2021_YM_The_parish_and_shrine_entrusted_to_the_Salesians


2021_YM_The_parish_and_shrine_entrusted_to_the_Salesians

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The parish
and the shrine
entrusted to
the salesians
Sector for
Salesian Youth
Ministry

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Graphic Design: Artia Comunicación
Illustrations: Javier Carabaño
Translation: Carol Mary Russo – Patrick A. Anthonyraj
Rights reserved to the SDB Youth Ministry Department
Salesiani di Don Bosco – Sede Centrale
Via Marsala, 42. 00185 Roma

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The parish
and the shrine
entrusted to
the salesians
Sector for
Salesian Youth
Ministry

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ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
CCC Code of Canon Law (1983).
Cost. / Reg. Constitutions and Regulations of the Society of Saint
Francis de Sales (1984).
GC General Chapter of the Salesians of Don Bosco.
SEPP Salesian Educative-Pastoral Plan.
PSEPP Provincial Salesian Educative-Pastoral Plan.
EPC Educative-Pastoral Community.
FR Salesian youth ministry. Frame of reference. Youth
Ministry Department (2014).

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Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Chapter 1
The original nature of the parish entrusted to the Salesians . . . . . 9
1.1 Assuming of parishes in the deliberations of the
General Chapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.2 A precious gift for the whole ecclesial community . . . . . . . 12
Chapter 2
The Educative Pastoral Community of the parishes . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2.1 The importance of the EPC of the parish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2.2 The members of the EPC of the parish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Chapter 3
The educative-pastoral proposal
of the parish entrusted to the Salesian community . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
3.1 A centre for evangelization
and education in the faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
3.2 A presence of the church that is open
and fully part of its locality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
3.3 A community with a missionary outlook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
3.4 Clear option for the young
and for working class people . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
3.5 A meeting place for the various sectors
of the Salesian house . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Chapter 4
Systematic pastoral animation in the parish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
4.1 Main interventions of the proposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
4.2 Structures of participation and responsibility . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Chapter 5
Other forms: public churches, Shrines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Concluding remarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
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Introduction
The parish, as a Church in the midst of the homes of her
sons and daughters, to be able to evangelize, has always had to adapt to
the times, changing the ways in which she is present. Today, the Salesian
parish is called to do the same. It must be a Church which “goes forth”
throughout the local area in which she is located, capable not only of
bringing people together, but of igniting stories of faith and creating bonds
in everyday life.
As a Congregation, the need arose to identify some privileged areas of
pastoral renewal in the Salesian parish. After the first text of the sector
“Salesian parish and Shrines entrusted to the Salesians” in the “Frame of
Reference for Youth Ministry” drawn up in 2014, it was decided to adapt
the content, based on a more current knowledge of parish realities.
For this reason, the Salesian Youth Ministry Department has involved the
Provinces, with the aim of promoting, in the first place, a critical analysis of
the situation of the parish with regard to certain issues: the current socio-
religious situations, the characteristics of evangelization which exist today at
the local level, the specific nature and roles of the people involved (priests
and parish priests, the faithful, young people, parents, etc.). At the same
time, the guidelines of the Rector Major and the Council and the various
contributions sent by the provincial delegates for youth ministry and by
some national commissions were received and examined with attention
and involvement.
This process made it possible to develop a relevant reflection on the
Salesian parish. This document does not claim to be exhaustive and
complete with respect to this broad context, but aims to offer further
stimuli and possible pastoral implications. In fact, since each reality has
its own crucial issues and challenges, choices have been made by giving
preference to the essential elements that characterize and guarantee its
original nature and its specific educative-pastoral characteristics, as a place
of welcoming and apostolic service, in the face of the challenges of this
era of great changes.
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Therefore, the text takes the form of a synthetic and organic collection
of the major reflections, Educative-pastoral guidelines and operational
issues that emerged from the various contributions received from the
provinces, thus preventing an articulated exposition of the theological
foundations and a complete analysis of the cultural and pastoral context
of each reality.
To make the contents more systematic, it was decided to divide the text
into five chapters. This structure can be functional in order to conceptualize
the essential elements of all Salesian settings.
◗◗ The first Chapter focuses on the ORIGINAL NATURE of the
parish entrusted to the Salesians in order to better identify the
purpose for which we are present in these ecclesial realities. A
programme that arises from Don Bosco’s intention to create a
parish for young people without a parish, a precious gift for the
mission in the entire ecclesial community, by retracing the process
of the assumption of parishes in the various deliberations of the
General Chapters.
◗◗ Next we identify the PEOPLE involved in the mission: the Educative-
pastoral Community, a community of people (a “home”), not a
structure or an institution. Being a community of communities, there
is emphasis on the importance of the EPC of the parishes and of all
its members who take on a common mission that involves everyone
in shared responsibility.
◗◗ The VISION identifies questions that characterize the third Chapter:
What hopes, and dreams do we have? What apostolic challenges are
we facing as a parish entrusted to the Salesians? Whom and what
are we trying to transform evangelically? In other words, it focuses
on what objectives we intend to achieve. Then follows an analysis of
all the elements characterizing the educative-pastoral proposal of the
parish entrusted to the Salesian community.
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◗◗ The fourth focuses on ORGANIZATION. The proposal, inspired by
the Christian catechumenate, looks after the personal, community
and celebrative and liturgical dimension and the commitment to
evangelization which guide the correct planning of interventions
with young people, ensuring the completeness and integrity of the
Christian experience of the people and structures of participation and
responsibility.
◗◗ In the last Chapter, an update relating to public churches and Shrines
is presented.
At the end of this process, I would first like to thank all those who have
contributed their observations; we have certainly had a positive experience
of listening to the realities of the Congregation. Thanks to the quality of
the reflections, we were able to gather valuable elements for verifying
and relaunching our pastoral charity in the parish setting. The effort to
systematize all aspects related to the parish setting was carried out with
the intention of continuing the reflection at the local and provincial level,
hoping that this work will have pastoral effects/fruits.
P. Miguel Angel García Morcuende, sdb
General Councillor for Youth Ministry
15 OCTOBER 2021
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THE ORIGINAL NATURE
OF THE PARISH ENTRUSTED
TO THE SALESIANS
CHAPTER
I

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THE ORIGINAL NATURE OF THE PARISH ENTRUSTED TO THE SALESIANS
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ASSUMING OF PARISHES IN THE DELIBERATIONS OF
THE GENERAL CHAPTERS
Don Bosco’s apostolic zeal for the poorest youth of Turin led him to create a
parish for young people without a parish. During his time, Don Bosco
accepted seven parishes and in 1887 he wrote a regulation on the proper
functioning of the parish. He touched on the issues that concerned him
most: the priority of attention to young people, especially the poorest, the
educative preference of the Congregation and the identity of the Salesian
parish priest that served in communion with the Bishop and the diocesan
clergy. These themes continued to be central points of reference in the
following years.
«The sick, the poor and the children are the subjects of special
concern (of the parish priests)» (Deliberations of the Fourth General
Chapter, 1886).
After a long process that lasted many decades, the GC 19 of 1965 states
that “the Salesian ministry seeks to include all the ordinary activities of its
Parishes in the overall plan of diocesan pastoral ministry, even if they are
carried out according to our spirit and in harmony with our methods and
our structures “(GC19, Part I, chap. XI, 3). GC 20 affirmed in 1971 that “the
parish entrusted to the Salesians should no longer be seen as a work situated
next to the college or school, but as the true centre and pivot of our service
to the local ecclesial community. In this perspective, the parish is presented
as a field of work centred on a community of Salesians, to whom the Church
entrusts the mandate of spreading the Kingdom of God” (GC20, 436).
The subsequent General Chapter of 1978 defines the parish commitment
as Salesianally valid, also “because it allows to reach out to young people in
their natural environment and to assist them throughout their development;
it offers easier opportunities to involve parents and adults for their
education; it promotes their natural integration in the local Church and
in the territory “(GC21,135). The reflection is based on two assumptions:
◗◗ the parish allows us to position ourselves among young people;
◗◗ here we can evangelize them in the style of the SEPP (Salesian
Educative Pastoral Plan).
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THE PARISH AND THE SHRINE ENTRUSTED TO THE SALESIANS
In this General Chapter the parishes are entrusted to the youth ministry
department (GC21,400).
In 1984, with the definitive approval of the renewed Constitutions and
Regulations of the Society of Saint Francis de Sales, the parish is explicitly
recognized as one of the environments in which we implement our
proposal: “We carry out our mission also in the parishes, responding to
pastoral needs of the particular Churches in those areas which offer us
adequate scope for service to the youth and to the poor “(cf. Const. 42;
Reg. 25).
Considering the importance of the steps described above, we can draw
two conclusions:
◗◗ Primarily, in the Salesian parish, the charism of the Congregation must
manifest itself no less than in other sectors of our Salesian works.
Basically, it is fundamental to bear in mind that it is not necessary
to start from structures to seek the Salesian identity, but from the
charism, spirituality, and mission. This is expressed in article 42 of the
Constitutions of the Salesians of Don Bosco:
«In parishes [...] we contribute to the spreading of the Gospel and
to the advancement of the people. We collaborate in the pastoral
programme of the particular Church out of the riches of our
specific vocation» (Const. 42)
◗◗ The second conclusion is that the province has a responsibility for
animation and governance, not only in reference to the religious
life of the people and the religious community to which the parish
is entrusted, but also in reference to the pastoral and educative
activity of the parishes themselves. This is due precisely to the
main goal of each province: promoting the life and mission of the
Congregation and offering a specific service to the particular Church
(cf. Const. 157).
Therefore, taking on a Salesian parish implies first of all identifying the
Salesian components in the animation of this environment, asking ourselves
what charismatic contribution is given to the diocese through the parish
entrusted to us.
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THE ORIGINAL NATURE OF THE PARISH ENTRUSTED TO THE SALESIANS
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A PRECIOUS GIFT FOR THE WHOLE ECCLESIAL
COMMUNITY
The parish is the first community instance in which the Church carries
out the mission entrusted to her by Jesus in a well-defined socio-cultural
context. In Evangelii Gaudium 28, Francis recalls some significant aspects
of the identity of the parish, which, in addition to being a “presence of
the Church in a given area”, is a “community of communities”, a place
and sanctuary of Christian life, a missionary and evangelizing community.
“Since its inception, the Parish is envisioned as a response to a
precise pastoral need, namely that of bringing the Gospel to the
People through the proclamation of the faith and the celebration
of the Sacraments […], called upon to read the signs of the times,
while adapting both to the needs of the faithful and to historical
changes […], in search of new forms of accompaniment and
closeness. A task of this kind ought not to be seen as a burden,
but rather as a challenge to be embraced with enthusiasm.”
(“The pastoral conversion of the parish community in the service of
the evangelizing mission of the Church”, 2020).
In our case, the parish entrusted to the Salesians enters the pastoral ministry
of the Church with a style, a structure, a peculiarity; by its nature, it is
configured as a privileged space for the evangelization for young people
and the option for them is not exclusive or discriminatory, but preferential
and constitutes a timeless challenge. This preferential option is a precious
gift for the mission in the whole ecclesial community.
This pastoral presence has many diverse characteristics, both with regard
to the request for entrustment and with respect to social position.
The request for entrustment may concern:
◗◗ parish presences of the diocesan clergy which are subsequently
entrusted to a religious community: in some cases, the religious
animate only the parish environment; in others, the confreres who
animate the parish are part of a broader Salesian Work, which also
includes other pastoral activities;
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THE PARISH AND THE SHRINE ENTRUSTED TO THE SALESIANS
◗◗ passages from “public church” or “Shrine” to “parish”;
◗◗ the entrustment of a parish or of different parishes to several priests
“in solidum”, all equivalent to the parish priest; in this case the “the
coordinator” is to direct the joint pastoral action and answer for it to
the Bishop (cf. CIC, can. 517, §1);
◗◗ lastly, parishes entrusted to religious who are isolated or in a
personal capacity, or for contingent reasons. With respect to this
last mode of entrustment, the Congregation is gradually no longer
accepting this type of request. All the indications concerning the
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THE ORIGINAL NATURE OF THE PARISH ENTRUSTED TO THE SALESIANS
conditions established by law and the procedures to be followed for
the acceptance of a parish, are contained in the document “Legal
elements and administrative practice in the government of the
Province” (Directorate General for Works Don Bosco, 2004, no. 126).
As for the pastoral and social position in which the parishes entrusted to
the Salesians are included, there has been a certain multiplicity:
◗◗ they are located in regions of widespread social adhesion to the
Church that require in-depth evangelization; others are located in
contexts in which faith requires a phase of reformulation due to the
rapid process of secularization;
◗◗ quite a few develop in societies in which the Church is not allowed
other structures, environments or methods of evangelization;
◗◗ some parishes are mission stations, while others are located in rural
environments;
◗◗ they are also present in environments with a strong popular religiosity,
but also in interreligious contexts;
◗◗ there is no shortage in large urban areas and in the suburbs of big
cities, with related aggregation, human promotion and rooting
problems;
◗◗ lastly, several are located in medium-high socio-economic contexts,
while others in more modest ones.
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THE PARISH AND THE SHRINE ENTRUSTED TO THE SALESIANS
AT A GLANCE
ORIGINALITY of PARISH ENTRUSTED TO THE SALESIANS
A privileged space of
evangelization for young people…
… according to the Salesian
Pastoral-Educational Project
• Assumption of parishes in
the deliberations of General
Chapters
• Salesian Parish: a precious
gift for the entire ecclesial
community
Differentiated and multiple
features starting with:
• The charism of the
Congregation must be
manifested no less than in
other sectors of our Salesian
works
• The Province has an
animation and governance
responsibility
Request for entrustment
• diocesan parishes entrusted to a
religious community
• transitions from "public church" or
"sanctuary" to "parish"
• delivery of one or more parishes to
several priests "in solidum"
• parishes, finally, entrusted to isolated
religious or in a personal capacity (the
Congregation is moving towards no
longer accepting this type of request)
Social Placement
• placed in regions of widespread social
adherence to the Church
• located in contexts where faith requires
reformulation
• in societies in which the Church is not
permitted other structures
• mission stations or rural settings
• environments with a strong popular
religiosity, but also in interfaith contexts
• in large urban agglomerations, in the
suburbs of large cities
• in medium-high or modest
socioeconomic contexts
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THE ORIGINAL NATURE OF THE PARISH ENTRUSTED TO THE SALESIANS
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PASTORALE GIOVANILE E FAMIGLIA
THE EDUCATIVE
PASTORAL COMMUNITY
OF THE PARISHES
CHAPTER
II

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THE EDUCATIVE PASTORAL COMMUNITY OF THE PARISHES
2 1 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE EPC OF THE PARISH
From the mystery of the incarnation arises the mystery of the Church: “In
the human nature united to Himself the Son of God, by overcoming death
through His own death and resurrection, redeemed man and re-molded
him into a new creation. By communicating His Spirit, Christ made His
brothers, called together from all nations, mystically the components of
His own Body” (LG 7). The Church is a “mystery of communion”. The
essence of the Church is determined by the mystery of the Triune God: it
is the people of God the Father (LG 2), the mystical body of Christ (LG 3)
and the temple of the Holy Spirit (LG 4).
The parish, in this society and in this history, becomes the face of the
Church, which is concretized as a Eucharistic, missionary and evangelizing
community in the territory of a particular Church, and which people find
close to their own homes, visibly and socially inserted in their daily lives.
In it, Christians live faith, hope and charity, nourished by the Word of
God, in the celebration of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, creating
communion in a community committed by its essence to the mission of
salvation of the Universal Church, through the particular Church.
The parish is a large community of baptized believers, a “portion” of the
universal Church, within the dynamics of diocesan ministry. The Christian
community is the place where communion is experienced: the believer
finds a home there. In this respect, today the typology of the parish is
certainly not unique but rather it is a complex reality. Being a community of
communities, the parish creates a broad weave of human relationships that
fosters communion and fraternity: a “spirituality of communion” (Novo
Millennio Ineunte, 43-45).
The Salesian form of animation of every educational reality, which carries
out Don Bosco’s mission, is defined as the Educative-pastoral Community
(EPC) (cf. Const. 47; GC24, no. 149-179; FR, chap. V). It is not a new
structure that is added to the other management and participation
agencies existing in the various pastoral works or environments, nor is it
an organizational way of working or a technique of participation. It is a
group of people (young people and adults, parents and educators, religious
and lay people, representatives of other ecclesial and civil institutions and
also belonging to other religions, men and women of good will) who work
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THE PARISH AND THE SHRINE ENTRUSTED TO THE SALESIANS
together for the education and evangelization of the young, especially
the poor, in the style of Don Bosco. This reality can be conceived as a
structure of concentric circles, based on how individuals’ responsibilities in
the mission are shared.
Our charism is a gift of the Spirit for the Church, thus a Salesian parish
unites two distinctive characteristics:
◗◗ first of all, it is where God’s presence is found in the local Church, in
the light of personal charism;
◗◗ secondly, it is the Educative-pastoral Community, where everyone
feels responsible for proclaiming the Gospel and for the growth of
the community, especially young people.
The EPC of the Salesian parish takes up a common mission involving
responsibility (cf. GC24, 18), shared by the largest possible number of people
and evangelizing energies around a pastoral plan. It is therefore necessary to
overcome an essentially clerical and “monolithic” parish model, a parish in
which only ordained ministers make decisions and govern.
It is a matter of establishing a communal vision of the parish that prevents
the self-referential conception and the clericalization of the pastoral
ministry, putting the spotlight on fraternal relations; a parish understood
as an EPC, in which the plurality of vocations, charisms and ministries
build a harmonious organism, in which all the members find their place
and in which the daily journey is an exercise of shared responsibility. It is
a community that is enriched with faces, stories, charisms, dialogue, and
discussion.
A parish in which a “fusion of diversities” takes place; with
priests, religious and laity who cooperate in a single mission,
mutually complementary in diversity, each bringing their own
contribution and all united by the same baptism. In other words,
in the Church there is a place for everyone and everyone
can find their place in the one family of God, respecting each
other’s vocation and trying to value every charism.
In fact, in the parish, diversities “make up the church” together:
diversity of faith itineraries, first of all; socio-cultural diversity; diversity
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THE EDUCATIVE PASTORAL COMMUNITY OF THE PARISHES
of temperaments, inclinations, mental categories; diversity of origin; age
diversity; diversity of responsibilities in the same parish.
2 2 THE MEMBERS OF THE EPC OF THE PARISH
The numerous vocational expressions are a manifestation of lay co-
responsibility and ministry within the configuration of the parishes. In
the parish communities there are numerous lay people (adults and young
people) who give their service and ministry in view of the common good.
From being simple recipients of “religious service”, the members of the
parish community must become members of the mission of the church in
their area.
People, especially youth, live in an environment where they share interests
and experiences, in dialogue with peers and adults, in a climate of mutual
accompaniment and in a continuous exchange of skills and talents. Living
this experience of reciprocity in a community perspective, this “culture of
encounter”, means implementing in every Salesian house an Educative-
pastoral Community, which is not a requirement of order and
balance, but our educative-pastoral model. For this reason, we do
not only exist together, but we feel the need to work together, because
we believe in the wealth that every vocation offers.
The people who make up the EPCs are: young people, families, groups of
the Salesian Family, religious communities, committed lay people, groups,
associations and ecclesial movements.
“The ‘culture of encounter’ is conducive to dialogue, solidarity
and openness to others, as it is person-centred. Naturally, a
Parish must be a “place” that brings people together and fosters
long-term personal relationships, thereby giving people a sense
of belonging and being wanted. The Parish community is called
truly to master the “art of accompaniment”. (“The pastoral
conversion of the parish community in the service of the evangelizing
mission of the Church”, 2020).
A The Salesian religious community of the parish increases its value with
the significant and complementary presence of clerical and lay Salesians,
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THE PARISH AND THE SHRINE ENTRUSTED TO THE SALESIANS
who constitute an essential element of its make-up and its apostolic
completeness. In fact, the Salesian brother brings to every field of education
and pastoral activity the specific qualities of his lay status (cf. Const. 45).
Therefore, the community to which the parish is entrusted, with the wealth
of its specific vocation, cooperates “charismatically” (according to the
Salesian apostolic consecration) with the ministerial mandate entrusted
by the diocesan Bishop. The whole renewal of the Congregation after the
Second Vatican Council focused on the local “community” as the subject
of the mission (cf. Const. 44. 49). It is increasingly urgent to cooperate in
the creation of a mentality that considers the pastoral ministry of a Salesian
parish as not exclusively connected to the figure of the parish priest, but
to the entire Salesian community.
The entire Salesian religious community is the bearer of a “specific
pastoral sensitivity”, which enriches the overall pastoral ministry through its
spiritual and charismatic heritage. Its pedagogical style and its relationships
of fraternity and shared responsibility in the mission represent a reference
testimony in the parishes and neighbourhoods.
The community lives the family spirit by being a witness of sharing for
this purpose; first of all, it experiences mutual understanding and esteem
in the internal dynamics. The provincial and his council ensure a religious
community for the pastoral care of the parish and support the confreres
in the authentic realization of their Salesian vocation by encouraging
their apostolic zeal mainly dedicated to youth. The provincial visits a
Salesian parish and intervenes to ensure that close commitment with
the Bishop, is fulfilled according to the Agreement stipulated (cf. Legal
elements and administrative practice in the government of the Province,
Directorate General Works Don Bosco (2004), Appendix A-14), to assure
the Congregation that the Salesian proposal is accepted and implemented
in the fullness of Don Bosco’s charism.
It is the whole community that assumes the pastoral guidelines of the
diocese, with the wealth of its pastoral charism. The whole community:
◗◗ is fully integrated in the life and guidelines of the province it belongs to;
◗◗ creates a group of leaders for the parish ministry around the parish
priest;
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THE EDUCATIVE PASTORAL COMMUNITY OF THE PARISHES
◗◗ promotes the development and implementation of the SEPP (Salesian
Educative-pastoral Plan) in the parish;
◗◗ is responsible, in collaboration with the parish priest and his team, for
the formation and spiritual animation of the faithful;
◗◗ guides the members of the Salesian Family to be the first assistants
in the development of the plan;
◗◗ participates in the life of the parish, taking an interest in the life and
history of the people, especially the youth.
The religious community (cf. GC21, 138; Reg. 26) is part of the animating
nucleus of the parish entrusted to the Salesians and assumes a clear role
(cf. GC24, 159) as:
◗◗ it bears witness to the primacy of God;
◗◗ it visibly manifests its fraternal life and practice of the evangelical
counsels through moments of prayer, meetings and social gatherings;
◗◗ it shares this testimony with the laity of the parish community;
◗◗ it is a portion of the pastoral project that gives space to the different
skills of the confreres.
These peculiarities make the life of the community more serene,
more exciting and even more satisfying, giving it in return a more
“attractive” gospel and life in the church.
B The Rector of the Salesian house, as “first in order of responsibility
for its religious life, its apostolic activities and the administration of
its goods” (Const. 176), is the custodian of the Salesian consecrated
identity for the local community. He accompanies and helps each
confrere to discern, develop and use the charismatic gifts bestowed on
him for the realization of the Salesian mission, also in the parish (cf.
Animating and governing the community. The ministry of the Salesian
Rector, Society of St Francis de Sales. Salesians of Don Bosco (2019)
point 4: “guardian and animator of the Salesian consecrated identity”).
He looks after unity and the Salesian identity of the entire Work and
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THE PARISH AND THE SHRINE ENTRUSTED TO THE SALESIANS
encourages the confreres as they carry out the parish pastoral plan (cf.
Reg. 29).
The difficulty in coordinating in a single plan his activities as rector, which
he carries out from a religious and educational point of view for the whole
Salesian Work, with those of the parish priest who is in charge of the
parish community (ultimate reference for the animation and direction of
the parish), is clarified by GCS 20 (GCS20, 435) and by the Regulations (see
Reg. 23). These directions have attempted to give order to the structure of
these two figures. Art. 29 of the Regulation (1984) gathered the results of
the experience with this rule: “Where the situation permits, the canonical
erection of the Salesian house should be carried out at the service of the
parish with its rector-parish priest. When the offices of rector and parish
priest are separate, the rector looks after the unity and the Salesian identity
of the community and encourages the co-responsibility of the confreres as
they carry out the parish pastoral plan”.
Therefore, the rector of a Salesian house who is dedicated only to the
parish should also be a parish priest, if possible, assuming the role of rector-
parish priest. The two roles have the common goal of creating a religious
community which is the animating centre of a broader community of the
Salesian parish.
On the other hand, it may well be that the rector has a dual responsibility
as pastor or a responsible worker of the oratory; this requires a confrere to
be appointed, preferably with the role of assistant pastor, assigned to the
oratory or parish, allowing him to devote himself to the main tasks and
responsibilities of the rector.
In complex works, with more than one environment, the rector chairs
the Council of the EPC or of the Work. This Council is the liaison
and coordination body made up of the rector and representatives of all
the settings that make up the Work itself; for this reason, it would be
appropriate to encourage the presence of the parish priest and a few
members of the Pastoral Council. Animated by the same charism and
partakers of the one mission, they are responsible for making the gift
and service of the Salesian charism present in an area in its significance.
For this reason, they share the various responsibilities, resulting from the
management of all the settings of a Work, and they come together not only
to organize, but also to be formed and build paths of common reflection.
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C The parish priest is the first person responsible for the parish mission
that the Bishop entrusts to the Salesian Congregation; in fact, he is aware
of his responsibilities towards the Bishop and the Congregation. It is
important to bear in mind that the Salesian parish priest carries out a dual
representation. He “makes present” the bishop and the project of the
particular Church (cf. LG 28) and it is for this reason that he receives the
mandate from his person; at the same time, he represents the Congregation
and its proposal, since the parish is entrusted to the Congregation and
the latter is in charge of appointing and replacing the parish priest at the
end of his mandate. The parish priest presides over the parish community,
assuming the responsibility of implementing the Educative-pastoral Plan,
in communion with the Rector, with the Salesian community and with the
Pastoral Council.
Faithful to the educative-pastoral mission, the Salesian parish priest
patterns himself after Don Bosco in the evangelization of young people
and the people of God. Today this inspiration is expressed by cultivating
a careful vision of the educative-pastoral model, which every Salesian
should seek. This approach is very important. We recall the importance
that the Salesian Constitutions have in the identity of the Salesians as
“educators and pastors”, aware of the need to possess a kind of Salesian
formation that is able to help them respond to the challenges of today’s
societies, to the unexpressed questions and yearnings of the people of
God, especially young people; Salesian priests who are more connected
to the spaces, times and life situations of the people who live in working
class environments.
Because of this need for relationships, the parish priest should
become a permanently accessible reference, in terms of time, but
also of desire in “inhabiting” his community, intellectually
and emotionally, carrying in his heart all his potential and
making it available to others, an ever more fruitful apostolic
activity of a youthful and popular style.
Another characteristic - closely linked to the previous ones - is the ability
to establish quality relationships, taking care of diversified interpersonal
relationships with individuals, with confreres, with the religious men and
women he comes across, with the laity, the sick, with young people and
children, with the elderly and families, with the people who make up the
groups that work in the parish and with the local Church.
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In this respect, the parish priest is called to welcome, listen, accompany,
and form the parish community “in a Salesian way”, that is, with a simple
and appropriate spirituality, a concrete apostolic witness, an example of
diligence, a sense of optimism, a missionary horizon, a predilection for
youth and the poor, a renewed Marian devotion and an engaging practice
of the Sacraments.
The personal existence of a Salesian priest is based on a wide array of
values i​​nspired by the Constitutions of the Salesians of Don Bosco. In short,
it combines the gifts of Salesian apostolic consecration with those of the
pastoral ministry. Ecclesial reflection has made it clear that the priesthood is
not vague, neither as an exercise of the ministry, nor as a grace. The charism
has given rise to a unique way of being a priest and exercising his ministry.
The authors who gave the biography of Don Bosco the title: “A priest and
educator”, or “The young people’s priest” have summarized this concept.
D By virtue of Baptism, the laity have a very specific place, role
and responsibility within our parish communities. They promote and
accompany the diversity of vocations, also by encouraging a laity that
assumes its significant role in the evangelizing mission. The parish
community cultivates human relationships and takes care of people and
groups so that everyone feels recognized, accepted and understood. Our
ecclesial communities represent the most fitting place to live the day-to-
day Christian experience on a daily basis; the laity, families, young people
and the poor are the priority reference subjects in the proposals of the
community.
In every parish there are groups of lay people who donate
their time in the various sectors of education, evangelization,
celebration and charity. These are members of various (pastoral,
economic affairs, oratory-youth centre) councils and leaders of
groups, associations and movements, which are present and
operate within the parish territory.
The value of a parish is given by its ability to build itself up as a community.
A place where people are not only identified with roles of a whole range
of “ministries” and services (such as priests, deacons, lectors, acolytes,
catechists, ministers of the Eucharist, workers of charity, etc.). This list cannot
be representative of all realities, as it is modelled according to the activities
that the parish decides to activate in response to the characteristics and
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needs (not only strictly religious) of the context in which it lives. In addition,
however, it is also a space populated by families who bring novelty and life.
In order to populate parishes with families it is necessary to look after and
accompany them when they are formed (marriage preparation), at the birth
of a child (baptism), in the stages of the child’s growth in faith (Christian
initiation), in being close to the sick and the elderly who live in the houses
(pastoral care of the sick), in times of mourning and separation (funeral).
The parish priest, together with his council, gives guidelines regarding the
leadership of ecclesial groups, with special attention to the proposals of
the Salesian Youth Movement and the Salesian Family. In this respect, the
charism, which characterizes the parish, is primarily the Salesian charism.
This requires that the various components of the Salesian Family, who share
responsibility for Don Bosco’s charism and spiritual point of reference, take
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care of their identity more explicitly and renew their presence with dialogue
and collaboration.
E The Salesian parish considers young people as legitimate and
indispensable members of the EPC. They are “the historical ‘fortune’
of the Congregation” (in the words of don Juan Vecchi). Therefore, this
charismatic presence must ensure concern for the world of adolescents
and young people, for their worries, experiences and expectations. Youth
ministry in the parish expresses the Church’s care for a very large number of
young people, paying attention to all ages. Being linked to the concreteness
of activities should also lead to considering the broad reality of young
people which is often found outside the parish.
“I want to state clearly that young people themselves are agents
of youth ministry. Certainly, they need to he helped and guided,
but at the same time left free to develop new approaches, with
creativity and a certain audacity […] I am more concerned
with helping young people to use their insight, ingenuity and
knowledge to address the issues and concerns of other young
people in their own language”(Christus vivit, 203).
The parish aims to be a community that makes room for the protagonism
of young people, bringing out their needs and accompanying them;
freeing their initiative, creativity and autonomy in the activities and paths
along which they are accompanied according to their sensitivity and
perspective, in order to be actively involved in initiatives for themselves
and for the parish community. It is important to encourage the involvement
of young people also in the formative programmes of the parish-oratory,
not as mere performers of animation, but as active players in thinking and
implementing new experiential paths. Ordinarily, some of the members of
the Pastoral Council are young people, who are involved in the planning
and execution of the Salesian Educative-pastoral Plan. The preference for
young people, as previously mentioned, characterizes the pastoral proposal
of the parish as dynamic, enthusiastic and proposing Gospel ideals.
F The responsible agent of the oratory- youth centre, according to
the guidelines of the GC20 (cf. 432) should be the assistant pastor for the
youth sector. This prospect can still offer valid suggestions. In fact, it has
two advantages:
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◗◗ on the one hand, it connects the parish and the Oratory-Youth Centre
in a single pastoral action plan;
◗◗ on the other hand, it presents the Oratory-Youth Centre as a centre
where youth initiatives are spread throughout the area and not only
as an setting where activities are proposed.
Indeed, the missionary nature of the Salesian Oratory can and
must originate from the territory of the parish, without making
the mutual mistake of withdrawing into its own world.
In some cases, the responsible agent of the Oratory-Youth Centre is
a lay person. In fact, some province realities have taken advantage of
the possibility of establishing this figure full or part time. It is strongly
recommended that the lay person having this role be present at the Parish
Pastoral Council.
Attention should be paid to the link with the Oratory-Youth Centre (see
Reg. 26) as we will see later on. In many situations there are no parishes
without an oratory, while there are some examples of the opposite situation
(oratories in the pastoral area) without a parish.
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AT A GLANCE
THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATIVE-
PASTORAL COMMUNITY OF THE
PARISH
It assumes a common mission:
it involves in the co-responsibility
around a project the greatest
number of people
Plurality of vocations, charisms
and ministries: a “culture of
Encounter”
Salesian
religious
community of
the parish
increases its
value with the
significant and
complementary
presence of
clerical and lay
Salesians
• bearer of a "specific pastoral sensitivity"
• lives the family spirit in sharing
• assumes the pastoral guidelines of the
Province and the diocese
• is part of the animating nucleus of the
parish and assumes a distinctive role
therein
The Rector of
the Salesian
House
• keeps the consecrated Salesian identity for the local community
• cares for the unity and Salesian identity of the entire Work
• encourages the confreres in the implementation of the pastoral
project of the parish
• presides over the Council of the EPC or Work
The parish
priest
• first responsible for the parish mission entrusted by the Bishop to
the Salesian Congregation
• represents the Congregation and its proposal
• presides over the parish community
• assumes responsibility for implementing the Salesian
Educational-Pastoral Project in communion with the Rector, the
Salesian community and the Parish Pastoral Council
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The laity
• promote and accompany the diversity of vocations
• assume their significant role in the evangelizing mission (by virtue
of Baptism)
• attention to the Salesian Youth Movement and the Salesian Family
Young people
• legitimate and indispensable members of the EPC
• members of the Parish Pastoral Council
• involved in the planning and execution of the Salesian
Educational-Pastoral Project
The person in
charge of the
Oratory-Youth
Center
• parish vicar for youth
• connects the parish and the Oratory-Youth Center into a single
pastoral action plan
• animates the Oratory-Youth Center as a center of irradiation of
youth initiatives towards the territory
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THE EDUCATIVE-PASTORAL
PROPOSAL OF THE PARISH
ENTRUSTED TO THE
SALESIAN COMMUNITY
CHAPTER
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The parish certainly has its own needs, in view of its ecclesial and cultural
nature, which must be considered in a Salesian presence that assumes
them, but our charism fits into them in a homogeneous and original way.
Consequently, our task is to fully assume this tension, taking care to enrich
our educative-pastoral proposals with our nuances, while being faithful to
our Salesian DNA.
But what is the educative-pastoral “proprium” of the parish entrusted
to the Salesians?
31
A CENTRE FOR EVANGELIZATION AND EDUCATION IN
THE FAITH
The Acts of the Apostles is the book of the New Testament which helps us
best understand the difficult life of the first Christian communities. In this
book the sharing and spreading of the truth of Jesus Christ blossomed and
was strengthened. The following passage can truly accompany the life of
every parish community: “They persevered in the teaching of the apostles
and to the communal life, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.”
(Acts 2:42).
◗◗ In this passage from the Acts of the Apostles we speak of
“perseverance” in the teaching of the apostles. This involves
proclaiming the Gospel and deepening this proclamation through
catechesis. Listening to the Word is an important moment for a
community filled with the power of the Spirit, indeed, the encounter
with the Word takes place in the community.
◗◗ A further perseverance takes place in communion, in “being
together” and being in agreement. This is embodied by all the
members of a parish, by remaining on the same foundation, on the
same faith; hence an agreement that leads to the sharing of material
goods and indicates unity in faith and the communion of charity.
◗◗ The third “perseverance” is that of the “breaking of bread”. This
“breaking of bread” recalls our Eucharistic celebrations; this gathering
to eat the Bread of Life implies that the story with Jesus is not over,
but continues.
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◗◗ Finally, there is perseverance “in prayer”, which is the basis of all
community life. It is the prayer that guarantees a link between
listening to the Word, the celebration of the Eucharistic and the
practice of charity.
« When the Salesians are called by the Bishop to the pastoral
care of an area or sector of God’s People, they assume, before
the Church, the stimulating commitment to build - in full co-
responsibility with the laity - a community of brothers, gathered
in charity, to listen to the Word, to celebrate the Lord’s Supper
and to proclaim the message of salvation» (GC20, 416)
A Along these lines, the parish is the natural place where a systematic
proposal of evangelization and education in the faith takes place
for everyone (cf. GC23, 116-157). By promoting the first proclamation to
those who are estranged from it and by offering ongoing programmes
and gradual education in the faith, the parish entrusted to the Salesian
community sees the urgent need to shift from a pastoral ministry of
sacramentalization (with a catechesis which is mainly oriented towards
it) to a pastoral ministry of ongoing formation in the faith (initiation and
maturity in Christian life, with a corresponding catechesis).
Attention to promoting the first proclamation is a concrete missionary
expression of the Salesian parish. The “first proclamation” of faith,
which concerns the vital encounter with the risen Lord, is not only the
“beginning”, but the “centre” and “heart” of our belief. A faith that must
give rise also to a journey of formation, maturity, growth, “which entails
taking seriously each person and God’s plan for his or her life” (EG 160).
This is a challenge for all our parishes. “It is the principal proclamation,
the one which we must hear again and again in different ways, the one
which we must announce one way or another throughout the process of
catechesis, at every level and moment” (EG 164).
Don Bosco transmitted to the Salesians above all his passion for the salvation
of the young, an attention that is expressed in concrete terms through
the constant commitment of a simple and essential catechesis, which is
tailored to the condition, age and culture of the young, linked to other
educational and recreational proposals of the Oratory: “This Society, in its
principle, was a simple catechism”. Therefore, it is important to promote
a diversification and renewal of catechetical itineraries. In this respect, the
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anthropological dimension of catechesis should be emphasized, not only
the methodological sphere, but also the one relating to content, paying
attention to the psycho-sociological conditions of children, adolescents,
young people and adults; to the “signs of the times”; to “youth cultures”;
to openness to human sciences.
B The parish is a community where the most characteristic values of
Salesian youth spirituality can be experienced: the joy of daily Christian
life, the hope that sees the positive in people and situations, the promotion
of communion and the social dimension of charity, a fundamental practice
in our charismatic expression.
The parish community therefore strives, with everyone, for human and
religious maturity with a specific proposal of Christian life which consists
in opening up to new forms of acceptance, welcoming those who are
searching for the religious meaning of their life; offering compassion and
accompaniment to those who are tempted to turn away from it; accepting
everyone, even those who are not initially interested in setting out on a
journey of faith.
C It is a missionary and evangelizing community where the Word of
God and the liturgy support the life of faith of its members, promoting
the communication of the Christian experience. The parish community
places the Eucharist at the centre of community life and celebrates the
sacraments of Christian life in a meaningful way, in particular the sacrament
of Reconciliation.
For this reason, our parish churches are called to create spaces of silence,
prayer and personal encounter with God, among many other activities.
His Word must be proclaimed, studied, received, prayed, lived… His
presence is celebrated. His call is listened to and followed, His will
is accomplished. The parish should not be a meeting place only for
socializing, even if it welcomes everyone, let alone a place to escape
to in a false spirituality ... The fact that the Lord is present there tells
us that this is the house where he lives, the place of transcendence
and of his presence, which we choose to dwell in; this is our common
and priority interest.
There are several opportunities in which this centrality of the Word of God
can be implemented. Priests have a unique opportunity: the homily. The
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faithful can tell if their priest believes in what he is saying, if he is passionate
about the Word of God, if he tries to live it personally in his heart, through
love and acceptance of his neighbour.
D The Salesian parish nourishes devotion to Mary Help of Christians.
The Virgin of Don Bosco is to be considered a very active presence
encouraging us to follow Jesus better, “do whatever He tells you”: is our
Mother’s invitation. Furthermore, devotion to Mary Help of Christians unites
us in the universal community of the Church. Devotion to Mary Help of
Christians is, in fact, a distinctive aspect of the Salesian contribution to
the Church because it becomes an original sign of Don Bosco; we cannot
separate our spirituality from devotion to Mary Help of Christians, which
is therefore an essential element of our Charism; it permeates every
recognizable feature and vitalizes its components. Without a vital Marian
dimension, our spirituality would lose its vigour and fruitfulness; conversely,
giving appropriate attention to a profound Marian vitality will reinvigorate
the whole Salesian vocation. Our devotion to the Help of Christians which,
as Salesians, we promote in all settings, has a very intimate, mutually life-
giving connection with both the Salesian “mission” and the “spirit” proper
to our Charism. Marian worship and piety show if a parish is properly
Salesian.
The Association Mary Help of Christians (ADMA) lives and spreads this
devotion, in accordance with Don Bosco’s spirit. It offers a programme
of sanctification and apostolate, by promoting veneration of Jesus in the
Blessed Sacrament and devotion to Mary Help of Christians in a special
way. By joining the ADMA, one strives to imitate Mary and to live a daily
spirituality with evangelical attitudes, renewing participation in liturgical life
and strengthening the Word of God and the prayer of the Rosary, especially
on the 24th of each month. ADMAS’s members in the parishes are eager
to collaborate with local apostolic initiatives, at the service of others, with
particular attention to priestly and religious vocations.
E One of the characteristics of the Salesian parish is the importance
given to educative mediation. Indeed, the preferential option for the
new generations, especially the poorest, immerses the entire parish in
a particular kind of activity and a particular educational approach. This
educational contribution to the Church and to pastoral care takes on a
particular implication in the Salesian parish priest. In fact, he finds himself
having to manage articulate activities that range from catechesis, to the
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celebration of the Sacraments, to the practice of charity, to approaching
families and visiting the sick, etc. His educative charism is reflected in all
these areas, hence he becomes a model from an educational point of view.
Expressions of educative mediation also involve the field of culture, youth
associations, human promotion, educational support, experiences of
service and solidarity, and socio-educational projects. Hence, activities
that are not only liturgical or catechetical, but ones that are of growth
and orientation in life. Engaged in a dialogue with the various areas, the
parish helps everyone to develop values, criteria of judgment and patterns
of life according to the Gospel, through a presence based on trust (given
and received).
32
A PRESENCE OF THE CHURCH THAT IS OPEN AND
FULLY PART OF ITS LOCALITY
A The parish is the face of the Church. It is the reference point in its
locality which makes the Church visible in everyday life. It is where
Christians experience and live out faith, hope and charity, nourished by
the Word of God and the celebration of the Sacraments. The parish is
“the Church living in the midst of the homes of her sons and daughters”
(Christifideles Laici, 26).
Indeed, the Salesian parish makes visible the Church’s concern for the young
and, by making it take root in a concrete place, it makes it “communal”,
belonging to a community characterized by a charism. Together with
other sectors of our Salesian work, it is part of the local Church and its
pastoral ministry. The parish is a community, open to everyone, in which
the family spirit is lived intensely, and it becomes a school and instrument of
communion and solidarity. It is an educative-pastoral community, gathered
and called by the Lord Jesus, in a place that represents and defines a sense
of belonging, Salesian spirituality, the love for the Church that lives among
the young and in the midst of the simple people of God.
The territoriality of the neighbourhood offers the parish
concreteness and history, cultural heritage and family and
social problems; it brings people in difficulty with whom we can
dialogue and accompany, even in the life of grace. It is important
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to emphasize that belonging to a territory on a permanent
basis does not always coincide with belonging to the same
parish. In fact, the concept of belonging has expanded due to the
great mobility of people and to the network of relationships that
binds people outside their own territory.
Therefore, the territory is not only a geographical place, but it is also a
network of traditions and human relations. Today there are many places
of membership and the memberships are constantly being redesigned. In
other words, the originality of the parish with regard to the evangelical
proclamation in a territory is perceived in its unravelling in people’s lives.
Living in a parish community entrusted to the Salesians therefore means
“trusting” the quality of human relationships, wherever people are.
B A parish is conceived and understood in the light of its territoriality, as
already specified, in which the faithful are made up of all the people who
live there:
◗◗ the baptized, “with their diversity” of paths and journeys within a
Church where fervent and committed faithful, but also occasional or
seasonal faithful, live together;
◗◗ Christians who have turned away due to individualism or disappoint-
ment towards religious institutions;
◗◗ people who follow other religions and live in the same geographical
area, city or town;
◗◗ non-believers, the doubtful and those who live in indifference.
We are yeast, that is, simple witnesses of communities that recognize the
joy of the Gospel and strive to make it present in a comprehensible way
with sincere hospitality, an open door ... all distinctive elements of a
Salesian style of hospitality.
Aware of this, the parish is positively challenged by those who consider
themselves to be indifferent or non-believers. We are required to learn the
languages ​a​ nd cultures in which these people tell about their experiences
in order to understand what is important and interesting to them, as Paul
did in Athens (Acts 17).
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Each parish has its own characteristics and its own features. As
Salesians, we propose a pastoral care that includes all diversities,
however there must be a preventive discernment aimed at
ascertaining that the proposal includes certain conditions which
are in harmony with Don Bosco’s charism (cf. Reg. 26).
C As a result, the parish community is a significant focus also for the
various ecclesial communities and groups that exist within it. This is
an enormous wealth, but it implies a certain availability and organization:
the groups present within it conceive our way of being Church through the
EPC and SEPP or in any case they must be accompanied in understanding
and sharing them.
It is an open community, collaborating with other parishes and communities,
with diocesan pastoral organizations and with other social and educational
agencies in the area which provide for the human and spiritual growth of
its citizens. The relationship between the religious community to which the
parish is entrusted and the other male and female religious communities
that operate within the area around the Salesian parish, must be inspired
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by authentic fraternity, making them feel they are an effective part of an
overall pastoral ministry, while complying with the specific goals.
The parish carries out its mission in communion with the local Church and
the Bishop by collaborating with the pastoral ministry of the particular
Church through the wealth of a vocation; it is therefore an expression in
the local Church of the “Oratorian criterion of Don Bosco”. In fact, Art.
40 of the Constitutions of the Salesians of Don Bosco, the experience of
Don Bosco, for us Salesians is the guiding criterion:
“Don Bosco lived a pastoral experience in his first oratory which
serves as a model; it was for the youngsters a home that welcomed,
a parish that evangelized, a school that prepared them for life
and a playground where friends could meet and enjoy themselves.
As we carry out our mission today, the Valdocco experience is
still the lasting criterion for discernment and renewal in all our
activities and works” (Const. 40).
In our provinces we try to respond to those challenges that we take on in
all Salesian settings: shifting from a pastoral ministry of “maintenance” to
the articulation of an educative-pastoral Community capable of being a
friendly and family environment (“home”), marked by joy (“playground”);
where everyone can develop their potential and acquire new skills for life
(“school”) and walk according to a clear proposal of faith (“church”).
D It is also attentive to dialogue with other religions and traditional
beliefs. Where there is a significant presence of people of other religious
traditions, as indicated by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue
(Dialogue in truth and charity. Pastoral orientations for interreligious
dialogue, 2014), “parish priests are to take lead in the task of implementing
the policies and directives for interreligious dialogue in their parishes,
making them part of the pastoral plan. It may also be fruitful to establish
relationships with leaders of other religions in the neighbourhood, based
on, when possible, small groups for dialogue.
Through personal example and activity, priests can inspire parishioners to
live in solidarity with people of other religions, sharing in their joys and
sorrows, such as at times of birth and death, marriage, success and failure,
sickness, adversity, etc. As circumstances allow, common, social and cultural
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programmes and celebrations with people of the various religions present in
the parish may be good occasions of exchange of friendship and solidarity”.
The coexistence of ethnic groups, traditional beliefs, languages a​​ nd even
original expressions of life, celebration and thought, highlights the need
for a pastoral ministry that is attentive to this reality, so that the truths and
values ​o​ f these cultures may be touched and transfigured by the Gospel.
Therefore, it is necessary to engage in a dialogue of friendship, esteem and
respect for those who belong to these traditional religions, highlighting the
positive values t​​hat blend harmoniously with the content of the faith. Such
a capacity for integration and creativity requires an open and critical spirit.
3 3 A COMMUNITY WITH A MISSIONARY OUTLOOK
A In a world that needs the message of the Father’s tenderness, forgiveness
and mercy, it is urgent that every Christian become a missionary. They must
be ready to be there for others in times of hope, in times of desolation and
also in times of persecution (Mt 2:3-6).
Indeed, all Salesian parishes must be animated by the missionary spirit of
Don Bosco. Many Salesian parishes are located in diversified mission areas,
in metropolitan cities and in large urban areas, but also in other contexts,
at the service of human dignity and the proclamation of the Gospel.
In fidelity to Jesus, the parish believes that the Kingdom of God has the
poor as its beneficiaries and privileged target. Therefore, its pastoral,
evangelical nature should reflect the preferential option for the
poor and needy. The Salesian parish must pay particular attention to
what creates unease and marginalization in the territory. This helps us to
bear in mind that we must first of all start from the clarification of two
terms: choice and preferential. By “choice” we mean a mature, personal,
conscious, ultimate gesture; a free act, the consequence of a vocation, that
is, a call by Jesus Christ, who came among us, benefiting especially the
poorest and the sick. A sign that is full of responsibility for pastoral care.
By “preferential” we state a choice which is not exclusive or discriminatory.
The parish is encouraged to be a welcoming place, one of hope for
everyone, especially for the tired, disinherited, marginalized, sick and
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THE PARISH AND THE SHRINE ENTRUSTED TO THE SALESIANS
suffering. Thus, in close dialogue and cooperation with institutions within
parish boundaries, it strongly promotes the protection and promotion of
their human rights and shares their concerns, aspirations and actions.
It assumes as its fundamental choice and criterion the existential unity of
evangelization, human development and Christian culture. Evangelizing
means manifesting the God of Love without excluding anyone.
We proclaim the Gospel and the person of Jesus in intimate
relationship with the history of the people, their problems and
their possibilities. In the desire to heal situations of vulnerability,
we are guided by the value of human fullness the individual
finds in God. Development of evangelization in the parish calls
for both the spreading of the Gospel and the advancement of the
people (cf. Const. 42).
B In the past, the parish was perceived as an enclosed space, a sort of
aquarium with the numerous organisms within it; today we have the
impression we are all in the open sea. This expression “in the open sea”
can tell us about the breadth and depth of our mission. We are “fishers
of men” in a vast and complex world that demands of us a pastoral
attitude of openness and acceptance, which requires us to sharpen our
gaze, to reach out to everyone. We cannot ignore or neglect the spiritual
thirst of so many people, nor can we ignore the cry that takes on so
many forms and languages a​​ nd not detect the desire for authentic spiritual
expressions.
It is no longer possible to proceed according to the perspective of “trying to
bring people to the parish”, which is of a centripetal nature. It is necessary
to become aware of the profound changes in society, the urgency of a
permanent dialogue with the community; we must acquire a kind of
inclusiveness in the way we relate to others, with the proposal of multiple
and diverse paths of faith - in language and form – compared to what is
usually proposed.
It is essential for us to try to observe the daily life of the parish in some of
its usual recipients which require greater vigilance and pastoral attention:
◗◗ The parish experience is an observatory and terrain through which
we carry out our missionary capacity. If we focus on our loved ones,
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we realize, for example, that it is the place where many of our elders
feel at home; the place where they can pray for the dead and seek
comfort in their solitude. It is the place where they can express
their religious sentiments with simplicity, often through a popular
religiosity, in harmony with many wise evangelical attitudes. Other
elderly people, on the other hand, must be reached outside the walls
of the parish temple, in their solitude. Loneliness can be healed with
charity, closeness and spiritual comfort.
◗◗ Parishes cannot and must not be recognized only for their architectural
grandeur (even though many of them have an inherited historical and
artistic heritage which we must preserve), but as territories in which”
foreigners “find a home. They are the context in which we manifest
God’s promise to this part of humanity, a place where what God says
in the covenant with his people becomes reality: I am a faithful God,
a God who is close, a God of tenderness and mercy, which makes
new every day that dawns. We meet young men and women whose
lives have led them to existential changes, including traumatic ones:
these are migrants and foreigners, for work and for necessity. What
are these men and women actually requesting of us? How do they
live their faith? Our parish is the place attended by more and more
men and women from other latitudes, cultures and languages. In
the face of these realities, the parishes entrusted to the Salesians
must be a welcoming home for citizens of every continent, because
of our Catholic nature. And each member of the parish community
contributes to this hospitality in a humble and merciful way, more
by the practice of life than by words, especially with the wounded.
◗◗ For this reason, we are all called to be aware that in the geographical
space of our parishes, there are many human situations: “existential”
peripheries” of all kinds. It is in charity that the proclaimed Word
becomes credible, for example by visiting families, the sick and the
poor, bringing the Eucharist or even a word of consolation. For this
reason, the parish also relies on pastoral charitable organizations
(Caritas and other forms of volunteer service) or activates listening
centres for psychological and social support, in order to be the place
of God’s presence in the city, as Francis has said many times; cities
and towns where the paths of life cross, sometimes full of pain,
sometimes full of hope; paths that we must accompany and which
must not be obstructed with borders.
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◗◗ A missionary conversion of the parish is urgent in order to reach
people while taking into consideration the current reality. An outgoing
church that can deal with the emergencies that arise during
economic, social, educational and pandemic crises, which bring out
vulnerabilities and lead to numerous consequences in various fields.
◗◗ In our Congregation there are several chapels and parish mission
stations. They are places, around the parish, where one or more
confreres regularly go to provide pastoral service. They are found
mainly in very large parish districts, in areas of new evangelization
in urban centres, in rural or mountainous areas, or in contexts
where Catholics are a minority. They are generally animated by lay
catechists, while the priests visit them from time to time to celebrate
the Sacraments for the benefit of the community, which otherwise
would not be able to participate in the life of the Church.
They are characteristic places of the first missionary proclamation which
promotes the development of the ‘rays of truth’ (Nostra Aetate, 2) and
the growth of the ‘seeds of the Word’ that the Lord has planted in
cultures, religions and peoples (Evangelii Nuntiandi, 53) and also the social
promotion of the poorest and most marginalized. Thanks to the mission
station, the local community, enjoying the presence of lay ministers and
priests, is stimulated to ‘go forth’ in order to build the Church.
In fact: “the missionary is integrated within the local church, and in the
life and educative-pastoral project of the Province, enriching them with
his personal gifts, apostolic zeal and missionary sensitivity” (The Salesian
Missionary Vocation. Reflections, processes and operational guidelines, Part
I. point 1, 4 April 2021).
34
CLEAR OPTION FOR THE YOUNG AND FOR WORKING
CLASS PEOPLE
A Don Bosco’s charism is a substantially pastoral commitment which is
characterized by its youthful and popular mission. Youth ministry should
be considered the dimension that most characterizes parish life. This is the
particular contribution the Salesians offer as an enrichment to the mission
of the particular Church (cf. Const. 48; Reg. 26). Our preferential choice
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of a youthful dynamic in evangelization is, therefore, the special attention
we give to young people.
In every area of ​t​he Salesian Work - and therefore also in the parish - this
choice sets the tone for the whole evangelization of a specific territory:
it develops a pastoral ministry of the future, especially for young people
and the working class, offering educative-pastoral proposals which are
a model for the new generations. Indeed, Salesian pastoral care among
young people has a “style” and “method” for all fields of the mission, as
stated in art. 20 of the Constitutions: «Don Bosco lived with the boys of
the first oratory a spiritual and educational experience which he called the
‘Preventive System’ ... he passes this on to us as a way of living and handing
on the Gospel message...”.
A clear option for young people, however, does not mean that the parish’s
goal is a “concentration of youth pastoral initiatives”, while neglecting
other groups; it is rather a question of entering into a perspective in which
every parish community is a place of human and Christian growth, with
particular attention to the new generations, supported by the presence
and service of adults, explicitly trained. Nobody is asking the parish to be
a “youth institution”. “Preference” does not mean “exclusion” because
the parish embraces without discrimination all the persons and groups
that make up the Christian people, whom the Word of God must reach
according their particular life situation: children, adults, the elderly, the
sick, etc. Therefore, it is inconceivable to think of a parish that does not
presume a corresponding care of the whole community. The preference for
young people is primarily a perspective, which is then expressed in sectoral
methods and initiatives.
In our parishes, children, adolescents and young people cannot and must
not be relegated to a secondary role. It cannot only be those whom we
“teach catechism” that fill the parish halls for a few years and then leave
them permanently when they receive the Sacraments of Christian initiation.
B We need to revive a hopeful outlook for young people, similar to that of
our father Don Bosco. The Oratory of Valdocco was defined by Monsignor
Franzoni, the Archbishop of Turin, as “the parish of abandoned children
without a parish”. The preferential choice of young people, especially the
poorest, became the backbone of his pastoral work. Today we are called
to “respond” to the cry that young people are sending out to the world of
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adults with the request to “be seen” and accepted: it is a cry that implores
hope for the future, theirs and ours.
“Evangelization proceeds therefore, and of ever increasing necessity,
by way of an analysis of life-situations that influence the personality
of the young” (GC21, 20). The ability to skilfully grasp or read the
condition of youth in the light of the Gospel can give the Salesian parish
a characteristic trait. As a result, Christian communities must also open
their mentality to the culture of young people with respect to those
aspects that are new. For this reason, it is necessary not to get lost in
discouraging complaints and analyses which often produce a sense of
inadequacy and threatens to turn us away from a world from which we
feel disconnected in many respects.
We must be a Church that encourages, instead of complaining,
a Church that brings and conveys joy, instead of bitterness, a
Church that conveys faithfulness, instead of abandonment. We
need to rediscover a positive outlook, but one that is in line with
the divine and providential reality of history.
It is necessary, as Francis says, to overcome the temptation of “We have
always done it this way” (EG 33). We need the creativity and the noisy
presence of young people. It is necessary that our parishes undergo a
profound conversion that will give them an opportunity to introduce a
friendly face to young people; that it be a house in which the reality of
the new generations (pre-adolescents, adolescents, young adults) takes
over, despite its complexity in a world that is changing dramatically; young
people can teach us to interpret their reality in order to meet their needs
and desires in a fitting way.
“The world in which we live in this twenty-first century,
characterised by the diversity of cultures and contexts, needs –
expects, we could say – to encounter consecrated Salesian apostles
who are prepared and willing to live their lives with the mind
and heart of Don Bosco. Salesians capable of continuing to
give their lives for the young people of today’s world, with their
languages, their visions and their interests. Without doubt, many
of these adolescents and older youth are in Salesian houses, while
many others frequent “other courtyards” or playgrounds: we are
Salesians for them too”. (GC28.2)
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C On a practical level, the parish can implement possible activities or
develop interests in favour of young people in their daily life:
◗◗ A relevant knowledge of the situation of young people and,
therefore, competence in the pastoral problems which the leaders
of the parish must also cultivate in order to enrich the particular
Church;
◗◗ developing programmes, initiatives and proposals in the parish
that make it possible to embrace a greater number of young
people, to involve them in the definition of their needs and the
most appropriate educational solutions (in Don Bosco’s pastoral
methodology evangelization and education are inseparably linked,
that is, the pedagogical dimension is always included in pastoral
practice);
◗◗ appreciating the people who work with/for young people, whose
skills and work must be valued, as well as the environments and
institutions that deal with children and young people;
◗◗ raising the awareness of the diocesan community with regard to the
problems and needs of youth ministry;
◗◗ the concern to bring young people closer to the faith and to make
them grow within it, especially apostolic attention to those most in
need, to the underprivileged, etc.;
◗◗ interest in the world of work and issues related to unemployment;
◗◗ promoting an active participation of young people in the celebrations;
◗◗ updating the procedures of Christian initiation and formation of
adolescents and young people (we are ever more convinced that
the paths of education in the faith must go beyond the concern for
conveying content, in order to open up to a more comprehensive
formation, in which the experience of God can bear fruit);
◗◗ the renewal of Christian means of expression (songs, gestures,
language, methods, narratives, testimonies, symbols, posters);
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◗◗ the participation of young people in parish councils (they need to feel
they are key players in the life of the community, even with voice and
vote when possible);
◗◗ promoting the participation of young people in parish groups and
in experiences that make young people evangelizers of other young
people;
◗◗ raising the awareness of the whole parish community to educational
matters;
◗◗ preparing adults to address the issue of youth in family, educational
and public environments, also through groups and initiatives for
reflection and study.
As a result, these proposals call for an intelligent review of organiza-
tional procedures of the parishes entrusted to the Salesians. Massive
doses of creativity are needed in experimenting with new forms of presence,
witness and listening of youth culture.
We must stimulate our imagination and suggest ideas and activities that
may be a stimulus in the daily life of our young people. Indeed, more
than being an answer to an attitude of quest, Jesus’ proposal must be a
provocation and a question addressed in particular to wounded, broken
or disoriented young people. Hence the need to insist on the newness of
the Gospel, its potential to give unsurpassable joy and meaning to life,
acknowledging at the same time that its acceptance places the Christian
against the tide of certain socially prevailing values.
We need to accompany young people who want to start dreaming again ...
enthusiastic young people, who choose to fall madly in love with Jesus’ plan,
and who, spiritually equipped, decide to live the commitment of the Gospel.
D The Salesian parish is of a broadly accepting popular nature. Salesian
parishes are generally found in the poor and populated neighbourhoods of
big cities (GC21, 141), in “poor, working class neighbourhoods” (GCS20
411, 407), with “humble people” (GC21 141): areas where there is a
type of activity that tends to reach the largest number of people. The
evangelization of popular culture requires constant attention to the many
ways this manifests itself. Evangelization is contextualized and integrated
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into these poor environments, through consideration of their history,
tradition and culture, customs and its roots:
“ The parish entrusted to the Salesians is popular both
because of its location, because it is preferably integrated into the
poor and populated neighbourhoods of big cities, and the style of
its activity which looks after the connection with the people and
does not wish to be a sheltered and closed community, or a church
for a few. Therefore, it looks after the liturgies and feasts in which
the people can meet with ease and simplicity; it pays attention and
affection to the expressions of popular piety and is able to guide
them, with respect, through a pedagogy of evangelization. It is also
popular because of its openness to the life of the neighbourhood
because it participates in the problems of the people with whom it
lives and with whom it shares joys and sorrows” (GC21,141).
When, from a Christian faith perspective, we speak of popular piety (or
religiosity, or even devotion), we refer to a genuine Christian faith, which
is rich in religious and historical-cultural values which cannot be ignored.
Many of these devotions represent a set of values ​o​ f historical tradition,
folkloristic atmosphere and natural and artificial beauty; they combine rich
human emotions of shared friendship, equality of treatment and the value
of all that is beautiful in life in the common joy of celebration. Under these
profound roots we can see genuine spiritual values ​o​ f faith in God.
Furthermore, we cannot but question ourselves about the care of external
popular manifestations in the pastoral life of our Christian communities.
Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, for example, is very positive and encouraging,
but we must be able to give these roots of faith their evangelical fullness,
leading us to rediscover the profound reasons for the presence of Mary
in our lives as a model in our pilgrimage of faith. On the other hand, it is
consoling to note that in some cases there is great concern and solicitude
in promoting a greater Christian formation in this type of religiosity and a
more active liturgical and charitable participation in the life of the Church,
which results in true apostolic dynamism.
We wish to stress the importance of the evangelical care that is able to
draw human religious goodness from all the expressions and customs of
popular piety, which by accepting them purifies, strengthens and elevates
them.
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35
A MEETING PLACE FOR THE VARIOUS SECTORS OF
THE SALESIAN HOUSE
A The parish becomes a central environment in which all the other sectors
converge as a point of reference for celebrating and sharing the faith. It
is indeed a pastoral environment that embraces the whole Salesian Work,
especially the sectors in which young people are present.
Animating this context implies integrating it first of all into the overall plan
of the Salesian house, which “enters the vision of an organic, unitary and
co-responsible service for the human, civil and religious development of
the neighbourhood it is a part of (GC20, 436). The parish is in fact called
to be “the house of God and the gate of heaven” (a reference to Jacob’s
dream, cf. Gen. 28:12-17) for all those who enter a Salesian house.
One of the urgent needs of our works, in a globalized society, which
is often distant from the faith, is that of being a space which is open
to transcendence: a skylight that makes God’s presence transparent.
The parish cannot simply be a meeting place for people, where various
types of activities take place (theatre, games, workshops, camps, music);
nor is it only a school of social voluntary service, a centre for support or
social integration. There is no doubt that all of these activities, of great
pedagogical value, are essential within the community, but as previously
mentioned, the Salesian parish is the place where the Christian community
of the Salesian Work celebrates and prays; it is called to be the “ tent of
meeting”, the space the Lord has chosen to dwell among us.
“The house where he dwells” is the name that Jacob gave to the
place where he fell asleep and had a dream (cf. Gen. 28:12-17).
The parish is not a monastery or an exclusive place of prayer,
but the unique space which is always available for encounter
with God, where the elderly and young people, adolescents and
children who visit our house pray.
B The parish is called to be a welcoming place for those young people,
educators or families who return to the faith after being disappointed
by the idols that our society offers us, and who in the end are unable
to give meaning to their lives. Our Works embrace the concerns of
many pilgrims of life, of many travellers who ask to be “saved”, that
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is, to be continually restored to life; they ask to find reasons and support
for a good and happy life, in the name of the Lord Jesus. The parish is
not a building, but a meeting place for all those who seek the one true
God, even without knowing him. In all our pastoral settings, our concern
must be how to accompany so many people who are searching (whether
explicitly or not), so that through its witness and the beauty of a personal
encounter with Jesus it may be capable of kindling (or rekindling) their
faith. Using a beautiful definition dear to St. John XXIII, the parish has the
same importance as the “village fountain”: it quenches our thirst, gives
refreshment and is a meeting place.
C We must make his home, our home, a place where children, adolescents,
young people and adults sing: a place of joyful celebration, linked to life.
Liturgical celebrations that do not lose their sacramental dimension, in which
symbols are an expression of the depth of our existence and, therefore, give
them an ultimate meaning: a place “that provides an opportunity also for
conversing, celebrating, singing, listening to real stories and experiencing a
shared encounter with the living God.” (Christus vivit, 204).
The house of God is called to be the place where the community is lived
as an additional family, which meets every Sunday to sit at the Father’s
table as children and as brothers and sisters. It is the place where adults,
children and youths meet after the various duties of the week and day-to-
day concerns, the table around which stories, anecdotes, hopes, but also
worries and failures, are shared. It is not the place where differences are
resolved, but where, thanks to the Father’s mediation, we children can
make peace and ask forgiveness for the pain we have caused them.
It can be truly said that a parish community that lives in this way has the
Eucharist at its centre. In this community, the breaking of bread and its
distribution does not become a routine liturgical gesture, but the memorial
Sacrament of the body of Christ given to us out of love and the expression of
who we are, “God’s family”, and on what we live, brotherly love and service.
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AT A GLANCE
TASK OF THE PARISH
• inserting the Salesian charism
into the ecclesial and cultural
structure of the parish
• fidelity to our Salesian DNA
A center for
evangelization
and education in
the faith
From a
pastoral care of
sacramentals
only to an
initiation and
maturation in
the Christian
life
• It offers a systematic proposal for
evangelization and education in the faith
• attentive to continuous, gradual and
diversified paths of Christian life
• a community where one can experience
the values of Salesian Youth Spirituality
• promotes the centrality of the Word of God
• makes community life central
• the sacraments of christian life
• feeds the devotion to Mary Help of
Christians
• gives relevance to educational mediation
A presence
of the Church
open and
inserted in the
territory
A point of
reference that
makes the
Church visible
• socially inserted in the daily life of the
territory
• believers: all those who inhabit the
geographical space (baptized in their
diversity, Christians who have moved
away, people of other religions, non-
believers, doubters or indifferent)
• with a Salesian style of welcome
• significant center also of all the various
ecclesial communities and groups
• attentive to dialogue with other religions
and traditional beliefs
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A community
with a
missionary
outlook
The evangelical
preferential
option for those
most in need
• pastoral attitude of openness, of
welcoming, which requires us to sharpen
our gaze, to reach out to all
• treating existential unity of evangelization,
human promotion and Christian culture
• greater care and pastoral attention
towards: the elderly, foreigners,
"existential" peripheries, emergencies
and parish missionary chapels and
stations
A clear option
for young
people and the
working class
people
Preferential
choice for
youth (not
exclusionary)
and popular
character
of wide
acceptance
• to reinvigorate a trusting gaze on the
young as Don Bosco did: the parish, a
friendly face for the young
• up-to-date knowledge of the youth
situation
• elaboration of itineraries, initiatives and
proposals for young people
• valuing people who work with/for youth
• awareness of the diocesan community
• concern to bring the young people most
in need closer to the faith
• interest in the world of work and
unemployment
• promotion of active participation of young
people in the celebrations
• updating the processes of Christian
initiation and formation
• renewal of songs, gestures, language,
etc.
• youth participation in parish groups and
bodies
• sensitization of the entire parish
community to educational issues
• adult preparation on youth issues
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• "tent of encounter" where the Christian
community of the Salesian Work
celebrates and prays
• place of welcome in the Salesian Work
for many pilgrims of life
• space of joyful celebration, linked to life
• “family" for the children, seated at the
table of the Father
Central sector
in which all
other sectors
converge as
a place of
reference to
celebrate and
share the faith
Place of
convergence
of the different
environments
of the Salesian
house
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SYSTEMATIC
PASTORAL ANIMATION
IN THE PARISH
CHAPTER
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SYSTEMATIC PASTORAL ANIMATION IN THE PARISH
4 1 MAIN INTERVENTIONS OF THE PROPOSAL
A The parish is an evangelizing community: it brings first proclamation
to those who are estranged from it and catechizes them, taking them as
they are as the starting point. Therefore, it seems appropriate to recover
certain principles inspired by the Christian catechumenate as a
pedagogical element and basis for education in the faith. It is a question
of considering the gift of faith as a dynamic force of progressive growth,
which consists of phases, stages and passages which result from each
other. It is a journey that is supported (as well as by the free gift of God),
by necessary educational assistance. Thus, education, from the Christian
perspective, must be seen as a necessary accompaniment on the path
of faith, as a journey made together, along the lines of the travellers of
Emmaus (Lk 24:13-35), for man’s global fulfilment in the light of faith.
Therefore, the catechumenate seeks to evangelize in the four main areas
of growth in the faith, found in the Church’s experience: the personal
dimension, the community dimension, the liturgical and celebrative
dimension and total commitment to evangelization. Through these
dimensions we understand that:
◗◗ apart from the proclamation, a personal, free and responsible
response is required;
◗◗ it is necessary to initiate a process of Christian education which leads
to a faith that is lived, celebrated, expressed and witnessed as a
whole;
◗◗ it is essential to integrate the conversion of life and the witness of
charity.
This path can assist in proper programming of interventions with young
people, ensuring the completeness and integrity of the Christian experience.
B The parish creates and offers gradual and diversified programmes
in faith education, particularly for young people and families, teaching
them to live their faith in a very simple way, through their experiences,
and not only in terms of “theoretical courses”. The programmes could
prepare families for the faith education they offer their children, set up
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processes for baptismal catechesis, offer education in faith programmes
of faith education for engaged couples which might later form family
group programmes (cf. Youth Ministry and Family. Salesian Youth Ministry.
Salesians of Don Bosco, 2021, chap. 3)
Christian initiation considers the personal experience, the community
relationships and the testimony of life. It is a demanding journey that
requires an appropriate period of formation, also called catechumenate,
including many lively and creative pastoral processes and initiatives which
allow for personal encounter with Jesus Christ.
In all these forms, catechesis should transmit an adequate and
relevant summary of the Christian message and, above all,
integrate personal experience in the process of maturity
and growth, seeking to encourage and accompany gradual
commitment to Christian life.
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However, an indispensable prerequisite for ensuring this fruitful integration
in concrete terms is the planning carried out by the catechists and leaders
of the faith groups. It is not simply “desk” planning”, in search of the
best proven program; nor does it object to catechetical “art”, but it is in
function of it. Planning is a due act of the individual catechumen with his
specific needs and potentials (religious sensitivity, preparation level, pace
of learning ...); is an important task for the value given to the Christian
message; is a condition for making the dialogue and verification possible.
C Another parish activity is to encourage membership of groups
in the Church by making them grow in the awareness of a pastoral
accompaniment that is increasingly attentive to their various specific
characteristics. For this purpose, the parish welcomes movements, youth
groups and Salesian Family groups, among others. It promotes the
coordination of these groups with the SYM (Salesian Youth Movement)
and the invitation to Salesian Youth Spirituality. Group experiences should
be able to lead to more open and integrated Christian communities.
On the other hand, the parish priest is a Salesian priest, who tries to bring
together all the presences of the Spirit that live together in the parish,
not preferring only one of them exclusively. We must be careful not to
exclusively promote movements, particular experiences, or sector groups.
By not fostering associative pluralism, not only do we prevent young
people and adults from becoming familiar with various vocations and
opportunities, but we impoverish the very nature of the parish community.
At this point, we can further emphasize the significance of the lay ministry
of a parish. The parish priest should constantly promote the growth of lay
pastoral workers and enhance their charisms, without running the risk of
falling into the temptation of being interested or praising them only at
the approach of a necessity or organizational problem. In the same way,
it is dysfunctional to entrust tasks in an improvised way to anyone who is
available, without a discernment of his skills and actual maturity.
D The parish is a community that practices liturgy and the Sacra-
ments: celebrating them with dignity and beauty. All parts of the work
live the celebrative dimension with the parish by experiencing the liturgy,
the place of celebration, the sacred space and lived Sacraments, because
the parish is the place where everyone nourishes their faith. It is necessary
to think of a liturgy that is in close contact to life, trying to use an under-
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standable and accessible language, expressed in a simple way through
songs, gestures, stories, testimonies, symbols, the Word of God presented
well, so that the celebration is alive, and everyone can be actively involved
in its preparation and implementation. A language therefore that is not
trivial, far from stereotyped formulas, which are often incomprehensible
and almost always devoid of the expressiveness of the celebrating assembly.
We must come up with new communication strategies for
proclaiming the faith and decipher a way to reach the
hearts of young people by speaking about the Gospel. A new
evangelization that is able to translate Jesus’ message
using the new methods of communication. Cultural diversity
(which also affects “our” young people) causes a lack of connection
and therefore a lack of messages. In more concrete terms, there is
no communication because the way of expressing the Good News
is not in tune with the lived experience.
E By fostering growth of an active faith the parish educates to the social
dimension of charity, building a culture of solidarity. Thus, it recognizes
and encourages the commitment of members of the parish community to
being involved in social and charitable activity.
A church community needs to exhibit concrete and visible gestures of a
modest lifestyle and one which is open to generosity and solidarity through
actions which manifest the values ​of the Kingdom. This charitable activity
of parishes is extensive, but we can focus on how this dimension has been
readapted. for example, in the implementation of activities that allow the
parish Caritas to know and accompany situations of poverty, hardship and
social vulnerability. Among many other actions, we highlight: opening of
listening centres; welcoming particularly underprivileged groups such as
irregular migrants and the homeless; taking on more specific services and
building networks (with other ecclesial realities and civil organizations) to
respond to the needs of the new poor who come knocking at our doors.
The request for assistance no longer comes only from the chronically poor
but also from people who have fallen into poverty due to particular events
such as the loss of a job, addiction, physical and mental health problems
and the pandemic.
Therefore, the assistance offered by the parish cannot be limited to mere
financial support (food parcels, clothes, small subsidies), rather it must
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reach the deepest needs of individuals, relationships and meaning in order
to bring hope. It is a question of “rearranging” and rethinking things, time,
people and parish places, starting from those who are ‘missing’, those
who are ‘far away’, those who are ‘alone’, those who ‘suffer’, those who
‘are growing’, those who ‘don’t work’. Even when people ask for material
help, they bring with them a greater suffering, arising from the difficulty in
giving meaning to their life, from experiences they have lived and at times
from conditions of solitude. The real need is to re-establish relationships
and discover the meaning of one’s own biography.
The specific nature of the parish is no longer economic support
or food parcels, rather the relational style that transforms
life from simply listening, to companionship and hospitality
(where possible), up to more structured paths. In addition to
giving economic support, the parish manifests its presence by
being close and listening to individuals and families.
The social dimension of charity fosters the apostolic involvement of youth
leaders in the social, cultural, charitable and missionary initiatives of the
parishes. It supports the promotion, formation and accompaniment of
voluntary services and missionary work. (cf. Voluntary service in the Salesian
mission. Youth Ministry Department. Missions Department, 2019). The
formation of (young and adult) street educators also has an educational
impact in reaching youngsters who do not normally attend our settings;
this specialization makes it possible to reach the many types of poverty,
invisible at times, that surround us.
F The parish community is to become a formation centre for lay people
who are dynamic and committed, above all for pastoral leaders of
young people. A priority that keeps the future of the Church community
in mind is the development of appropriate formation courses for a variety
of categories. Among these operators, a particular place is occupied by
those who are involved in delicate matters and in the crucial sector of
faith education, such as catechists, educators, leaders of groups of young
people, adults and engaged couples, etc.
The function of these catechetical figures is fundamental. With their
witness, teaching and formation, they are called to a true spiritual
accompaniment: to lead youngsters to listen to and embrace the word
of God, to meet with the Lord, to make coherent choices. In addition to
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their competence and exemplary Christian life, catechists are asked for
loving kindness, dedication, great skill in preparing the soil, generous sower,
loving closeness, encouragement, prayer, patient expectation. A creative
and dynamic approach cannot be truly fruitful unless practised by catechists
who have themselves been well formed.
Francis officially instituted the “lay ministry” of catechists (Antiquum
ministerium. Apostolic Letter issued “Motu Proprio” by the Supreme Pontiff
Francis, 10 May 2021), thus giving a greater value to the “mission” of the
baptized lay people who proclaim the Gospel. Each ministry is a sign of the
strengthening of the laity’s role in the community.
A common basic formation must be ensured, which guarantees
the Salesian identity of each collaborator in the Salesian
educative-pastoral implementation. It is essential to know,
assume and practise the educative-pastoral model (cf. Salesian
youth ministry. Frame of Reference. Youth Ministry Department,
2014) and within it, the nuclei of Salesian youth spirituality:
the spirituality of everyday life, where people recognize the active
presence of God and live their own personal fulfilment; the
spirituality of joy and optimism, without renouncing commitment
and responsibility; the spirituality of friendship with the Lord
Jesus, which gives reasons for hope and introduces a life that
finds its full meaning in him; the spirituality of ecclesial
communion, the natural environment for growth in faith through
the Sacraments (in the Church we find Mary, the first believer,
who precedes, accompanies and inspires); the spirituality of
responsible, generous, ordinary and extraordinary service (cf.
ibid. chap. IV).
G In the Oratory, Don Bosco created a community, that is, a family in which
he himself was the centre and heart, a welcoming meeting place for various
vocations, where human and Christian values were practised and enjoyed
to the point of making the proposal of holiness desirable (cf. Youth Ministry
and Family. Salesian Youth Ministry Department. Salesians of Don Bosco,
2021, chap. 2). The Salesian parish is also a place where “vocations” can
be introduced in a lively, effective, continuous and complete way. In this
context, the parish is a community that accompanies the faithful in their
vocational choices, especially the young. Accompaniment of young
people requires considerable effort.
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This service helps them personalizes faith, listen more profoundly to God
and mature in their Christian life understood as vocation. The parish guides
and accompanies various vocations in the Church but offers young people
in particular a specific invitation to religious life, priesthood or a committed
lay vocation. Prayer for vocations is continuously fostered in the parish
community and its various groups and movements.
H One of the most significant challenges of evangelization today arises
from the digital environment. The new media and the Internet are
indeed a great and indispensable communication opportunity
for evangelizing. However, it is necessary to learn about their nature,
functioning, limits, strengths and the transformations they introduce.
Communication tools are a great opportunity for the parish, because they
make it possible to transform the events of community life into news: the
website and social profiles have now become privileged communication
channels not only for young people, but also for adults.
The attention to communication in parishes, therefore, is not a secondary
activity, but a vital focus; it is not related solely to the creation of parish
bulletins, posters and leaflets. In many cases, the parish radio, for example,
reaches many people who cannot participate, for various reasons, in the life
of a local community. The radio becomes an effective and practical solution
for spreading the voice of the parish and it helps to make one feel part of
parish life, especially with regard to the elderly and the sick.
Parishes are called to play an active role in the challenge of communicating
also through the Internet, but the commitment to ‘inhabit’ digital
environments should not be interpreted as the need to follow a fashion,
but as an opportunity to give new impetus to pastoral activity. This task
requires the acquisition of skills, community outreach and the appreciation
for those who have shown to have strong, often lay, skills in this field;
many parishes cultivate the life of communion and missionary activity also
through text messages, Internet sites and newsletters. These methods
give the opportunity to interact and communicate with young people, to
contact daily with pastoral workers, to create and increase the sense of
belonging to the parish community. Furthermore, they allow more and
more people to be actively involved in the activities promoted by the parish;
they also provide useful “service information” (through websites or social
networks) especially for those who do not attend the parish and to spread
information about the life of the Church and local area. This digital habitat,
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where many committed lay people are present, is lived in communion or in
network with other local or general agencies and institutions.
42
STRUCTURES OF PARTICIPATION AND
RESPONSIBILITY
A ) Leadership in the local parish community
In the previous sections we defined the Salesian educative-pastoral proposal
of the parish and the different roles involved (parish priest, rector, religious
community, lay people and young people), so as to dwell now on the
bodies of shared ecclesial responsibility in the parish. They represent a
significant opportunity for participation in the pastoral activity of the parish
through the contribution of the “council” which is offered for the good of
the Church, in view of common discernment for the service of the Gospel.
In the Church, “counselling” is a privileged moment of
discernment, in a prayerful context of listening to the Word of God
and to the requests of all the members of the local Community;
it is a result of communion and is expressed in a mature form
in shared responsibility. All the faithful, in a complementary
and co-responsible way, have the right and duty to participate
actively in the life and mission of the Church, in order
to fulfil the universal vocation to holiness, to contribute to the
integral development of the individual and society and to extend
to all men and women and to all human realities the saving plan
of the Father, revealed and accomplished in Christ in the power
of the Holy Spirit.
I Among the ecclesial bodies in which the sacramentality of the Church
is fulfilled through the communion, participation and shared responsibility
of pastors, religious and laity, the Parish Pastoral Council occupies a
privileged place. Within it the whole community is represented in the
unity of faith and in the variety of charisms, gifts and ministries, not by a
mere matter of delegation or by a mere organizational request, but by an
organic exercise of sense of the church, which is accomplished through
mediation, discernment and decision.
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Membership in the Pastoral Council has above all a mediating function,
not in the sense that the members of the Council act by delegation of
those they represent, but because they mediate the requests of the whole
local community.
Every parish has its own Council and takes charge of the tasks attributed
to the Parish Pastoral Council, and therefore covers the functions assigned
by the Code of Cannon Law (c. 536, §§ 1-2). In the “one educational
environment” works, the Parish Pastoral Council coincides with the Council
of the EPC (see FR, chap. VII, p. 2). In the case of very complex works with
many educational environments, it would be preferable for the rector not
to be absent from parish life and therefore it would be desirable for him
to be a member of the Pastoral Council of the parish. At the same time,
it is appropriate to specify that in any case the Parish has its own juridical
personality (can. 515§3) and the Parish Priest is its only title holder, just as
it is necessary to keep in mind the provisions of can. 519: The Parish Priest
is the Pastor of the Parish.
The parish council is an advisory, operational pastoral team
by nature, in accordance with the Code of Canon Law (cf. can.
536) and the guidelines of the local Church. In this way, the
consultative nature of the structures of participation is
outlined, which must be understood in a strictly ecclesial sense
and only analogically in reference to the common language and
practice of democratic legal systems.
While it is true, in fact, that - due to the hierarchical constitution of the
Church - the decision-making opportunity is entrusted to the parish priest
(at the parish level), it is equally true - due to its communal nature - that
the decision must mature through dialogue, contact. and community
discernment with all the bodies of shared responsibility that support him
in the various activities.
The decisions made in the Pastoral Council are the opportunity in which the
various opinions and suggestions developed in community discernment
must be summarized through the own ministry of pastors. In this way,
the Pastoral Council is truly a unified subject of ecclesial choices, as a
complete expression of communion in true Christian fraternity, albeit with
the various forms of collaboration of the pastor and all the other faithful.
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The Council is ultimately a team which is essential for the pastoral animation of
the parish. It is presided over by the parish priest, led and accompanied by him
along with other Salesians in the community; the team is made up of priests
assigned to the parish, representatives of the various sectors of parish life, and
the other members. Therefore, in order for it to carry out this task it should be:
◗◗ appointed from the bottom in a shared form;
◗◗ representative of the main groups, activities and communities of the
Parish, ensuring that the various members are the voice of everyone,
especially young people, regardless of the group they represent;
◗◗ made aware of the particular Salesian charism and work together
under the coordination of the parish priest.
Its functions are defined in its own Statute and are mainly as follows:
◗◗ analysing the local situation, taking note of the needs of the parish
and its members, offering an evangelical response to the challenges
encountered;
◗◗ participating in defining and implementing guidelines and initiatives;
◗◗ studying and approving the regular parish budget;
◗◗ finding the most suitable ways for a broader communion and lay
involvement;
◗◗ ensuring the formation of the pastoral workers in the parish;
◗◗ promoting the SEPP to the parish assembly, implementing it and
evaluating it periodically.
II The obligation to establish the Parish Council for Economic Affairs
remains unaffected and it must be constituted in accordance with can.
537 of the Code of Canon Law. The criteria for its composition include
competence and administrative efficiency. It is the organ of the faithful’s
collaboration with the parish priest in the administrative management of
the parish. Its role is advisory:
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◗◗ it assists the parish priest in preparing the Parish budget;
◗◗ it approves the financial statement;
◗◗ it expresses its opinion on the acts of extraordinary administration;
◗◗ it looks after the annual updating of the parish balance sheet.
Its members should be experts in finance and of upright conduct and
actively involved in parish life. It is made up of at least three faithful
appointed by the parish priest, after hearing the opinion of the Parish
Council. The chairman of the finance council is the parish priest, as its
“proper pastor” (cf. CIC, can. 515.519) of a specific community of faithful.
The parish priest is responsible not only for the Sacraments, liturgy,
catechetics and charitable requirements, but also for administration. He
is the legal representative (cf. CIC, can. 532) and sole administrator (cf.
CIC, can. 1279).
It can be deduced that it is essential to pay attention
to an orderly, documentable, precise and formed
administration based on moral and ethical principles.
Therefore, it will be necessary to engage in the good
administration of money and goods that pass through
parish channels; make the due annual financial statement
for the people concerned (the community, province, Curia,
faithful); follow up on the employment contracts of lay
collaborators, their social insurance, compliance with
municipal and national regulations; be well aware of what
yearly contributions are to be allocated to national and
diocesan collections. From this set of recommendations, it is
clear that the Council for Economic Affairs, if well informed
and well approved, can make a very effective contribution to
the parish, by recognizing the specific competence belonging
to the lay people.
III The committees and working groups are teams that, in accordance
with the SEPP, provide leadership in various areas of activity. Among
these the Youth Ministry leadership commission or team is particularly
important. It is coordinated by the assistant parish priest, or by a Salesian/
lay person responsible for the Oratory-Youth Centre (cf. GC20, 432). In
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some realities the Oratory council is identified with the Youth Ministry
leadership or team commission; this is a good solution to prevent
dispersion and guarantee the ordered and systematic unity in reflection
and choices. All this while taking into consideration the different realities,
which also include Salesian houses with a single “setting”, namely the
Oratory-Youth Centre.
IV The parish assembly and groups are instruments both of
communion, lay involvement and shared responsibility in the life of the
community, in particular with the lay people identified and committed
to the Salesian mission. Their identity is strengthened through the
preparation and implementation of the Salesian Educative-Pastoral Project
for the parish.
To sum up, it is to be hoped that these councils and groups are understood
through the prism of shared responsibility, as an expression of communion,
and not the result of curiosity and goodwill:
◗◗ These bodies aim to be competent in promoting the original and
creative nature of each parish, capable of creating a pastoral project
on the basis of the local and provincial SEPP, according to the areas
of commitment of each one.
◗◗ Everything, therefore, is aimed at discovering the parish community
as a subject of evangelization, with shared responsibility and full
involvement in the mission of the Church.
◗◗ For these reasons, the places and times of community discernment
(groups, meetings, assemblies) must be explored, promoted and
valued, by focusing as a community on the present moment and
its requests, without running the risk of being too attached to the
nostalgia for past administrations and leaderships, which were
perhaps conceived exclusively by priests and religious.
◗◗ These organisms are the expression of a true “Christian community”,
which does not indicate a restricted circle of a chosen few (cf. EG,
28), perhaps to please the parish priest: speaking of “community”
leads, rather, to strengthening awareness that the Christian call is
lived together with others and is mutually sustained and strengthened
in a circularity of vocations and fruitful relationships.
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B ) In dialogue with the Bishop and the Local Church
II The Salesian Work enjoys great esteem in the diocese and in ecclesial
bodies. While confirming the complete availability to collaborate with the
particular Church, wherever possible, it is important to recognize the parish’s
entrustment to the Salesians as a community of consecrated persons in line
with the founding charism. The Bishops themselves urge us to make our
work in the field of youth ministry more visible, in order to enrich the
territory with the expression of the Salesian charism and tradition.
Herein lies the question of the written Convention between the province
and the diocese, requested both by Mutuae relationes, 57 and can. 520 of
the Code of Canon Law. What is officially expressed in in these conventions
highlights the relevant and valid reasons for accepting the parish and
the characteristics that must be highlighted in the service the Salesian
community and the diocese must render.
We are aware that the first commitment we have when we are assigned
to the parish is not that of substituting, but of contributing the wealth of
a charism to the particular Church.
We should bear in mind the invitation that “Mutuae relationes”
addresses to Bishops: “It is the specific office of the Bishop to
defend consecrated life, to foster and animate the fidelity and
authenticity of religious and to help them become part of the
communion and of the evangelizing action of his Church,
according to their distinctive nature”(MR 52). And furthermore:
“No apostolic commitment should be an occasion to deviate from
one’s vocation” (MR 46).
II From what has been said, we must move towards communion and
collaboration in the particular Church. Membership in the Congregation,
which is important in order to remain faithful to one’s vocational choice and
to continue to be assisted in one’s specific charism, must not be seen as an
alternative to belonging to the diocesan presbyterate, but at the service of
the overall pastoral plan of one’s diocese. There are a number of different
diocesan structures in which our parishes are integrated (pastoral area,
deanery, vicariate ...). We believe it is worth reflecting, from the perspective
of communion, on the positive relationship with neighbouring parishes and
the archpriesthood.
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The parish priest is generally present at the retreat or at the meetings of the
vicariate or the diocese: these days of coexistence and planning strengthen
the atmosphere of collaboration and the bond between the parish priests
and the diocese. In communication with the bishop and the other parish
priests, he gains an experience of diocesan communion that he must be
able to communicate to the whole community. It is a type of awareness
and mediation that the parish priest should handle in a systematic way.
Interparish and inter-diocesan communion is not a simple organizational
strategy, but a requirement of the very mission of the Church (cf. CGS20,
416).
The above passes not only through true consistency in the life and action of
individuals and parish Communities, but also the sense of belonging to the
particular Church, its history and pastoral ministry, to the point of becoming
dialogue, good relationships, cordiality of relationships, willingness to make
oneself present, commitment to support the proposed initiatives, conviction
that in the Church nothing is ever just organizational and functional, but
communal.
C ) The unified and articulated Educative-Pastoral Plan
I The parish is immersed in a world which is undergoing profound and
rapid change. It is necessary to sit down, share, reason, reflect, analyse,
identify objectives and priorities, involve, share responsibilities, form, verify,
in short: plan. We need a more detailed interpretation of the changes
and provocations of the territorial reality and of the impact that ecclesial
communion and its mission must have on it. It is a unified and complex
reality and requires a plan (cf. GC21, 140). The primary objective of pastoral
action, carried out in the Salesian parish, is to become a real house made
up of many individuals who share a mission. For this reason, the Salesian
charism needs methodological attention, an operational tool, which
makes it possible to trace paths in order to achieve the objectives, to use
resources well, to verify the results: The Educative-Pastoral Plan.
«The parish entrusted to the Salesians evangelizes according to
the style and spirit of our Educative-Pastoral Plan» (GC 21 140)
Parish ministry is given a unified and articulated shape in the plan, a mental
and community process of involvement, clarification and identification.
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Planning is done in the light of faith, indeed, it is a definite form of facing
reality with the eyes of faith. Therefore, it does not immediately fall within
the context of a “technical aspect” or a simple printed compliance. This
plan helps the parish forge effective collaboration in its pastoral mission
to teach, sanctify and guide everyone. Parish structures strengthen
communion, convergence and complementarity amongst people, activities
and other structures focused around this operational plan.
To ensure that parish pastoral ministry has continuity, it must not only ensure
the stability of people, but it must have “precise points” of reference for
all people: a plan. The SEPP is a concrete operational channel that guides
the journey of our parish communities and, therefore, it is a proposal that
cannot be derogated. It is:
◗◗ an indispensable tool for carrying out parish ministry according to
the Salesian identity, interpreting and renewing our proposal and its
method;
◗◗ an important element for the pastoral continuity of parish life when
inevitable staff turnovers take place;
◗◗ a point of reference in the dialogue with the bishop and diocesan
bodies;
◗◗ a condition that is integrated in, qualifies and enriches the local
Church’s project, responds to its requests and needs and those of
the local area.
◗◗ a concrete possibility for a journey together in the convergence
and mutual enrichment between the parishes of the same province
(cf. Salesian Youth Ministry. Frame of Reference. Youth ministry
Department, 2014, chap. VI).
II In conclusion, because of its membership in the local Church, the
Salesian parish incorporates the pastoral guidelines of the diocese
and those of the provincial and local SEPP in its SEPP. There needs to
be the effort of a global project which is able to formulate a wide-ranging
pastoral plan in connection with both the diocese and the province. It is
a matter of making a synthesis, of creating harmony. The vision of the
diocese must therefore be experienced not in a conflictual way, nor in
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mutual indifference or distrust, but in mutual and necessary reference and
enrichment (cf. GC 21 139b; GC 20 403). The parish priest in particular
is called to this action, in order to prevent the flattening of the Salesian
pastoral proposal, the quantitative and qualitative estrangement from the
youth and the loss of “educational” capacity.
In implementing the line of the charism, both the fear and the danger of
juxtaposing two pastoral ministries must be overcome: the pastoral ministry
of the particular Church must be reinterpreted with the awareness of one’s
own Salesian charism, making choices that are dictated by the specific
service in which the Congregation is called to bear witness. At times the
difficulty of “reconciling” these two references is more apparent than real,
in the sense that it refers to organizational and calendar aspects, rather
than to the right/duty to express one’s own charism. For this reason, the
Salesian parish priest dialogues not only with the bishop, but also with the
provincial, who is a reference and inspiration.
III When a parish is one of a number of other sectors in a given
area (Oratory-Youth Centre, School, Social Work, Boarding house, Hostel),
through dialogue it fosters along with them a special collaboration for
unified pastoral ministry within a single mission.
Our way of evangelizing is not just “religious teaching” or “the
service of worship”. Don Bosco preferred a type of pastoral
ministry that fostered a program of holistic education
(recreation-work-study-catechism), in which faith was its
illuminating centre.
It expresses the desire to grow systematically as a Salesian house. If the
division of responsibilities is legitimate, the multiplication and division of
pastoral plans within the same work with dualisms and parallels is not
comprehensible. For the Oratory-Youth Centre the parish is a reminder that
there is a converging pastoral plan involving the local area and the local
Church, based on the different responsibilities of the two sectors. There
is a need for a real plan that unites the two sectors, with mutual benefits.
Unified pastoral activity is spelt out through mutual relationships and the
fact that they are different projects help us provide a better response to
quite a few special situations in the Congregation:
◗◗ Oratory-Youth Centre in a Salesian parish;
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◗◗ Oratory-Youth Centre in diocesan parishes;
◗◗ Oratory-Youth Centre in presences with multiple sectors, where there
is also the parish along with other sectors and activities..
The Oratory is an environment full of many educational proposals for
children and young people, all centred on relationships and intergenerational
exchange, with significant figures according to age and charisma (the
pedagogical model). It is the place where catechesis and the celebration
of the faith occupy a central, but not unique, place, since it is naturally
connected with a rich and varied programme tailored to the basic needs
of the young people: group life, singing, music, walks, summer camps,
leadership in activities of service according to age.
As mentioned above, the Oratory-Youth Centre council, in its
entirety or through a well-chosen membership, has representation
within the parish pastoral council to guarantee the unity of the
evangelizing activity.
D ) Provincial/National animation
I The parish priest is appointed by the Provincial and presented to the
local Ordinary to be of service to the local Church, in communion with the
Bishop, the presbyterium and the other parishes. He seeks coordination
with other parishes in the Province and the Youth Ministry delegation in the
Province. The guidelines of GC 19 and GC 20 (cf. GC 20, no. 441) require
co-ordination of the parishes to be fostered in all our Provinces.
The parishes depend on the dioceses in which they are located but are
entrusted to the Salesian Congregation to respond to the pastoral needs
of particular Churches (Reg. 25). If the acceptance of a parish clearly
requires the approval of the Rector Major with the consent of his Council,
the significance of the Salesian representation in such a vast area as the
province is verified by the Provincial with his Council. The restitution of the
parish to the diocese, its relocation to another area and the redevelopment
of the parishes respond to new needs and new recipients. The province is
not only a juridical/administrative district, but it is also a charismatic and
juridical community that is concerned with promoting life and mission in
all its works.
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In addition to the precise agreement report, signed by the bishop and the
Salesians, in the person of the provincial, the Province must give operational
guidelines in the Provincial Directory, for example regarding: building
structures; the relationship with Bishops and municipal Administrations;
the relationship between parish and oratory; the promotion of vocations
and lay formation (pastoral workers, catechists, lay people with ministries,
administrators); shared responsibility of the religious community in the
parish; administrative and economic relations between the parish and the
Salesian house, in accordance with universal law, the Constitutions and the
document Legal elements and administrative practice in the government
of the Province, Directorate General for Works Don Bosco (2004), nº 163.
II A Provincial Commission headed by a coordinator ensures Provincial
accompaniment and support for parish communities in their implementation
of the parish SEPP. Both the coordinator and the Commission are part of
provincial Youth Ministry bodies.
The Coordinator and members of the Commission have the following
functions:
◗◗ raising awareness of Salesian communities so that they pay more
attention to the parish where they are located;
◗◗ promoting reflection on and improved understanding of the identity
of the Salesian parish in relation to the ecclesial and social situation
around them;
◗◗ raising awareness of Salesian communities so that they are integrated
not only in parishes entrusted to the Salesians, but also so that they
may have an impact, collaboration, structure and pastoral care
together with the parish where they are located geographically;
◗◗ ensuring the development, implementation and evaluation of the
SEPP in parishes and Shrines, offering parish communities guidelines
that can help them live out their Salesian identity;
◗◗ fostering communication and collaboration amongst the different
parishes of the Province, so that amongst our parishes there may be
progress in the communication of experiences, good practice, shared
projects and specific formation programmes;
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SYSTEMATIC PASTORAL ANIMATION IN THE PARISH
◗◗ supporting ongoing formation of Salesians and laity who share
responsibility for parish ministry, through meetings and courses (in
fact, some formative programmes cannot be carried out only by one
parish, but they require collaboration between the various parishes
of the Province);
◗◗ taking a greater care of the formation of parish priests (the formation
should facilitate the Salesian parish priest and the community in
coordinating the parish according to the Oratorian criterion);
◗◗ convening regular meetings of parish priests, pastoral councils,
catechists, diaconal teams, health apostolate and youth ministry and
the confreres engaged in the ministry of the Word and Reconciliation;
◗◗ responding to the pastoral challenges of the Church in local churches
and Shrines where the mission of the Province is carried out.
We must stress the importance of establishing a Provincial
commission if it is not yet present, and there needs to be
teamwork with other Provincial commissions: Oratory-Youth
Centre, Salesian Youth Movement, Vocation ministry, Missionary
animation, Social Communication. The Provincial Formation
Commission ensures formative accompaniment for students of
theology, especially deacons, in the exercise of their ministry. They
are part of the actual running of parish ministry.
III.- The dynamics and work of provincial coordination are supported by
National leadership and coordination, according to circumstances
and contexts. Its function is primarily to promote reflection and a
deeper understanding of the Salesian identity of the parish through the
development and updating of the educative-pastoral proposal.
Other guidelines and proposals at the national level are, for example:
◗◗ providing precise guidelines in order to encourage the growth of
an educative-pastoral harmony between parish and Oratory-Youth
Centre in a unified plan and in sharing a program;
◗◗ preparing and offering concrete, structured and open subsidies, of
lines and elements to draw up local pastoral projects;
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THE PARISH AND THE SHRINE ENTRUSTED TO THE SALESIANS
◗◗ facilitating communication amongst the provinces in order to share
experiences and challenges;
◗◗ planning a formation and updating service for formation houses on
the themes that are typical of the Salesian Oratorian and Parish work.
A common practice in various situations around the Congregation is to
promote the updating and formation of parish priests through National
organization (formation, retreats and specialization courses). Moreover, it
is possible to convene meetings for reflection on a national level, conscious
of the wealth arising from the variety of groups involved in our parishes
(catechists, pastoral councils, youth leaders, committees, groups).
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SYSTEMATIC PASTORAL ANIMATION IN THE PARISH
AT A GLANCE
Evangelizing community
inspired by the Christian
catechumenate (the gift of
growing faith in its various
stages)
Gradual and diversified
itineraries of education in the
faith
• Commitment to evangelization requires
personal response, process of Christian
formation conversion of life and charity
• Christian initiation considers experience,
relationships with the community, and
witnessing
Membership of groups in the
Church
• Coordination of these groups with the SYM and
the proposal of Salesian Youth Spirituality
• The parish priest promotes the growth of lay
pastoral workers and enhances their skills
Preparation-Celebration of the
Liturgy and Sacraments with
dignity and beauty
• Forms of prayer closer to life
• Understandable and accessible language
expressed in a simple manner (songs, gestures,
stories, testimonies, symbols, etc.)
• Revive the active participation of all in its
preparation and implementation
• New communication strategies for the
proclamation of faith
Education to the social
dimension of charity to build a
culture of solidarity
• Encouragement for the commitment of
members of the parish community involved in
social action and charity
• Visible concrete gestures of a modest lifestyle,
open to generosity and solidarity
• Promotion, training and accompaniment of
solidarity and missionary volunteering
Formation of dynamic and
committed lay people,
especially pastoral animators
of young people
• Adequate paths of Salesian Youth Spirituality, in
particular, catechists, educators, youth group
leaders and engaged couples
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THE PARISH AND THE SHRINE ENTRUSTED TO THE SALESIANS
• Orientation towards different vocations in the
Church
• A parish community (various groups and
movements) in constant prayer for vocations
Vocational accompaniment
of the faithful, especially
young people
• Transform community life events into news
• This requires: expertise and community outreach
• This makes it possible to: interact and dialogue
with younger people, contact pastoral workers
on a daily basis, create and increase the sense of
belonging to the parish community
Digital environment: a
great and indispensable
communication opportunity to
evangelize
• pastoral team of
an advisory and
operational nature
Parish
Pastoral
Council
• advisory function
• composition
according to criteria
of competence
and administrative
efficiency
• teams that, in
accordance with the
SEPP, animate the
different areas of
activity
Council of
Economic
Affairs of the
Parish
Commissions
and working
groups
Parish ecclesial
co-responsibility
bodies
Animation
of the local
parish
community
• Spaces of
communion,
participation and co-
responsibility in the
life of the community
Parish
assembly
and groups
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SYSTEMATIC PASTORAL ANIMATION IN THE PARISH
In dialogue
with the
Bishop and
the local
Church
• Visibility of Salesian work in the
field of youth ministry
• Enrichment of the territory with
the expression of the Salesian
charism and tradition
• Written agreement
between province
and diocese
• Communion,
collaboration and
sense of belonging
to the particular
Church
The
unitary and
articulated
Salesian
Educational-
Pastoral
Project
• Indispensable for the
realization of the parish
pastoral according to the
Salesian identity
• Important element for the
pastoral continuity of parish life
• Point of reference in dialogue
with the bishop and diocesan
bodies
• Condition to fit in, qualify and
enrich the project of the local
Church
Provincial/
National
animation
• Parish Coordination in all
our Provinces
• Operational indications in
the Provincial Directory
• Provincial Commission in
the implementation of the
SEPP
• Animation and national
coordination: updating of
the educational-pastoral
proposal of the parishes
• Methodological
attention to the
Salesian charism
• SEPP, an operational
tool to promote
the originality and
creativity of each
parish
• The parish entrusted
to the Salesians
incorporates in its
SEPP the pastoral
orientations of the
diocese and those
of the provincial and
local SEPP
• Parish in the area
together with other
environments
of the Salesian
Work (Oratory-
Youth Center,
School, Social
Work, Internship,
Residence),
promotes a special
collaboration for
a unitary pastoral
within the one
mission
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OTHER FORMS:
PUBLIC CHURCHES, SHRINES
CHAPTER
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OTHER FORMS: PUBLIC CHURCHES, SHRINES
The public churches and Shrines represented in the works of the
Province are everywhere a significant Salesian “presence”, a sacred
“place” of attraction and meeting, witness and Salesian and ecclesial
message.
It is important, as we have emphasized in reference to the parish, to look
after the hospitality of the faithful, the visitor and the passer-by, which is
manifested by various factors, from the simplest details to the personal
willingness to listen and accompany. Here lies the visible aspect of charity,
which causes the visitor to reflect as he feels welcomed by God because
he is welcomed by his brothers. It could be a hospitality provided by
priests, religious or lay people, characterized by human qualities, respect
for personal processes, which help clarify doubts and even trigger them.
In these circumstances, other elements of particular importance are: the
dignity of liturgical celebrations and manifestations of popular piety; an
atmosphere of respect and meditation; order and safety; the maintenance
of the entire space, the proper indications; a barrier-free architecture;
printed material and new technologies; the creation of adequate and
welcoming physical spaces for each category of people and for each specific
use (chapels for adoration and reconciliation, information points, museums,
etc.), to avoid the perception of commercialization in sacred spaces.
Therefore, even these salesian presences should be considered
within the provincial SEPP as typical expressions of our
tradition, which offer their own cultural and pastoral proposal.
This means that each sanctuary or rectory depends both on the
religious community and the local parish.
A Public churches are also called “rectories” which operate with some
pastoral services but are not recognized as parishes. There are liturgical
services on public holidays and weekdays with Eucharistic celebrations,
prayer meetings for groups of faithful, including young people, special or
Salesian triduum or novenas. Devotion to Mary Help of Christians represents
a great contribution to the Church. The service of reconciliation is the most
appreciated, not only by the faithful, but also by priests and religious, and
in some places even by tourists and pilgrims.
B Shrines and/or Basilicas are churches recognized as such by the
ecclesiastical authorities and places of welcome and prayer for many
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THE PARISH AND THE SHRINE ENTRUSTED TO THE SALESIANS
faithful. The Congregation has a wealth of Shrines and basilicas. “Shrines”
are sacred places to which the faithful make pilgrimage for a special reason
of piety (cf. CCC, can. 1230-1234). At Shrines the means of salvation are
to be supplied to the faithful by the diligent proclamation of the Word of
God, through the celebration of the Eucharist and Reconciliation, and the
cultivation of approved forms of popular piety. (cf. CCC, can. 1234). As a
rule, Shrines, besides being particular destinations for pilgrimages, are a
place of worship and devotion linked to events or manifestations of the
Blessed Virgin, Saints or Martyrs. In fact, some preserve relics or images
considered miraculous or are places particularly marked by the holiness of
a servant of God or by multiple forms of “popular piety”.
We must not forget that the religious presence in public spaces is another
way of evangelizing, as well as all the manifestations of popular religiosity
(such as processions, festivals and pilgrimages). For some people who
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OTHER FORMS: PUBLIC CHURCHES, SHRINES
come to the Shrines, this is the only bond that unites them to the Church
community. The Church, therefore, takes this opportunity to proclaim the
Gospel message and lead people to Christ.
In some Shrines there are artistic expressions of paintings, sculptures and
sacred representations which are tastefully arranged and supported by
doctrinal content and objects for worship. In this regard, music, song,
architecture, painting, sculpture and sacred objects and vestments should
be given special care in Shrines.
Every pilgrim, visitor and passer-by deserves all the attention he can receive.
As far as possible, he must be welcomed as an individual, on a personal
level: everyone must find their place in the Shrine.
The document “The Shrine, Memory, Presence and Prophecy
of the Living God” invites us to this when it says that “this
experience of Church must be particularly fostered through
the fitting welcome given to pilgrims to the Shrine. This
should take into consideration the specific characteristics of each
group and each individual, the yearnings of their hearts and
their authentic spiritual needs” (Pontifical Council for the Pastoral
Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, May 8, 1999, 12).
This is why we cannot be content with a standardized hospitality, but we
must strive to expand the proposal, without running the risk of uniformity.
If diversified hospitality implies personal encounter, this requires high-quality
attention in the Shrine, which implies that those responsible demonstrate
an active presence, as well as a loving attitude.
Other concrete actions that can help achieve a fitting hospitality are:
◗◗ promoting voluntary service for the hospitality and formation of those
involved in the life of the Shrine, developing specific programmes
and manuals for human, doctrinal, spiritual and pastoral formation;
◗◗ organizing guided tours within the Shrine;
◗◗ skill-training of priests who exercise the Ministry of the Word and
Reconciliation;
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THE PARISH AND THE SHRINE ENTRUSTED TO THE SALESIANS
◗◗ the clear definition of the charism specific to the Shrine, which must
shape the spirit and meaning of life of the work of volunteers.
All this is part of the timely development of a pastoral plan for welcoming
and evangelization, in harmony with the diocesan pastoral ministry, so that
it may become part of it, also taking into consideration the collaboration
between Shrines and parishes, between Shrines and public churches.
(perhaps by fostering regional or national meetings with the presence of
numerous pastoral workers), between pilgrimage associations, with civil
entities, agencies and tourist guides.
Lastly, it is important to stress the relevance of can. 1234 § 2 CCC, which
expressly provides for the preservation and protection of votive offerings of
popular art and piety. We should also recall Can. 1189 regarding precious
images and those honoured with great reverence (cf. can. 1190 § 3) and
also that concerning sacred relics and those of great significance (cf. can.
1190 §§ 1 and 2).
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OTHER FORMS: PUBLIC CHURCHES, SHRINES
AT A GLANCE
PUBLIC CHURCHES
Sacred "place" of call and
meeting, of witness and
Salesian and ecclesial
message
SHRINES
Significant Salesian
presence
With some pastoral services
(they are not recognized
as parishes): Eucharistic
celebrations, prayer
meetings, triduums and
novenas
Churches recognized as
such by the ecclesiastical
authority and centers of
welcome and prayer for
many believers
The "sanctuaries" are sacred
places where the faithful
go for reasons of piety and
pilgrimage
Taking care of the reception of the faithful, the visitor, the passer-by
• dignity of liturgical celebrations and manifestations of
popular piety
• care of the whole space
• respect and recollection
• barrier-free architecture
• printed material and new technologies
• appropriate and welcoming physical spaces for each
category of people and for each specific use (chapels
for adoration and reconciliation, information points,
museum, etc.)
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Concluding remarks
The parish is “Salesian” due to the community style it promotes, the
ecclesial experience it lives and the witness of the religious community. It is
“Salesian” because of its relationship of communion with the local Church,
the support and development of groups and associations, its involvement
and favourable integration in the local area and the preferential and priority
of attention for young people. We live the parish ministry as a true Salesian
apostolate to the extent that we remain faithful to our mission and make
Don Bosco’s charism relevant.
The parish entrusted to the Salesians, like the Salesian charism, is
characterized not only by some “spiritual” features, but it evangelizes
according to the style and spirit of the Salesian Educative-Pastoral Project.
This is where Salesian attitudes, initiatives, contents, experiences and
pastoral choices are represented. These pages have attempted to provide
some stimuli in this direction.
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Documentation
DOCUMENTS OF THE CHURCH
»»Lumen Gentium. Dogmatic Constitution of Vatican Council II on the
Church (21 November 1965).
»»Nostra Aetate. Declaration on the Church’s Relations with Non-
Christian Religions (28 October 1965).
»»Evangelii Nuntiandi. Apostolic Exhortation of Paul VI (8 December
1975).
»»Mutuae relationes. Directives for the mutual relations between
Bishops and religious in the Church. Sacred Congregation for religious
and for secular institutes; Sacred Congregation for Bishops (14 May
1978).
»»Code of Canon Law. Promulgated by John Paul II (25 January 1983).
»»Christifideles Laici. Apostolic exhortation of John Paul II on the
vocation and the mission of the lay faithful in the Church and in the
world (30 December 1988).
»»The Shrine – Memory, presence and prophecy of the living
God. Pontifical Council for the Pastoral care of Migrants and Itinerant
People (8 May 1999).
»»Directory for Catechesis. Pontifical Council for the Promotion of
the New Evangelization (23 March 2020).
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Documentation
»»Novo Millennio Ineunte. Apostolic Letter of John Paul II (6 January
2001).
»»Evangelii Gaudium. Apostolic exhortation of Francis (24 November
2013).
»»Dialogue in truth and charity. Pontifical Orientations for Interreligious
Dialogue. Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (19 May 2014).
»»Christus vivit. Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation of Francis (25
March 2019).
»»The pastoral conversion of the parish community in the service
of the evangelizing mission of the Church. Document of the
Congregation for the Clergy (20 July 2020).
»»Antiquum ministerium. Apostolic Letter issued “Motu Proprio” by
the Supreme Pontiff Francis (10 May 2021).
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DOCUMENTS FOR THE SALESIAN FAMILY AND
CONGREGATION
»»General Chapter 4 of the Salesian Society (1886).
»»General Chapter 19 of the Salesian Society (1965).
»»Special General Chapter of the Salesian Society (1971).
»»General Chapter 21 of the Salesian Society (1978).
»»General Chapter 22 of the Salesian Society (1984).
»»General Chapter 23 of the Salesians of Don Bosco. «Educating
young people to the faith» (1990).
»»General Chapter 24 of the Salesians of Don Bosco. «Salesians
and lay people: Communion and sharing in the Spirit and mission of
Don Bosco» (1996).
»»General Chapter 28 of the Salesians of Don Bosco. «What kind
of Salesians for the youth of today?» (2020).
»»Constitutions and Regulations of the Society of Saint Francis
de Sales. (1984).
»»Legal elements and administrative practice in the government
of the Province, Directorate General Works Don Bosco. (2004)
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Documentation
»»Animating and governing the community. The ministry of the
Salesian rector. The Formation Sector. Salesians of Don Bosco (2019).
»»Voluntary service in the Salesian mission. Department of Youth
Ministry. Department of Missions (2019).
»»The Salesian Missionary Vocation. Reflections, processes and
operational guidelines. Sector for the Missions (2021).
»»Youth Ministry and Family. Salesian Youth Ministry Sector. Salesians
of Don Bosco (2021).
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