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Meeting of Don Bosco Youth Animation – South Asia Council was held from 3rd to 5th November at Don Bosco Institute, Guwahati. Youth pastoral delegates and youth pastoral commission members of all South Asian provinces participated in the meeting. The General Councillor for the Youth Pastoral Fr. Fabio Attard was also present. The meeting was coordinated by Fr. Maria Charles, Youth Pastoral delegate, South Asia, and Fr. Robert Simon, secretary, Youth Pastoral, Rome moderated the proceedings. The meeting was entirely focussed on the rethinking of Salesian Youth Ministry in the South Asian context.
On the first day, Fr. Fabio Attard, initiated the theme: Rethinking Youth Ministry: A Process and a Programme. There was brief exposition of the process that has been framed out regarding the pattern and the progress of the whole document involving three aspects of Time, Action and Responsibilities. Then Fr. Robert Simon invited the Youth Pastoral Delegates to present their reports on Rethinking Youth Ministry. Each province went through a process and compiled the rethinking reflections of the confreres, communities, commissions and provincial councils.
Fr. V.M. Thomas, Provincial of Salesian Province of Guwahati (ING) led the participants on the second day into the reflection through a well-animated Eucharist and inspiring homily.
The Youth Pastoral Delegates of the provinces worked behind the scenes and over-time in order to give proper shape to the document under study.
On the last day of the meeting the first session began with the presentation of the report of the meeting of the delegates of Groups and Movements and Vocational Guidance held on the previous day. The presentation was concluded by the launching of a new web site for the Groups and Movements sector of the Youth Ministry of South Asia, which was done by Fr. Fabio Attard.
Later Fr. Fabio Attard presented some of his observations on Don Bosco Youth Animation – South Asia Council Meet and provided some information about the Youth Pastoral department, Rome. Fr. Robert Simon explained in detail about the forthcoming World Youth Day in Brazil and invited the Salesians to prepare the youth for this great event of the Church. He exhorted the participants to use the www.sdb.org website and avail of the resources there. In relation to that he informed about the recent launch of an International Newsletter for youth ministry department which comes out once in four months and explained about the functioning style of youth ministry department at the Generalate.
Fr. Maria Charles briefed about DBYA activities held during this academic year viz, DBYA meeting at Bangalore, Don Bosco Higher Education meet at Bangalore, NECDBS – National Educational Conference of Don Bosco Schools at Kolkota (20 Sep – 1st Oct). He also presented the Child policy for Salesian India to be approved by SPCSA and about obtainment of Trademark `Don Bosco`. He also mentioned about Regional meet of DBYA – SA in July 2012 to evaluate and to reorient and of his participation in the Ripensamento in Italy in March 2012, Rome and concluded saying that he will continue to participate in the Consulta and Ripensamento in view of rethinking youth ministry.
As a conclusion of the Council Meet, Fr. Fabio Attard emphasized that the revisiting process is not to give information but to know about ourselves, knowing the challenges and making proper interventions in the process. He acknowledged the openness of the Salesians of the South Asia region in the process and made it clear that change cannot be brought about from the outside: people have to be prepared to accept changes from within.
Fr. Maria Charles finally thanked Fr. Fabio Attard, Fr. Robert Simon, Fr. V.M. Thomas, Fr. Johnson Parackal and Don Bosco Institute Community, and the Youth Delegates of the provinces of South Asia for everyone`s wholehearted cooperation in making the Council meeting a great success.
Fr Barnabas (INT) Fr Yeruva Joji (INH)
