The document outlines the evolution and renewal of Salesian Youth Ministry in the light of the Second Vatican Council and subsequent ecclesial teachings. It highlights how the Salesian Congregation has reinterpreted its pastoral mission, rooted in Don Bosco’s Preventive System, to respond to modern cultural and spiritual challenges. A significant emphasis is placed on the integration of evangelisation and education, the central role of the Educative and Pastoral Community (EPC), and the development of the Salesian Educative and Pastoral Plan (SEPP). This updated Frame of Reference serves as a formation and operational guide, encouraging all Salesian communities to adapt their mission to today’s multicultural and youth-centered contexts, while remaining faithful to their charism and the Magisterium of the Church.
INDEX
- PART ONE
- Chapter I
INHABITING THE LIFE AND CULTURE OF TODAY’S YOUNG PEOPLE
1. ”Here is your fi eld, here is where you are to work”
2. Love for young people and a desire for contact with them
3. Discernment by educators and believers
4. Communion with others in love
5. Salesian Youth Ministry is the primary expression of the Salesian mission
6. Increase the number and improve the quality of the places where we encounter young people
7. Twofold Fidelity - Chapter II
FROM CHRIST THE EVANGELISER TO THE EVANGELISING CHURCH
1. Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, is the complete manifestation of God’s love
2. Jesus reveals to us the Mystery of God, a Community of Love
3. The Church, called to continue Jesus’ mission
4. The Salesian Mission
5. Mary, Mother and Teacher - Chapter III
EVANGELISING AND EDUCATING: OUR APOSTOLIC IDENTITY
1. Fullness of Life and the Happiness of every Human Being
2. Directed to Christ, the perfect man
2.1. Encountering Jesus Christ and integrating love for life
2.2. Originality and boldness in Don Bosco’s approach to education
3. Evangelise and educate through a project of holistic development
3.1. The understanding of evangelisation 3.2. The relation between educational activity and evangelising activity
a) The educational implications of Christian anthropology
b) The Gospel, radical inspiration
c) The Good News in the variety of cultures and religious traditions
4. Choice of a fi eld of apostolate
4.1. The young, especially the poorest, are our decisive determining option
a) A strong, constant love for the poorest
b) Poverty compromises the education and growth of young people
4.2. Humanisation and evangelisation of culture
a) Fidelity to the Gospel and fi delity to culture
b) Cultural challenges cut across all pastoral experiences
- Chapter I
- PART TWO
- Chapter IV
THE PREVENTIVE SYSTEM: A SPIRITUAL AND EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE
1. The Salesian mission is enlightened by Don Bosco’s practice
1.1. The Salesian spirit is inspired by the style of the Good Shepherd
1.2. The embodiment of the “Salesian spirit” is the Preventive System
a) The implementation of Don Bosco’s pastoral, spiritual and pedagogical programme
b) The guiding principle is pastoral charity
c) The Preventive System involves the educator and the community to which he or she belongs
2. The Preventive System as pastoral zeal
2.1. An all-embracing educational project
2.2. The dual role of preventive education
a) The Preventive System and disadvantaged young people and their rehabilitation
b) The art of positive education
3. The Preventive System as a proposal of spirituality
3.1. Spirituality is first of all life in the Spirit a) The primacy of God’s freely given gift
b) The encounter with Christ
c) Life in the Holy Spirit
3.2. An original way of living the Christian life: Salesian Youth Spirituality
a) Salesian spirituality, a concrete expression of pastoral charity
b) Salesian Youth Spirituality in practice
c) Planning programmes of education to the faith - Chapter V
EDUCATIVE AND PASTORAL COMMUNITY: MAKE THE HOUSE A FAMILY FOR THE YOUNG
1. Salesian Youth Ministry: a community experience
1.1. Community experience in the Salesian spirit and mission
a) Communion at the service of the same mission
b) The Salesian way of being present among the young
c) The EPC involves many people in the Salesian Educative and Pastoral Project
d) The EPC and family
e) The EPC as a meaningful experience of the Church in a particular area
1.2. Animation of the EPC
a) An accompanying environment
b) Group Accompaniment
c) Personal accompaniment
1.3. A specifi c service of animation: the “animating nucleus”
a) A group of people in mutual enrichment
b) New organisational models
2. The Heart of the Salesian Educator
2.1. An inner apostolic spirit is essential
a) Enter more deeply into the Gospel
b) The fi rst form of evangelisation is witness
2.2. Salesian Charismatic Identity
2.3. Animation is the best form of Education a) Priority is given to the person in the growth process
b) The active presence of educators among the young
2.4. Pastoral Intelligence to give life to the SEPP
a) Read the present youth situation from an “educational perspective”
b) A patient commitment to change and formation
3. The Preventive System in practice: the Salesian style of education
3.1. Don Bosco’s Oratory, criterion for all our works and activities
a) The “oratory criterion”, inspiration and model for our activities and works
b) General indicators for discernment and renewal
3.2. Ways of sharing life and communion in the Salesian style
a) A home that welcomes – the experience of family spirit
b) A parish that evangelises- religious experience and gradual religious development
c) A school that prepares them for life – holistic growth through education
d) A playground to meet up with friends and be happy (the pedagogy of joy and celebration) - Chapter VI
SALESIAN EDUCATIVE AND PASTORAL PROJECT:
OPERATIONAL TOOL
1. A planning mentality
2. The Salesian Educative and Pastoral Project
2.1. SEPP as a Salesian apostolic project
a) The SEPP is already part of our history and an operational tool
b) Basic characteristics
2.2. The SEPP as a dynamic and holistic process
a) An articulated understanding of Salesian Youth Ministry
b) The meaning of the four dimensions
2.3. The specifi c nature of each dimension and the essential choices it requires
a) The dimension of education to the faith
b) The educational and cultural dimension c) The social experience dimension
d) The vocational dimension
2.4. Choices cutting across all of Salesian Youth Ministry
a) Animating apostolic vocations
b) Mission animation and various kinds of volunteer activity
c) Social Communication
2.5. The Salesian Youth Movement
a) The identity and nature of the SYM
b) Preferential fi elds of activity for the SYM
c) The visibility of the SYM and how it is run
- Chapter IV
- PART THREE
- Chapter VII
ACTIVITIES AND WORKS OF SALESIAN YOUTH MINISTRY
1. An ordered and systematic ministry: unity in diversity
2. The various sectors and activities
2.1. The Oratory-Youth Centre
2.1.1. The Original nature of the Salesian Oratory
2.1.2. The Educative and Pastoral Community of the Oratory-
Youth Centre
a) The importance of the EPC of the Oratory-Youth Centre
b) Membership of the EPC of the Oratory-Youth Centre
2.1.3. The educative and pastoral proposal of the Oratory-Youth Centre
a) A process of evangelisation
b) A Salesian style of education
c) An education integrated within society to transform it
d) An experience of vocational maturity
2.1.4. Systematic pastoral animation of the Oratory-Youth Centre
a) Main interventions of the proposal
b) Structures of participation and responsibility
2.2. The Salesian School and Vocational Training Centre (VTC)
2.2.1. The original nature of the Salesian school and Vocational
Training Centre
2.2.2. The Educative and Pastoral Community of the Salesian
school/VTC a) The importance of the EPC of the Salesian school/VTC
b) Membership of the Salesian school/VTC EPC
2.2.3. The educative and pastoral project of the Salesian school/VTC
a) Inspiration from Gospel values and an invitation to faith
b) An effi cient and quality education
c) Salesian pedagogy
d) Social function and care for those most in need
2.2.4. Systematic pastoral animation of the Salesian school/VTC
a) Main interventions of the proposal
b) Structures of participation and responsibility
2.3. Salesian presence in the Higher Education field
2.3.1. The Original nature of Salesian presence in Higher Education
2.3.2. Salesian Higher Education Institutes
a) The Academic Community in Salesian Institutes of Higher Education
b) The Institutional Project
c) The educative and pastoral proposal
d) Systematic pastoral animation of Salesian Institutes ofmHigher Education
2.3.3. University residences
a) The Educative and Pastoral Community for university residences
b) The educative and pastoral proposal in colleges and university residences
c) Systematic pastoral animation in college and university residences
2.4. Parishes and shrines entrusted to the Salesians
2.4.1. The original nature of the Salesian parish and shrine
2.4.2. The EPC of Salesian parishes and shrines
a) The importance of the EPC of the parish and shrine entrusted to the Salesians
b) The members of the EPC of the parish and shrine entrusted to the Salesians
2.4.3. The educative and pastoral proposal of the parish entrusted to the Salesian community
a) A centre of evangelisation and education in the faith
b) A Church presence which is open and fully part of its locality
c) A Community with a missionary outlook
d) Clear option for the young and for working class people 2.4.4. Systematic pastoral animation in the parish
a) Main interventions of the pastoral proposal
b) Structures of participation and responsibility
2.5. Works and social services for youth-at-risk
2.5.1. The original nature of works and services for youth-at-risk
2.5.2. The Educative and Pastoral Community in our youth at risk presences
a) The importance of the EPC in youth at risk presences
b) Members of the EPC in youth at risk presences
2.5.3. The educative and pastoral proposal for youth at risk presences
a) The evangelising inspiration
b) A holistic and systematic educative proposal
c) The choice of the preventive criterion
d) The social and political perspective
2.5.4. Systematic pastoral animation in social work
a) Principal interventions of the proposal
b) Structures of participation and responsibility
2.6. Other works and services in a variety of settings
a) Experiences or services of animation and vocational guidance
b) Specialised services in Christian formation and spiritual animation
c) Leisure time services - Chapter VIII
SALESIAN YOUTH MINISTRY ANIMATION STRUCTURES
1. A structured and well-organised youth ministry
1.1. Planning and implementation of youth ministry
a) Province level structures for government and animation
b) Local level Salesian communities and works
1.2. A special way of carrying out apostolic activity: pastoral animation
a) Characteristics of Salesian animation
b) Principles and criteria for animating procedures and structures
2. Local animation and coordination
2.1. A Salesian community as the animating nucleus of a Salesian work a) The SDB community
b) The SDB Rector
c) The local community Council
d) The Council of the EPC and/or of the work
e) The local Youth Ministry coordinator and team
f) Other bodies and roles of animation and government in the EPC
2.2. Other animation models for the EPC in Salesian works
a) Salesian works managed by lay people with a community presence
b) Works managed by lay people as part of the Salesian Province Plan
3. Animation and coordination at province level
3.1. The Provincial and his Council
3.2. The Province Youth Ministry Delegate and Team
a) The Youth Ministry Delegate
b) The Province Youth Ministry Team
c) Those responsible at Province level for sectors and settings and their teams
4. Inter-Province animation and coordination
5. Animation and coordination at world level
6. Pastoral Planning
6.1. The different levels of Provincial and local planning
6.2. Suggestions for determining the types of documents to
be prepared
a) The Salesian Youth Ministry Frame of Reference
b) The Overall Provincial Plan
c) The Salesian Educative and Pastoral Project
d) The different practical expressions of the SEPP
6.3. Guidelines for drawing up and assessing the SEPP
a) Stages in drawing up the SEPP: a dynamic proposal
b) Fundamental Criteria in the drawing up or revising the SEPP
- Chapter VII
Reference time period: 2014
A. Bozzolo, “Salesian Youth Ministry Frame of Reference“, Grafisul S.L., Roma 2014.