Handbook|Chap.1

Chapter 1


SALESIAN PASTORAL YOUTH WORK


This first chapter describes the fundamental characteristics of Salesian Youth Work in the context of Salesian spirituality and mission. God called Don Bosco to a life dedicated to saving young people, especially the least fortunate; this call is a spiritual rallying point for many people and groups who share a common educational and pastoral approach, Don Bosco’s Preventive System. It is the source and inspiration for a specific and original way of living and carrying out the Salesian mission: Salesian Pastoral Youth Work.


1. DON BOSCO AND THE SALESIAN MISSION: AN HISTORICAL AND CHARISMATIC POINT OF REFERENCE


Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Don Bosco was acutely aware that he was called by God for a singular mission on behalf of poor young people. Signs from on high, natural aptitude, the advice of prudent people, personal discernment, the providential events of his life – all these things convinced him that God had bestowed singular gifts upon him and was asking him to dedicate himself entirely to the young: “I have promised God that I would give of myself to my last breath for my poor boys.” (Const. 1).


The characteristic trait of this mission to which the Lord called Don Bosco was dedication to young people, especially poor young people. (Const. 26). Without these poor young people Don Bosco would be unrecognizable. “For you I study, for you I work, for you I live, for you I am ready even to give my life.” (Const. 14).


Don Bosco saw beyond his daily work to its original and final goal: to reveal to poor young people the love of God. He understood the sort of inspiration and pastoral approach such a goal required: the approach of the Good Shepherd.


Don Bosco gave his whole life for young people. His life’s work had a single purpose: his priestly life, his work as a teacher, his many relations and deep interior life were all directed to the service of the young. “He took no step, he said no word, he took up no task that was not directed to the saving of the young.” (Const. 21).


God continues to call many other faithful souls to carry on Don Bosco’s work for the young. Among those called to this work are Salesian religious (SDB). God has consecrated, gathered and sent them into the Church as signs and bearers of His love for the young, especially the poor.


Other groups in the Salesian Family share Don Bosco’s mission according to their specific vocations and life-styles; together with a vast movement of people and groups, men and women from all walks of life they constitute the Salesian Movement.


Although the Salesian mission started with Don Bosco and his experience at Valdocco, it now knows no boundaries. It involves a multitude of people and groups who work together spiritually and share in his educational and pastoral mission: the all-around well-being of young people, especially poor young people.



2. THE PREVENTIVE SYSTEM OF DON BOSCO: OUR ORIGIN AND OUR INSPIRATION


The Salesian Family shares the mission and life-work of Don Bosco. This mission finds its expression in a specific style of life and action, the Salesian spirit. It is centered in pastoral charity and characterized by that youthful dynamism which was revealed so strongly in Don Bosco and at the beginnings of our Family (Cf. Const. 10).


This Salesian spirit could be observed in Don Bosco’s spiritual and educational experience in his first Oratory at Valdocco. He called it the Preventive System. This is part of the very essence of our mission. It is our expression of pastoral charity; it is almost the sum total of what Don Bosco was trying to do. It is the heart of that educational and pastoral plan and program that he developed and entrusted to the Salesian Family.


It is a rich synthesis of:


2.1. Spiritual Experience


The Preventive System finds its source and center in the experience of God’s love that provides in advance for all his creatures, is ever present at their side, and freely gives his life to save them (Const. 20).


This experience allows us to see God in the young; we are convinced that through them God grants us the grace of encountering Him. He calls us to serve Him through young people by recognizing their dignity, renewing confidence in their capacity for good and leading them to the fullness of life (Cf. CG23, 95).

This pastoral charity creates a teaching relationship appropriate for an adolescent and a poor young boy that is born of our conviction that every life, even the poorest, most complicated and at risk bears within itself the power of redemption and the seeds of happiness through the mysterious presence of the Spirit (Cf. CG23, 92).


2.2. A Program for Evangelizing Young People


Our program for evangelizing young people starts with accepting them as they are. In the framework of an educational environment charged with life and rich in possibilities we respects the natural and supernatural heritage of each individual. Our educational program involves a preference for the disadvantaged and the poor. It promotes developing the gifts they possess and offers them a special form of Christian life and holiness for the young (Cf. CG23, 97-115).


Our program for Christian life revolves around certain faith experiences, value choices and Gospel attitudes that constitute Salesian Youth Spirituality (SYS). It is a style of educational holiness that allows every young person to grow in Christ, the perfect man, and to direct his internal impulses towards a maturity of faith (Cf. CG23, 158-180).


2.3Pedagogical Method


The Preventive System is a pedagogical method characterized by:


  • the willingness to live with young people and share their life; to look at the world through their eyes and to be aware of their real needs and values;

  • unconditional belief in the benefit and tireless nature of dialogue;

  • the preventive criterion that believes goodness can be found in every young person – even the most needy; an effort to cultivate this goodness through positive experiences;

  • central importance of reason, rules and requests must be reasonable; proposals should be persuasive and flexible; the central importance of religion - cultivating that sense of God found in every person and evangelizing every person; the central importance of a loving kindness expressed in a loving mentoring that allows one to grow and creates a relationship;

  • a positive environment in which personal relations flourish; teachers display love, solidarity, leadership and creativity and young people are encouraged to show initiative.



3.SPIRITUALITY AT THE ROOT OF SALESIAN PASTORAL YOUTH WORK


The secret of Don Bosco’s success as an educator was his intense pastoral charity; that internal energy created an inseparable bond between his love of God and of his neighbor and allowed him to create a synthesis of his work of evangelization and education.


Salesian spirituality is a concrete expression of this pastoral charity and constitutes a fundamental element of the Salesian apostolate. It is a source of evangelical vitality, a principle of inspiration and identity, a guiding orientation.


  • It is a spirituality appropriate for young people, especially the poor, that is able to uncover the workings of the Spirit in their hearts and help them develop (Cf. CG23, 159; CG24,89).

  • It is a spirituality of every day, that sees daily life as the place where we encounter God (Cf. CG23, 162-164; CG24, 97).

  • It is a paschal spirituality that delights in work and cultivates a positive attitude; it is optimistic about the natural and supernatural resources people possess and presents Christian life as a joyous journey (Cf. CG23, 165-166).

  • It is a spirituality of friendship and personal relationship with the Lord Jesus whom we come to know through prayer, the Eucharist and the Word (Cf. CG23, 167-168).

  • It is a spirituality of communion with the Church; it is lived in groups and above all in teaching communities where young people and teachers meet in a family atmosphere with a common purpose: the all-around education of the young (Cf. CG23, 169-170; CG24, 91-93).

  • It is a spirituality of responsible service that moves young people and adults to a renewed apostolic commitment to the Christian transformation of the environment; it can be a vocational commitment (Cf. CG23, 178-180; CG24, 96).

  • It is a Marian spirituality: with simplicity and confidence it trusts in the maternal help of Our Lady (Cf. CG23, 177).


This spirituality helps us discern and face the challenges of pastoral work. It gives us the necessary energy to progress towards our goal; it is the source of our enthusiasm, depth and power to evangelize. It creates harmony among all those who share and work together in this mission (Cf. CG24, 87-88).



4. SALESIAN PASTORAL YOUTH WORK, CARRYING OUT A MISSION


Pastoral work is the activity of an ecclesial community that makes Jesus Christ and His salvation present to a human group in a specific time and place. It has two essential components: Jesus Christ, alive and present in the Church and a specific human group with its social and cultural reality.


The Salesian Youth Apostolate is a part of this ecclesial action; through the gift of the Salesian charism it enriches and brings this action to the world of young people. Our form of living and carrying out the Salesian mission with Don Bosco’s Spirituality and Preventive System serves the Church’s mission of evangelization.


Certain elements characterize our youth work.


4.1. A Determining Choice: Young People, Above All, Poor Young People


Don Bosco aimed his work decisively at the young. Among the young he consciously chose the poorest, those at risk, those who lived on the margins of the Church.


He proclaimed the Gospel – he sought out those who were far away; he turned the streets, squares, workplaces, schoolyards into places of encounter – places where he could proclaim the Gospel. He accepted young people without exception and without prejudice. He recognized and respected what they had within. He journeyed together with them and adapted his pace to theirs.

He developed his program to fit young people, especially the weak and those at risk. It was aimed at helping them to perceive life’s promise and its values; at preparing them for life in this world and making them aware of their eternal destiny (Const. 26).

This preferential option for the young and especially the poor drew his attention to the world in which they lived. We too must give our attention to the lay people responsible for evangelization in their local area, and to the family where different generations come together and build the future of mankind (Cf. Const. 29).

The Salesian apostolate is a youth apostolate – not just because it is primarily aimed at young people – but also because its style and perspective display a youthful quality. Starting with the “pastoral charity, characterized by that youthful dynamism which was revealed so strongly in our Founder and at the beginnings of our Society …” (Const. 10) our work in every pastoral field is marked by our predilection for the young (Const. 14).

Our chosen field of endeavor provides us with a specific way of looking at an actual situation and of reacting to it. We look at things from the point of view of the young:

  • we are sensitive to those things that promote the education and evangelization of the young or that endanger their welfare;

  • we are attentive to positive things, new values, possible recovery;

  • we are possessed of an attitude of sensitivity, sympathy, dialogue.


In looking at an actual situation

  • we must bear in mind that poverty and social exclusion can seriously compromise the education of the young;

  • we must understand teaching institutions and how they relate to young people; we must be aware of individual family situations and of their ability to raise children; we must know the educational system, its quality and the all-around formation it provides; we must be familiar with the local media and the mentality and culture they promote, etc. …

  • we must know other factors that influence young people: are there jobs? what sort of work is available? what sort of free-time activity can they find? clubs, teams etc. …

  • we must be aware of what religion means in their world; how is the Church present and active? what does it offer young people? what feelings do they have about the Church? are there other religions or forms of religiosity present?

  • we must understand local culture: that complex of values, boundaries, experiences, languages and symbols that make up its mentality and sensitivity;

  • we must be familiar with young people and their needs.



4.2. The Task: To Educate by Evangelizing and to Evangelize by Educating


Don Bosco’s pastoral concern found expression in a process of humanization that sought to develop a boy’s full personality and create a society that was more just and human. “We educate and evangelize according to a plan for the total well-being of man directed to Christ, the perfect Man. Faithful to the intentions of our Founder, our purpose is to form ‘upright citizens and good Christians’” (Const. 31).

Salesian pastoral youth work emphasizes the profound relationship that exists between the work of educating and the work of evangelizing. The goal of our youth work is to build a personality that has Christ as its principal frame of reference. As this frame of reference becomes gradually more explicit and is internalized, the young person will see history as Christ sees it; he will judge life as Christ judges it; he will choose and love as Christ does; he will hope as Christ teaches him; in Christ he will live in communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit (Cf. CG23, 112-115).


This choice is based on the faith experience of the incarnation of Christ. Human life even at its poorest and basest is the place where God makes Himself present. Human life is called to evolve into full communion with God.


This involves certain specific priorities:


  • The entirety of the program:


We must direct our whole program of education for young people towards openness to God and conformity to Christ, the perfect Man.

We must contribute Gospel values and Christian inspiration to their growth in freedom and responsibility; we must help form their consciences and give them guidelines for evaluation and judgement; we must foster the social development of their personality with a readiness to serve.


  • The central importance of education and cultural sensitivity

We must proclaim the Gospel in a way that makes educational and pedagogical sense; we must be aware of actual human and cultural values, and those elements that make a free response possible; we must take into account the methodological processes …

We must cultivate an active faith, characterized by social responsibility and charity that will work towards a culture of solidarity.

We must be committed to dialogue with the various cultural milieux in which young people live; we must strive to implant and cultivate fundamental values, criteria of judgement, models of life that conform to the Gospel.


  • Unity of the internal dynamic of the Salesian pastoral program


We must define the Salesian program of Christian education as an organic process.


Our encounter with young people begins at the point in which they find themselves. We must be attentive to their demands and aspirations and respect the background of every young person. We must provide a lively educational environment that is rich in possibilities.


In this environment


  • the Salesian program encourages and fosters the human talents of the young; draws out their deepest aspirations; cultivates a desire for the transcendent (educational-cultural dimension),

  • it directs them towards an encounter with Jesus Christ, the perfect Man (evangelization and catechetical dimension),

  • it brings to maturity their sense of belonging to society and the Church (group experience dimension),

  • it leads them to a discovery of their own vocation in a commitment to transforming the world (vocational dimension) in conformity with God’s plan (Cf. Const. 32-37; CG23, 116-157).


We will discuss these four dimensions in the second chapter. They are an expression of the four major aspects of Salesian pastoral youth work.


4.3 A Community Experience


Community experience is a characteristic of our apostolic work and educational style.

  • the community is the subject and agent of our pastoral mission (Const. 44);

  • we lead young people to an experience of the Church by having them share in the life of a community (Const. 35);

  • family spirit, personal relationships, mutual trust between teachers and young people, fostering communal life and youth leadership – these elements are characteristic of our style of education and evangelization (Const. 16, 35)


This community, the subject of the Salesian pastoral mission, is composed of various elements: it begins with the Salesian community and extends to other forms – like a series of concentric circles with young people always at the center (Const. 5):

  • The Salesian Community carries out the Salesian mission through its religious life.

  • The Salesian Family is a collection of groups in the Church who identify with and carry out the Salesian vocation; they share Salesian spirit and spirituality as well as responsibility for the Salesian mission; each group contributes the variety and riches of its own vocation.

  • Many other lay people share the spirit and mission of Don Bosco and work with us in various capacities in our educational and pastoral mission.

  • The Salesian Movement is made up of people who admire Don Bosco’s person, spirit and mission; in a variety of ways they assist us in our good works and share in the Salesian mission.


The Salesian mission is not limited to nor only identified with the Salesian religious community and its work. That community, however, is the necessary point of encounter and training for a vast movement inside and outside Salesian structures, that works for young people in the Church and in civil society (CG24, 4). This communion with and sharing of lay people and Salesians in the spirit and mission of Don Bosco finds visible and intense expression in the Educational and Pastoral Community (EPC). This Community “involves young people and adults, parents and educators, in a family atmosphere, so that it can become a living experience of Church” (Const. 47; cf. Reg 5).


4.4 A Specific Style: Animation


Salesian Youth Ministry in the field of education emphasizes a style of animation that leads people to hearing and accepting the Gospel.


This style of animation involves:

  • emphasis on the individual’s process of personalization; on developing his conscience and the motivations which guide his choices; on fostering his critical judgement and active involvement; on making him responsible and an active participant in his own educational and pastoral process;

  • building a community based on the values, criteria, objectives and processes of Salesian Youth Ministry; learning more about the educators’ vocational identity; fostering a Salesian pastoral mentality; encouraging communication and sharing; promoting shared responsibility;

  • fostering collaboration, complementarity and coordination of all in a shared project.


This original educational style is based on certain fundamental convictions which constitute specific priorities:

  • trust in the individual and his inclination to good; for this reason the individual must be the protagonist and principal agent in all those processes that involve him;

  • the liberating power of educative love: if young people are to develop the energies they possess they must have teachers who cultivate a profound educational affection; for this reason animation demands a respect for interpersonal relations marked by trust, sharing, mutual openness and the courage to make suggestions;

  • openness to each and every young person; not by lowering educational expectations but rather by providing each student with what he needs here and now; this implies accepting a young person as he is, with that amount of maturity and freedom he possesses and gradually making him aware of his potential and opening up his life to new possibilities through various religious and educational experiences;

  • the active presence of teachers in the midst of young people; establishing a personal relationship which is both encouraging and liberating; creating a human environment of high quality with a variety of significant educational possibilities that meet the needs of young people.



4.5 Organic Pastoral Work: Unity in Diversity


The various activities and projects of our youth apostolate are inspired by an organic pastoral program with a single goal: the all-around welfare of young people and the world in which they live. We must get beyond a fragmented apostolate composed of competing activities; we can do this by organizing all our ministry around the same ultimate goals, criteria and priorities. In this way we can coordinate and inter-relate our many activities.



This sort of convergence is required by: the subject of our program – the young person; the Educative and Pastoral Community that shares our goals and guidelines; and the need for all our projects, experiences and pastoral models to be complementary.


Salesian youth work can be made organic through:


  • The Salesian Educational and Pastoral Plan (SEPP) which at different levels defines the goals and processes which direct and foster convergence and cooperation among the many activities, projects and people involved in the Educative and Pastoral Community.

  • The organization of animation and pastoral government in the province and in the community to guarantee communication and coordination of all aspects of life (formation, finances, the Salesian Family …) around the objectives of educating and evangelizing young people . Cf. CG23, 240-242.


4.6 A Significant Presence in the Church and in the World


The broad community which is the subject of our ministry lives and works in the Church and in the world as a meaningful presence.


  • As a cell of the ecclesial community

- it receives its life and mission from the ecclesial community,

- it works to make the Church present and alive for young people,

- it enriches the ecclesial community with the gift of Salesian Youth Spirituality, the Educational System of Don Bosco and the vitality of the Salesian Family and the Salesian Youth Movement.


For this reason the Educative and Pastoral Community cultivates a renewed ecclesial awareness (Const. 13) and takes its appropriate place in the pastoral work of the local Church. It follows the guidelines of the local Church with conviction and works in those organizations which animate it; it establishes links with all its various educational projects.


  • As a significant example of the saving action of God in the socially and politically organized human community

- it shares in the Church’s commitment to peace and justice (Const. 33),

- it promotes change in those situations which are contrary to the values of the Gospel (Const. 7, 33).


For this reason, the Educative and Pastoral Community

- is present in all those human situations in which young people can be found especially on the margins of society and among the excluded (Salesian presence in civil society). The community is especially attentive to all those factors which influence the education and evangelization of youth; it seeks to discern the signs of God’s saving presence;

- it plays a decisive role in the cultural debate and educational processes through various associations, volunteer work and social cooperation; it makes an original educational contribution towards the creation of a mentality and social conscience marked by solidarity and Christian values; it contributes to the evangelization of culture;

  • it makes the Salesian presence meaningful. Salesian educative and pastoral identity can become a center of hospitality and solidarity, a sign of sharing and working together with the potential to transform the environment (Cf. CG23, 225-229; CG24, 173-174).


  • As an ecclesial presence in religiously and culturally diverse environments


Salesian Youth Ministry is carried out in environments marked by cultural and religious pluralism. Many of the lay people who share in our mission come from different cultures and beliefs.


For this reason we must be open to dialogue and collaboration with a variety of religious traditions. We must work together to promote the all-round development of the individual and his openness to the transcendent.


The Preventive System is our basic guideline in this collaborative effort: “with those who do not accept God we can journey together, basing ourselves on the human and lay values present in the preventive system; with those who do accept God and the transcendent we can go further, even to welcoming their religious values; and finally, with those who share our faith in Christ but not our membership of the Church, we can walk still more closely on the path of the Gospel” (CG 24, 185).


For this reason it is important that within the Educative and Pastoral Community Christians live faithful to their vocation and to the evangelizing mission of the Church in conformity with the Salesian charism (cf. CG24, 183-185).


Suggested bibliography for further study


  • ISTITUTO DI TEOLOGIA PASTORALE - UPS, Dizionario di Pastorale Giovanile, LDC, Leumann (Torino), 1989.


This dictionary offers a rich selection of thematic articles; we would suggest:


POLLO M., (ed.), Animazione, o.c., pp.54-64. TONELLI R., Pastorale giovanile, o.c., pp. 668-679.

TONELLI R. (ed.), Spiritualità giovanile, o.c., pp.909-919.


  • TONELLI R., Il modello di Pastorale Giovanile, in DICASTERO PER LA PASTORALE GIOVANILE, Il cammino e la prospettiva 2000 (o.c.), pp.107-121.


  • VECCHI J., Pastorale, Educazione, Pedagogia nella prassi salesiana, in DICASTERO PER LA PASTORALE GIOVANILE, Il cammino e la prospettiva 2000. Documenti PG 13, Roma 1991, pp.7-38.


  • VECCHI J., Pastorale giovanile una sfida per la comunità ecclesiale, LDC Leumann, (Torino) 1992.


We suggest in particular:


Parte Prima: La Chiesa di fronte alla Pastorale Giovanile: quale pastorale?, cap. 3: Pastorale, Punti Fermi e Prospettive, o.c., pp. 38-56.

Parte Seconda: Un'esperienza originale ed emblematica di Pastorale Giovanile a servizio della Chiesa, o.c., pp.59-118.


  • VECCHI J. - PRELLEZO J.M. (a cura di), Prassi educativa pastorale e scienze dell’educazione (1988).


We suggest in particular:


Parte Seconda:

Cap. 1: VECCHI J. (ed.), Pastorale, Educazione, Pedagogia nella prassi salesiana, o.c., pp.123-150.

Cap. 2: GROPPO G.(ed), Educazione e Pastorale: rapporti - tensioni - distanze - convergenze, o.c., pp.151-195.

Cap. 3: ALBERICH E. (ed.), Evangelizzazkione - Catechesi - Pastorale - Educazione: per un chiarimento dei termini e dei loro reciproci rapporti, o.c., pp.197-208.

Cap. 4: TONELLI R. (ed.), Pastorale Giovanile - Educazione - Animazione, o.c., pp. 209-223.


The follow text is a collection of the principal articles on the Salesian Youth Apostolate in the form of a dictionary:


  • VECCHI J.- PRELLEZO J.M. (a cura di), Progetto educativo pastorale. Elementi modulari, LAS, Roma 1984.




° Studied by theme:



- Animation

  • TONELLI R., Pastorale Giovanile e animazione. Una collaborazione per la vita e la speranza. LDC, Leumann (Torino) 1986.


  • DICASTERO PER LA PASTORALE GIOVANILE E CENTRO INTERNAZIONALE DI PG - FMA, L'animatore salesiano nel gruppo giovanile. Una proposta salesiana. Documento PG 12. LDC, Leumann (Torino) 1988.



- Education and Evangelization



To understand the process of education and evangelization today the following text might be useful:


  • TONELLI R., Per raccogliere la sfida della nuova situazione giovanile e culturale: criteri e prospettive d'intervento, in DPGS, L'Europa interpella il carisma salesiano. L'esperienza religiosa in una situazione pluriculturale. Atti Convegno Europeo in Polonia , Roma 1994, pp.55-84.



  • Preventive System

  • BRAIDO P., L'esperienza pedagogica di Don Bosco, LAS, Roma 1988.


  • BRAIDO P., Don Bosco educatore. Scritti e testimonianze, LAS, Roma 1997.


  • BRAIDO P., Prevenire non reprimere. Il Sistema educativo di Don Bosco. LAS, Roma 1999.


  • DICASTERO PER LA FAMIGLIA SALESIANA, Il Sistema preventivo verso il Terzo Millennio. Atti della XVIII Settimana di Spiritualità della Famiglia Salesiana. A cura di A. MARTINELLI - G. CHERUBIN, Ed. SDB, Roma 1995.



- Salesian Youth Spirituality

  • DICASTERO PER LA PASTORALE GIOVANILE SALESIANA, La proposta associativa salesiana. Sintesi d'una esperienza in cammino. Documenti PG 9. Roma 1985


  • DICASTERI PER LA PASTORALE GIOVANILE FMA - SDB. Spiritualità Giovanile Salesiana. Un dono dello Spirito alla Famiglia Salesiana per la vita e la speranza di tutti. Roma. 1996


  • VAN LOOY L., La Spiritualità Giovanile Salesiana, in Il modello di Pastorale Giovanile, in DICASTERO PER LA PASTORALE GIOVANILE - SDB, Il cammino e la prospettiva 2000 (o.c.), pp.149-164.