(ANS – Seoul) – The Delegates of Youth Ministry and Mission of the Provinces of East Asia-Oceania came together for a meeting  in the Provincial House in Seoul to discuss important issues such as volunteering, family and the functioning of these two departments at the provincial level.

34 confreres are part of the meeting which commenced in the evening on 9th November and which is scheduled to conclude on 13th November. Fr. Fabio Attard, Councillor General for Youth Ministry, and Fr. Guillermo Basanes, Councillor General for Missions along with their teams are present to animate and guide the region. The Councillor for the East Asia-Oceania region, Fr Václav Klement. is also present

After the inaugural mass, the meeting commenced on 10th morning with an evaluation and reflection on the implementation and dissemination of the “Frame of Reference.”

On 11th November, both commissions reflected and discussed together the status of the volunteer service in the provinces. There was a very inspiring testimony of four Korean volunteers who shared their experiences of volunteering. Towards the end of the day, after much discussion and sharing, the region came up with some ways to promote the Salesian Missionary Volunteer Service:

• Put the Missionary Volunteer Services on the provincial agenda (SEPP, directory, provincial council or provincial chapter)
• Formation and preparation for missionary volunteers (sending and receiving SDB communities)
• Strengthen the youth groups in our provinces with the sense of volunteering, and start concrete leadership, volunteer programs in our Salesian presences
• Sharing and witnessing experience of (former) volunteers
• Regional sharing of resources - material and human - and exchange of know-how;
• Introduce the Salesian Volunteers to the Salesian Family groups in the province

Today, on 12th November, there was a reflection on the situation of the Family and the attitudes towards family ministry in the context of youth ministry, the call of the GC27 and the just concluded synod on the family; while tomorrow, on the last day of the meeting, the delegates will discuss matters concerning each of the departments.

Published 12/11/2015