reason it would be good to prepare a short biographical account of Salesian Brothers who have worked in every region adding also other attractive models from other regions as well.
6.Task of the vocational apostolate
It is good here to reflect briefly about the steps suggested in the ‘GOLDEN BOOK’ regarding the tasks in the vocational apostolate:
Prayer: Put prayer in the first place as a means of obtaining vocations, as an experience provoking their materialization, and as a step towards their meaning.
Proclamation: This is done through witness and the word. It should be presented in a practical form than as mere information. The place of different ministries in the Church which are the different gifts given by the Spirit for the growth welfare of the community.
Personal call: It is not enough to give a general call. Some times the animator should also call some one personally when he sees that the person shows signs of a call. Failing to do so may end in a prospective vocation to slowly wither away as no one has helped him to see a future vision of serving the Lord in gladness.
Welcome and follow up: This requires on the part of the promoter sympathetic listening, respect for individual freedom avoiding any semblance of coercion, doctrinal knowledge regarding vocation discernment and spiritual direction. All concerned should exhibit the welcoming attitude though specific individuals may do the follow up work.
7. Vocational apostolate in promoting vocations to Brotherhood
While the above steps indicate those to be followed for vocations in general we can list the following suggestions for promotion of vocation to Salesian Brotherhood:
Talk about Don Bosco and the way he founded the congregation and how it differed from the congregations founded earlier. How his educational projects not only embraced the Church but also workshops, schools and play grounds. Explain that in order to manage the complex process of holistic education Don Bosco needed not only priests and clerics but a lot of lay people too! Hence in his project Salesian Brother is not a marginal addition but constituent element of the congregation’s identity. Don Bosco’s complete trust in the Brothers and his esteem for them must also be explained to youth.
The present day reality of Brother’s mission must also be explained. His manifold apostolic activities for the welfare of the young that is accomplished in collaboration with his priest confreres need to be made clear. His specific place in the world of work has to be highlighted.
But what attracts the young, as we had said before, are living models. Hence the need of promoting in all possible ways the visibility of Brothers. Together with this other models from the past can also be presented using the facilities that media offers.
Above all the lay character must be explained in depth. Environment, labour, family, culture, science, art, technology, politics etc. can be the fields of activity, and object of a total donation by an individual to the Lord. This self -donation can be lived in the world or in consecrated life. The Salesian Brother’s option for the latter should be explained more deeply. At the same time, let each Brother take utmost care not to show displeasure or regret for having chosen to be a Brother.
8. The need to help awareness of others regarding vocation to Brotherhood :
It is essential that all concerned make a determined effort to make others aware of the vocation to Brotherhood. The parents in school, the parishioners, the cooperators, even the religious sisters need to be conscientised about the richness of the vocation to Brotherhood. Without this effort others can and often do discourage candidates who opt for this vocation.
B. Vocation promotion (vocational ministry, recruitment)
1. Recruitment:
At the recruitment level, it is always better to recruit for ‘Salesian life’ without insisting on choosing lay or clerical state at this initial stage. The Salesian part of the vocation should be emphasized and pointed out that one can live this vocation as a Salesian Priest or as a Salesian Brother. It would always be better to include a Salesian brother in the team so that the candidates can have some first hand information and direct contact with a brother. The candidates should be told very clearly that they would have ample time to choose the dimension to which they feel God is calling them as they go through the aspirantate, pre-novitiate and novitiate level. Only At the novitiate level they make the first specific choice. In our method of promotion it is always advisable to combine both human and higher motivations to attract vocations as Don Bosco himself did when he was alive. Purely ideal motives may be insipid and may even be too abstract for youth, where as purely human approach will be deceptive and create complexes later.
1.1 Reason:
Segregation at the initial stage brings in undue pressure to follow Salesian life in one particular dimension especially so in the case of Brothers, which later on creates complexes.
Short vocation camps or vocation promotion meetings are not enough for serious reflection, discernment and accompaniment which are needed for choosing a particular dimension of a vocation. If separate aspirantate for Salesian Brotherhood exists or is contemplated, its appropriateness and logic should be studied seriously. Should such an institution exist then it should be made very clear that option to choose any dimension still exists even within this structure. Some feel that such an institution facilitates giving a particular orientation to the candidates while leaving them free to choose either of the dimensions at a later stage.
1.2 Implication:
Such recruitment implies that we have on the recruitment team persons who can be real witnesses to Salesian life being sensitive to both the dimensions – priest and brother, ‘for it is from the fullness of heart that mouth speaks.’
1.3 Accompaniment:
The candidates must be assured that the process of discernment may continue throughout the time of temporary vows and a final stand has to be taken before the perpetual profession.
Hence in this period the candidates to Salesian Brotherhood need proper formators to clarify their doubts and to encourage and strengthen their vocation. The presence of a convinced Salesian Brother, who lives his Salesian life with joy and serenity with proper qualification which will qualify him to take a direct active part in the formation of candidates as a member of the formation team, can be of immense benefit.
It is at this period that there is a chance for vacillation, which is quite natural given the present circumstances. This needs sympathetic handling. The candidate must feel free to change the dimension of his vocation if his well guided discernment leads him that way.
1.4 Caution to be learnt from history:
Fr. Peter Stella tracing the historical identity of the Salesian Brother, points out to a historical situation in the life of the congregation, when the then Rector Major, Fr. Paul Albera, with very good intention exhorted the Superiors to encourage candidates who find it difficult to pursue studies to priesthood to opt for Brotherhood. With a certain misplaced zeal to get vocations to Brotherhood, the exhortation was often applied imprudently with sad consequences to the individuals as well as for the congregation.
The freedom of choice given by the congregation should be respected fully and we should not be too eager to win candidates for brotherhood. Hence let us avoid any ‘aggressive’ vocation promotion to Brotherhood’ as mentioned in the report. We need really a consistent promotion,
2. Minimum basic qualification:
Here again Don Bosco’s prudent application of flexibility is needed. The congregation desires that candidates to both priesthood and Brotherhood should have equivalent basic qualification. We have to understand the underlying reason for this directive – it is to ensure certain cultural equality in order to facilitate enlightened acceptance of religious obligations, to command respectability in the field of apostolate, to engage in reasonable dialogue with others etc.
To ensure the above, academic qualification forms one of the criteria. But there are exceptions where even without such academic qualification one may equally be competent in all the areas we have mentioned above. This flexibility is very much needed for the promotion of vocation to Salesian Brotherhood. Following the example of our founder let us avoid tying our own hands with rigid regulations
3. Young workers and technically trained persons as potential source of vocation to Brotherhood:
Vocation promotion done among these categories should normally produce good results. But in India during the recent years we have noticed that such people also opt for priesthood rather than Brotherhood. But all the same we should continue this effort in the hope that we could get at least some good convinced vocations among them.
4. Vocation promotion and the awareness of Salesian Brother’s identity and visibility:
We have already discussed in an earlier session about the need for creating this awareness among all categories of people. These aspects are closely connected with the vocation promotion. Without the former the latter would be ineffectual in the long run. Closely connected with this are some of the points raised in your reports.
Adequate professional qualification of Salesian Brother.
Strengthening the self confidence of Salesian Brother so as to be effective communicator.
Breaking old paradigms and venturing into new fields of apostolate provided we bring into them the Salesian Charism of preventive system spirituality as Bl.Artemide Zatti did.
The provinces make an effort to put the right person in the right place by a well planned placement programme to make the Brother’s figure effectively visible.
Confident and convinced presentation of the relevance of Salesian Brother’s vocation even in modern situations.
5. Matters that need to be stressed consistently from recruitment time and ever afterwards:
Salesian aspect of our vocation, which is common to both dimensions.
Religious aspect (consecration), which is also common to both dimensions.
Priesthood as a means of service and not as one of status.
Complementarity of both dimensions as a sign of the Universal Church.
The primacy of ‘being’ over ‘doing’.
6. Brothers making themselves ‘marketable’:
It is not right to say that we do not get vocations to Brotherhood because Brothers are not ‘marketable’ for two reasons:
One: We do have very exemplary and ‘marketable’ Brothers very much admired by people and youth in particular.
Two: It is often a case where people say, “We admire you but we prefer to be priests.”
At the same time there is no denying that when we have dissatisfied and grouchy candidates it is certainly not easy to make Salesian Brotherhood ‘marketable’. We have to search for reasons for situations of this sort and then apply proper remedies.
7. Vocation promotion materials:
Such materials are certainly helpful in creating awareness of the identity of the Salesian Brother provided they are not generic but they
are suited to the local culture, situation and answering local difficulties and obstacles
follow the pragmatic approach of Don Bosco combining both functional and spiritual aspects of this vocation
are made attractive through media techniques (otherwise they become boring)
are crisp and full of punch to have a good impact(long winded expositions don’t have such an impact)
Short biographical materials and anecdotes especially from the life of those Brothers who had worked and died in the local Salesian Province may have a good influence.
Advertisements in popular catholic magazines may also attract vocations (I am one of those who came into the congregation through such an advertisement!)
There is no harm in getting materials from elsewhere and adapt them to the local situation.
In this connection a word could be said about the use of a religious habit. If in a particular cultural ambient religious habit can help to bring out clearly the religious nature of a Salesian Brother I think we need not hesitate to introduce it. In the social conditions existing in his time Don Bosco felt that religious in shirt sleeves were useful. Hence there is nothing sacrosanct about using or not using a habit. We must be quite pragmatic in such matters as Don Bosco was.
8. Above all promote sustained prayer for vocations in general and for Salesian Brother in particular:
Fr. Vecchi relates the experience of Cardinal Giorgio Mario Bergoglio, the Cardinal Archbishop of Buenos Aires, who was the Provincial of the Jesuits at the time of this testimony, has this interesting episode to narrate: Father General of the Jesuits, Fr.Pedro Aruppe had insisted strongly on the need of promoting the vocation of the lay confrere throughout the Society, going so far to say that the Society would not be the Society it was meant to be without the lay confrere. So the provincial was greatly worried about the dearth of lay confreres in his province. Some, in fact, wondered whether lay confrere had any relevance among the Jesuits, because looking at the facts it seemed that he would soon become extinct. During one of his canonical visits of the Jesuit mission in northern Argentina the Provincial stayed a few days at the residence of the Archbishop of Salta. There while he was chatting with one Mgr. Perez he heard about the life of Bl. Zatti. His example of a completely lay religious, made a deep impression on the Jesuit Provincial. He made novenas asking for the intercession of this holy Salesian Brother. From that time candidates to Brotherhood stated entering the order. Actually, 18 young men entered and persevered. The novices, students and lay- brothers had several times made the novena to Bl. Zatti, asking for lay vocations. The Jesuit Provincial says that those who entered want to be the kind of lay-brothers that St. Ignatius himself wanted, without them having to be spoon-fed. Fr. Vecchi himself then admonishes the Salesians to look for immediate results but to pray and continue to work for vocations to brotherhood, for the grace of vocations always remains a mystery of the free gift of God to whom we should leave the result of our prayer and effort. [Acts n. 376, 2001]
9. A few tips on identity etc:
Let us call to mind what Bishop Cantillas said in his homily during the Brothers congress at Cebu. He said, “We have talked enough about the identity of Brothers. Please start acting!” Our identity is clear: We are consecrated persons sharing the common priesthood of Christ with the lay faithful in the Church following the evangelical way traced out by our constitutions. As religious we are complete with nothing wanting or lacking.
Unfortunately people identify religious life with priesthood. For them often SDB after a priest’s name is something like PhD! Hence we have to constantly tell them in detail what our vows etc mean. Of course if our life is completely out of consonance with what we explain we will only cause more confusion!
If we are convinced of our vocation as Brothers we need not be over worried about others not understanding why we have chosen Brotherhood while we are competent enough to study for priesthood. Vocation of a Religious Brother in a clerical congregation is a difficult thing to be comprehended by everybody. If all our confreres themselves comprehend it, it would already be a great thing!
As for relevance of Brother’s vocation in the present scenario, let us remember that it would always be relevant as long as the Salesian Charism is relevant for there is only one Salesian mission whether one is a Priest or a Brother. We should not question relevance on the basis of inflow of vocation or the number of Brothers present in a province at a given time. At one time the numbers may be low and then for some mysterious reason it will suddenly increase as was the experience of the Cardinal mentioned above. We have no right to block any vocation. In faith we must leave it in the hands of God.
