RECTOR MAJOR

A
s it is well-known that there
are 23 groups officially part
of the Salesian Family (SF).
Others will certainly be approved in
this special anniversary year. It is very
clear therefore that in addition to
being an official organisation the SF is
a much more open movement. There
are so many individuals and groups
who recognise Don Bosco’s spirituality
as theirs. I also like to think of those
innumerable lay collaborators who are
working side by side with the Salesians
and share the same educational ideal and
apostolic commitment. There are tens of
thousands of them. And it is only right
to remember the even larger number
of benefactors and friends; without
A VAST MOVEMENT FOR THE YOUNG
I mention the reasons why a group is
recognised as belonging to the SF. Sev-
eral years ago the Rector Major Fr Egi-
dio Viganò suggested some criteria.
Above all “participation” in the Salesian
vocation: the group which asks to form
part of the SF, is called to share in the
“charism”. It needs to show therefore
that it is moved by the Holy Spirit to look
to Don Bosco as the model and teacher
and to want to put into practice his to creating an active spirit of fraternity
charism. All this is easier if the founder is in collaboration with the other groups
a Salesian or another member of the SF. and recognising in the successor of Don
A second element is participation in Bosco the role of Father and centre of
the mission to ordinary young people. unity in the great Salesian movement.
This means that the group ought to These elements are the basis of a deep
have the same aims: evangelisation and communion and apostolic fraternity.
Don Bosco had tried to do all that
was possible to establish a close union

SO MANY OTHER SHOOTS among the groups he founded. Today,

actively faithful to his desires, we are
continuing to find ways together to
The movements “waiting”. strengthen this communion. There are
more than a few groups who ask for a
Don Bosco’s Family becomes the inspiration for an even wider
closer charismatic link. I shall mention
Salesian movement when, in addition to the characteristics proper
some of them, not without expressing
to the various Groups, it is able to express some dynamic uniting
factor which reveals the common apostolic identity. (cid 32) my total affection for those un-named.
“The Disciples” founded by Fr G.
their support it would not be possible catechesis, the all-round development D’Souza who are working in the field of
to do what is being done in the poorest of the young, especially the poorest and
evangelisation; the “Comunidade Cançao
parts of the world. Many of you too, the abandoned, concern for the working
Nova” of Father Jonas Abib dedicated to
dear readers, are part of this great host classes, for social communication for
evangelisation through the media (radio
of people. And the young? I’ll tell you missionary work.
and tv, songs, music); the “Misioneras
about something that happened to me A third aspect is a sharing in the spirit
de Maria Auxiliadora” of Sr A. L. Bimos;
recently in Brazil. Various groups of the and in the educative-pastoral method.
the “Community of the Mission of
SF were explaining to the Rector Major The characteristic elements are pastoral
Don Bosco”, composed of lay people
their apostolic and Salesian commitment. charity, the family spirit, optimism,
who also make a special promise; the
They spoke with pride and enthusiasm simple and lively prayer, appreciation for
Mamma Margaret Association, springing
of their love for Don Bosco and their the sacraments and devotion to Mary.
up almost spontaneously in various parts
involvement in working with the young.
Another important element is the of the world, dedicated to supporting
At a certain point, a girl, caught up in
evangelical life lived according to the by their prayers their own consecrated
the general enthusiasm, came up to me
Salesian spirit. The group proposes sons and daughters. The charism of Don
looking worried: “But we young people,
to its members the ideal of the gospel, Bosco is alive and fruitful. And today
can we be part of the Salesian Family?”.
which can be expressed with religious more than ever we feel the need for it.
I replied at once with joy: “Certainly you
vows or with simple promises or some The SF is making it present in a vival and
can! You are the purpose and the centre
other form of commitment, with Don original way. We are happy to represent
of our family.” In fact, the SF is the most
Bosco as the model. its presence, its passion for education,
beautiful and complete expression of
Don Bosco alive today, who puts himself Each group preserves its own specific its missionary heart and its love for the
at the service of the young in a totally character and autonomy. Being an young who are poor and abandoned.
up-to-date and committed way. active part of the SF, it is committed Pascual Chavez Villanueva sdb
 Don bosco march 2009
 RECTOR MAJOR
F
or Don Bosco religious instruction
was the foundation of any kind of
education. Although a little
simplistic, perhaps the formula that best
expresses his thought is: upright citizens
and good Christians. In other words, the
values of our holy religion ought to
inspire and guide the development of all
the potential of the young person until
he becomes independent. But in the
context of the evolution of modern
societies, it is not clear that education
and evangelisation should be united and
has mutual influence.
“Today the tendency is to present the
educational situation in prevalently
secularist terms,” said Egidio Vigano. It
is easy to interpret the ‘professionalism
EDUCATING WITH THE
HEART OF DON BOSCO
EDUCATING EVANGELISING-2
“Our art as educators is pastoral in character not only in the sense that
on the part of the educator it flows from and is explicitly nourished
each day by apostolic charity, but also in the sense that the whole
educative process with everything it contains and in all its methodology
is directed towards the Christian goal of salvation and is permeated by
its light and its grace.”
of educators’ by reducing them to the
level of simple teachers. “The danger of
our cultural task becoming disjointed
from our pastoral commitment is a very
real one. Educating and evangelising are
two activities which in themselves are
different, but, the essential unity of the
young person requires that they be not
separated” Educational activity finds its
place in the area of culture and forms
part of earthly reality; it refers to the
process of the assimilation and the
combination of human values that are
evolving, with a specific goal and its own
justification that should not be exploited.
Its aim is a person’s human development,
in other words for the adolescent to
learn the art of being a person.
It is a question of a process of growth
that is long and gradual. “It is concerned
 Don bosco june 2008
not so much with the imposition of
norms as with rendering freedom more
responsible, with developing individual
enterprise with reference to his
conscience, the authentic quality of his
love, and his social dimensions. It is a
true process of personalisation to be
brought to maturity in each individual.”
Education cannot be reduced to simple
method. Education is essentially linked
to the evolving process of the individual.
“It has something in common with fa-
therhood and motherhood, as though
sharing in the process of human genera-
tion for fundamental values such as
truth, freedom, love, work, justice, soli-
darity, sharing, dignity of life, etc. And
for this very reason it is concerned with
the avoidance of whatever is degrading
and deviant, the idolatries such as riches,
power, sex, and marginalisation, vio-
lence, selfishness, etc.
Its aim is to bring about the growth of
the young person from within, so that he
becomes a responsible adult and behave
as an upright citizen. Education there-
fore means sharing with a fatherly and
maternal love in the growth of the indi-
vidual concerned, while fostering col-
laboration with others to the same end.
Educational relationships presuppose,
that, a number of different agencies are
working together.” “Evangelisation on
the other hand is directed, of its nature,
to the passing on and the fostering of the
Christian faith; it belongs to the order of
those salvation events that flow from the
presence of God in history; it aims at
making them known, communicating
them and making them come alive in the
liturgy and testimony.”
Having noted this distinction, we would
say that in all circumstances we ought to
consider as fundamental and indispens-
able the interdependent relationship be-
tween the process of maturing as a
human being and growing as a Christian.
Education ought to take its inspiration
from the Gospel and that evangelisation
needs to be adapted to the evolving situ-
ation of the one being educated.
Our way of evangelising aims at forming
a person who is mature from all points of
view. Our education aims at opening
people to God and to man’s eternal des-
tiny. To be evangelising, education needs
to take into consideration some factors:
the priority of the individual in respect of
other ideological or institutional inter-
ests, care of the environment that ought
to be rich in human and Christian values,
the evangelical quality and the consis-
tency of the cultural proposal that is
offered through the programmes and
activities; seeking the common good,
commitment towards those most in
need; the question of the meaning of life,
a sense of the transcendent and open-
ness to God, the provision of an educa-
tion that fosters in the young the desire
to progress in their formation and to be
involved as Christians in society and on
behalf of others.
The Christian educator in the Salesian
style is someone who takes up the work
of education seeing it as a way of col-
laborating with God in the growth
and development of individuals.
Pascual Chavez Villanueva
 RECTOR MAJOR

W
e know the origins of Salesian
work. Don Bosco himself
described the first boys at the
oratory: “As a rule the Oratory boys included
stonecutters, bricklayers, stuccoers, road
pavers, plasterers, and others who came
from distant villages. They were not church-
goers, and had few friends; so they were
exposed to the dangers of perversion”.
Those aimed at therefore, in Don Bosco’s
charism, are the most needy youngsters, sons
of the people, from the working class. In his
circular letter “He had compassion on them”,
Fr J. Vecchi draws attention to the new
scenario for the educational work of the
Salesians: “Economic, social and cultural
EDUCATING WITH THE
HEART OF DON BOSCO
exploitation of minors, child soldiers, etc.
This is painting a black picture, but it is an
incomplete one. Concern for the “least”
is always present in the formulation of our
plans, understanding by the least youngsters at
risk, living in economic, cultural and religious
poverty, the poor in affective moral and
spiritual terms, those suffering on account of
family problems, the youngsters living on the
margins of society and of the Church.
The first response is the work of education
with these young people. The Salesian The Church has always seen in the poor “a
charism continues to write glorious pages theological place of encounter with God”.
in history, setting in motion the vast social Following an interpretation in gospel terms of
programmes of prevention and assistance the situation of the Latin American continent,
in all the continents: in refugee camps, with the Congress in Puebla affirmed “the need
for the conversion of the whole Church to
a preferential option for the poor in view of
their complete liberation.”

THE SOCIAL SIGNIFICANCE

The accelerating speed of change, the giddy
rhythm with which events follow one after
another can result in a certain deadening of
our sensitivities or those of the young. It is

OF SALESIAN EDUCATION
necessary to find “the appropriate pedagogical
means” to keep the heart always open to the
cry of life in search of survival and dignity. It
“If I want… to feel the dropouts and the drug addicts, those without is here that education has to say something
work and without hope as brothers, not as a different species; if I want critical as a means of analysing the situation and
to put Christianity into practice, also in society, and I might say one that of removing all that does not appear to be just.
In the face of a world that is individualist and
is sanctified socialist… if I want to relate not in a way that is paternalistic
not open to the needs of others, education has
but fatherly, not authoritarian but authoritative, not repressive but with
to work to overcome indifference and reawaken
understanding, not one of communication but of communion… I have
feelings of concern for social issues, help people
perfectly understood that I need to turn to Don Bosco”.
to become more aware of the world around us
factors are bringing about a new configuration street children, in the rehabilitation of child- and to learn how to V assess it critically and to
of society. Hence the priorities of our mission soldiers and sexually exploited youngsters, feel responsible for and active agents in what
are also changing, at least to some extent: in a great variety of projects on behalf of happens, taking part in drawing up replies that
the subjects to whom we give preference, emigrants. The educative worth of the go beyond having recourse to violence. Poverty
the gospel messages to be disseminated Preventive System shows its effectiveness in and marginalisation are a phenomenon that
and the educational programmes to be set putting the wayward youngsters on the right is not just economic, but rather something
in motion.” The old and the new forms of path, and when they have already embarked that concerns the conscience and challenges
poverty among the young are a constant on the wrong one helping them not to make society’s way of thinking. For this reason, moral
challenge to the creativity of the charism worse choices. However, we have to avoid a education and education in general should be
and make it relevant. Often on the television certain “moda pauperistica”, which becomes seen as something of real urgency in a society
screen we see images, aspects and the effects demagogy and leads us to talk about the in which the great problems of the human race,
of poverty, such as hunger, the exodus of poor, without doing anything for the poor. and the principles that govern relationships
thousands of refugees the victims of ethnic It is not possible to educate to the values of between the people and the state, and the
conflicts, religious discrimination, wars about compassion and solidarity from a standpoint natural environment, require new ethical and
spheres of influence. And again, unstable of the satisfied and the powerful, nor even moral guidelines rather than technical and
urbanisation that creates the phenomenon of being neutral. In order to educate to scientific solutions.
of urban marginalisation, immigration, child solidarity and justice it is necessary to
labour, the situation of women, the sexual assume the place of the “victims” in society. Pascual Chavez Villanueva sdb
 Don bosco july 2008
 RECTOR MAJOR

F
undamental for the carrying out
of the Salesian Educative Pastoral
Plan (EPP) is the Educative/Pastoral
Community (EPC): a group which “involves
young people and adults, parents and
educators… so that it can become an
experience of Church and a revelation
of God’s plan for us.” From the earliest
days, around Don Bosco this family
community was being formed, in which
the young people themselves played a
leading role and shared responsibility.
Within it there was an atmosphere
imbued with the values of the Preventive
System, with well-defined spiritual and
pastoral characteristics, clear objectives
and a convergence of roles thought out
and coordinated with the young people
in mind. The complexity of the social,
cultural and religious circumstances of
EDUCATING WITH THE
HEART OF DON BOSCO
effort at formation on the part of all its
members. Unfortunately young people
often feel themselves lost and at a loss,
noticing that what happens around them
on the streets, in the family, at school or in
the youth centre doesn’t always coincide,
nor do they have the same educational
objectives.
The EPC is not a new structure but a
community of people, in which the same
vital values are shared and contribute
to forming an identity in which all are family, in fact ought to be considered
happy to participate. It is called educative the fundamental and primary setting for
because at its centre is the concern to education and evangelisation. In this sense
promote the all-round development of it becomes the object of the educational
the young, to bring to maturity their and pastoral concern of the EPC.
potential in all areas: the physical, Many lay people are involved in the
psychological, cultural, professional, and educative community in various capacities
especially members of the Salesian Family
who are working in the locality. All of them
collaborate at different levels in drawing
up the educative plan which is the focus
of all the various activities: they work

THE EDUCATIVE/PASTORAL together in the educational process itself.

Keeping themselves professionally and
pedagogically up-to-date and spiritually

COMMUNITY
motivated, is one the main concerns of the
EPC and all the members and all the various
categories involved in the educational
process. The ongoing formation of the
“The animating nucleus of the EPC [Educative-Pastoral Community]
educator is a basic requirement. It is
is becoming composed ever more of other subjects (young and lay
necessary to invest time, resources and
people, members of the Salesian Family, representatives of the local
people in the formation of all those
Church and neighbourhood) who share our spirituality and mission
engaged in educative/pastoral work. The
committing themselves to animation. Within it the Salesian community
EPC is a living organism, the subject and
plays the role of the charismatic point of reference from which all take
the object of education and of pastoral
their inspiration.”
work, a work-shop where the needs and
young people today requires the existence the transcendent. And it is called pastoral the challenges of culture, the anxieties and
and successful functioning of such a because it opens up to evangelisation, it the hopes of the young people converge
community, so as to make educational walks beside the young, brings about an and where an effort is made to find, create
activity possible. Education is a social experience of Church, in which the values and dream solutions. In the face of so many
phenomenon the result of the coming of human and Christian communion are disappointments, it needs to bear witness
together of individuals, procedures and, to be found. In a secularised and secular
to the fact that nowadays education is the
competences, according to a shared world, the EPC aims to be an outstanding
best way to transform society, preparing
plan. The Salesian system requires an Christian community, leaven in the locality
the new generations and persuading them
atmosphere of real involvement and of in which it is possible to present, to live
genuine friendly fraternal relationships and to celebrate the faith. In addition to
in which the sharing of the values of the Salesian community (the guarantee
Salesian spirituality is the foundation of of its identity and of communion), and
communication and of participation in the to the young people (we work for them,
mission. In this sense, the EPC is not just among them, with them and through
the subject but also the object of Pastoral them), the parents belong to it as those
Ministry and therefore requires a constant primarily responsible for education. The Pascual Chavez Villanueva sdb
 Don bosco SEPTEMBER 2008
 RECTOR MAJOR
A
t forty years of age, Don Bosco
became aware that God was
calling him to a mission among
the young, and that at the Oratory he
would fulfil his life’s purpose. In this
way the Oratory entered into the plan of
salvation as a response to a divine call,
not as a work founded on one person’s
good will. But he had to overcome many
obstacles: the difficulty of gathering
the boys together, lack of economic
resources and of a suitable place, the
need for a new pastoral strategy and a
previously untried training programme
as a response to the immigration that
saw the population of Turin increase in
ten years by 17%. He didn’t consider
economic development an evil in itself;
he didn’t see the education of the masses
EDUCATING WITH THE
HEART OF DON BOSCO
The Educative Project
“The Salesian educative Project is the element of the inculturation of
the charism.” “[It] directs and guides an educative process in which
multiple interventions and resources interact in the service of the
gradual and integral development of the young person.”
– a source of apprehension in the more
conservative circles – as an evil to be
eradicated, but as a resource to be made
good use of in the formation of the young.
Recognising that “organised” church
structures were not coping in the face of
social inequalities and cultural changes,
he tried new ways, he opened up new
avenues on behalf of the young people
uprooted from their natural environment
and he sought new and more courageous
educational horizons, bringing to life
ideas and works. So he drew up the
“Regulations for the Oratory” to put into
practice his own educational method: it
is the foundation stone of the “Salesian
Educational Pastoral Project,” the SEPP.
THE PRACTICAL WAY
The SEPP is the practical way for our own
day of carrying out the Salesian mission,
 Don bosco october 2008
the expression of the planning mentality
that needs to guide the implementation
of the mission in the various different
works, directing the process to incarnate
the mission in a specific context, the
precise identification of the particular
sort of the person one wants to form.
At the centre is the individual young
person, seen from all points of view
(his physical nature, his intelligence,
emotions, will) and his relationships
(with himself, with others and with
as it accepts young people where they
God). The SEPP addresses its attention
are, encourages in them a process that
primarily to young people who are the
leads to full human maturity and enables
poorest and in difficulty. Before being
them to take a leading role in living their
a document it is a communal mental
own lives.
process of involvement, clarification
and identification, aimed at generating THE OBJECTIVE OF SEPP
practical synergy based on objective Young peoples’ expectations vary. Many
are a long way from the faith almost
without being aware of it. For others
religion has a low priority and they
practise only occasionally. In all of them
however, it is possible to perceive a need
for truth, freedom, human development,
and the desire even if only implicit for
a deeper knowledge of the mystery of
God. Therefore from the point of view
of an education that evangelises and an
evangelisation that educates, the aim
of the SEPP is that every young person
should come to a synthesis of faith and
educational criteria and shared courses of
culture in his own life: arrive at a mature
action, in this way avoiding a dissipation
faith that constitutes a person’s core
of energies. The SEPP is the “identity
values and his view of the world, one
card” of every Salesian work. Society is
that is open to all the challenges posed
becoming ever more complex and global;
by cultural, committed to putting into
a planetary culture is emerging on a huge
practice his own options and values;
scale and pluralistic in character, in which
that stimulates and further encourages
the means of social communication
the processes of human development
rapidly spread values, languages, criteria,
according to the gospel model. Indeed
models and styles of life that are often
the SEPP is the expression for these times
contradictory and ambiguous. Frequently of Don Bosco’s Educational System, the
young people find themselves on their
practical way for our own day through
own as they look for meaning in life; which Don Bosco wants to show his
fearful in the face of an uncertain future,
passion for the salvation of youth and
incapable of making clear and long-term realise his dream of making every young
decisions. The family, the school and the
person “an upright citizen and a good
Church seem to lose the privileged role Christian”.
they used to have as determining factors.
In this situation the SEPP should appear
as having something worth-while to offer, Pascual Chavez Villanueva sdb