East Asia-Oceania|Overall Provincial Plan of the Salesian Province of St. Paul Bangkok – Thailand 2005

Overall Provincial Plan

of the Salesian Province of St. Paul Bangkok – Thailand 2005




1God’s call


We believe that God calls us to live in communities where we live as in a family. In the community all of us learn how to live as brothers who share the responsibility of the mission of the young, especially the poor. In the community we live and respect each other, encourage each other to grow till we reach the full maturity, both human as well as Salesian.


2Situation


2.1 Strengths

- Awareness of the importance of sharing in the work of the

community at local level. .

- The confreres are fully involved in the work for the young.

- The timetable of the community is adjusted so that the Salesians can be among the young.

-Good cooperation between the Salesians and lay collaborators.

-The Confreres are aware of the value of the Preventive System.

- Awareness of poor and abandoned youth.

- Our educational institutions have been developed and command good esteem.

- Confreres are aware of the necessity of formation.

- There are many sources where one can receive formation , i.e. documents and the opportunity to take part in seminars both within the country and abroad.

- The Confreres are interested in vocations and show responsibility in working for them.


2.2Areas of improvement

- Lack of sharing and individual help, especially for what concerns

interior life, viz. faith and spiritual life.

- There are still gaps regarding nationalities and ages.

- Some confreres work in an individualistic way.

- Constancy in helping each other to grow.

- Development of the ability to form the young.

- Community meetings tend to deal with activities more than focusing on formation.

- The formative community not yet ready to offer ongoing formation to the confreres.

- We still lack a plan of formation that includes strategies.

- The number of confreres that leave during the initial formation is very high.

- There are too few activities for fostering vocations.


3Challenges


  • Make the confreres deeply aware that God call s us in a community for a common mission.

  • Develop the ability to search together the will of God.

  • Nourish our mutual relationship through spiritual life.

  • The presence of the of evangelization and pastoral dimensions in every activity or work of ours.

  • To bring the Gospel values in the life and hearts of the young.

  • To be clearer and credible witnesses to the poor youth.

  • A formation that includes all aspects of life

  • Serious efforts for working for vocations.



4Basic Choices (Areas of intervention)


4.1To foster spiritual life

- Love of the Word of God.

- The Eucharist as the festive celebration of the community.

- The formation and ongoing formation that focuses on spiritual life.

- Evangelization and pastoral work as means for giving the spiritual

life to the young.


4.2 To foster unity in the Province

- Participation in the life of the community.

- To give importance to the activities at provincial level.

- To have a provincial guideline for the work to be done.

- To feel as brothers with no barriers of nationality or age.


4.3Mission for the poor and disadvantaged youth

- Be interested in the condition of the surrounding social

Community (neighborhood) especially for what affects the young.

  • Build a sense of social awareness and sharing with our students and our youth

  • Open a new presence for poor youth.

  • Show interest for the poor youth in our schools and offer equal

educational opportunities.

  • Help in the missionary work in the Suratthani diocese, in Cambodia and Laos.



5Plan for the basic areas of intervention of the Province


5.1 To foster spiritual life


The Salesians give priority to spiritual life in order to live and work according to their specific status with holiness as their final goal.


Objectives

Strategies

Lines of Action

1.1 The Salesians live their spiritual life in depth and fidelity
























































1.2 The Salesians are made aware of the importance of ongoing formation.
















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1.3 The educative mission of the Salesians is a formation to spiritual life

1.1.1 The Salesians take the Word of God as the guide of their life.









1.1.2 The Salesians consider the Eucharist the festive event of the community.


























1.1.3 The Salesians share in spiritual topics.






1.1.4 Each Salesian strives to build a spiritual climate.







1.2.1 Encourage all the confreres to a continuous self-development.

















1.3.1 The Gospel values are includes and harmonized in all the work we do in schools, youth centers, parishes and in every activity w the Salesians are engaged in.

1.1.1.1 All communities will use the Lectio Divina.

1.1.1.2 All communities will share the Word of God through the Lectio Divina during the monthly retreats, and on other important occasions of the community.

1.1.2.1 Group of communities or single communities will celebrate the Eucharist together during the Monthly Retreat and/or the Quarterly Retreat. These celebration will be conducted according to the particular forms or needs of the group of communities or single communities.


1.1.2.2 All the communities engage themselves in a more accurate preparation of the liturgical celebrations of feasts and solemnities.


1.1.2.3 The liturgies during the Annual Retreat are celebrated with solemnity and devotion.


1.1.3.1 The Commission for Formation prepares a pattern for the Revision of Life to be used during the quarterly retreats.


1.1.4.1 The community determines clearly the timetable for prayer and encourages all the confreres to be faithful to it.



1.2.1.1 The Provincial Commission for Formation draws a formation plan for the school-year 2004.


1.2.1.2 Each confreres draws his Personal Plan of Life. The Provincial organizes a formation course in this regard.


1.2.1.3 The growth of spiritual life will be the topic of the annual seminar of ongoing formation.



1.3.1.1 All our presences have a group responsible for pastoral and catechetic activities, according to the peculiarity of each presence.


1.3.1.2 Gospel values are to be made visible in all the forms of our activities.























5.2 To foster unity in the Province


Salesians are one hearth and one soul in their relationships with God and among themselves, in planning together and in harmonious administration, according to the salesian style inherited from Don Bosco.


Objectives

Strategies

Lines of Action

2.1 To create an atmosphere of co- responsibility of life and mission at provincial level.


























































2.2 Create a net of relationships and the awareness of unity in the Province






2.3 The community is the most appropriate venue for the formation to community life.

















2.4 Establish a network and joint responsibility among all the groups that in any way collaborate with the Salesians

2.1.1 Draw the annual plan of action.







2.1.2 Animation and evaluation of the annual plan of action agreed upon.



















2.1.3 Foster active and fast communication.






2.1.4 The Confreres are encouraged to join in the important events of the Province.














2.2.1 Encourage mutual help in carrying out activities at provincial level





2.2.2 Encourage the communities to mutual cooperation in the financial sector






2.3.1 Encourage the Salesians to live their life according to a plan








2.3.2 The Salesians in charge of communities possess leadership attitudes








2.4.1 Encourage a continuous growth of the EPC. The salesian community takes care to animate it.

2.1.1.1 A special Commission instituted by the Provincial draws the annual plan of action before the beginning of the new school year.


2.1.2.1 The Provincial writes a monthly circular letter to all confreres of the Province.



2.1.2.2 All Provincial Commissions submit a report of their activities at the end of the school year.


2.1.2.3 The Provincial takes part in the meetings of the Provincial Commissions, according to circumstances.



2.1.3.1 The confreres concerned use the modern means and technology to its maximum efficiency.



2.1.4.1 The Commission for the planning decides clearly the important events at provincial level and notifies them to the confreres.


2.1.4.2 The coordinator nominated for the single events takes care to remind them to the communities with sufficient advance timing.


2.2.1.1 All the Commissions find ways and means to join forces in activities at provincial level.




2.2.2.1 The Province establishes a clear policy of cooperation as for financial matters among the communities of the Province.



2.3.1.1 The Province helps to draw up the Community Plan within the year 2004.







2.3.2.1 The Provincial organizes formation sessions for the rectors at set dates. The Provincial also sees to it that the all the rectors join in the formation sessions set for them.



2.4.1.1 The local community must take care to educate to the Preventive System all the people that gather for different occasions or circumstances.


2.4.1.2 Organize meetings, seminars or feasts together with the members of the Salesian Family.









5.3 Mission for the poor and disadvantaged youth


The Salesians care, are interested and help poor, disadvantaged and marginalized youths as their preferential choice.


Objectives

Strategies

Lines of action

3.1 The poorest and marginalized youth constitute the most evident preferential choice of the pastoral work of the Salesians in Thailand

3.1.1 Offer equal educational opportunities to the poor and marginalized youths.















3.1.2 Foster activities that give a chance to the Salesians of direct contacts with poor and marginalized youth

3.1.1.1 All our communities must be open to accept poor youth as students in our schools.


3.1.1.2 All our communities, according to their means, offer scholarships to our poor students.


3.1.1.3 Every community draws at least on project every year in favour of poor youths.


3.1.2.1 Study and start our new presence in Chiang Mai and elsewhere so that the Salesians can work among poor and marginalized youth.


3.1.2.2 Study and encourage new form of works that can answer to the needs of pour and marginalized youth.




3.1.2.3 The Province continues to help our work in Cambodia and Laos, both in personnel as well in financial support.

3.2 Create a conscience of social awareness and compassion for the poor according to the Gospel

3.2.1 Educate the youth to sharing with others.


3.2.1.1 Organize activities where the youth can meet and mingle with the less fortunate.

3.3 Educate our confreres in the initial formation to the group that constitute the preferential choice of the Salesians

3.3.1 Encourage the Salesians to the knowledge and care for the social problems, especially those that affect the youth.

3.3.1.1 Offer the opportunity to the Salesians to experience and work among poor and marginalized youth.




6Guidelines for restructuring our works

  • Draw a clear pastoral, evangelization and vocational plan, according to the particular situations of the local community.

  • The number of confreres and the particular charism of the Salesians have to be taken into account for starting new presences, especially for what pertains formation and evangelization, without losing sight of our preferential choice for the poor youth.

  • All the works in the Province must be run according to a clear Provincial plan.


7Requirements for the qualitative and quantitative consistency of the community

  • When the situations require and there are real difficulties in providing a sufficient number of confreres, the Salesians will find ways for joining into groups for special activities.

  • The confreres will compare their personal plan of life with the needs of the Province.


  • The confreres will give importance to the Community Plan.

  • Foster the love of the Word of God for community life.



8 Personnel’s qualifications


8.1 Formation

- Encourage and support the confreres engaged in our 3 centers of

Formation to have the same attitudes and draw a common plan

so that to assure continuity in the process of Formation.

- Qualify a confrere expert in salesian life.

- Qualify a confrere expert in on-going Formation and Planning.

- Have one of our confreres presently studying theology for the

priesthood specialize in Formation.


8.2 Education Management

- The situation of the Thai Province requires that all confreres

have a basic knowledge of education administration.

- Offer the possibility to interested confreres to acquire more

qualifications and expertise in education management.


8.3 Evangelization


  • Have one of our confreres presently studying theology for the

priesthood specialize in Catechetics.

  • Have one of our confreres presently studying theology for the

Priesthood specialize in Social Communication.

8.4 Poor Youth

  • Search among the confreres for one particularly interested in

working among the youth at risk .

  • Provide some confreres for the new presence in the North of

Thailand.


8.5 On-Going Formation

  • See that all the confreres have the opportunity to join in on-going Formation courses in order to rekindle their religious life and the efficiency of their pastoral work.