(ANS – Calcutta) – The South Asian Provincial Delegates for Missionary Animation (PDMA) of the Salesians met together from 31 July to 2 August at the Salesian Provincial House, Kolkata for their annual meeting and animation. There were 13 participants including Fr. Nestor Guria, the provincial in-charge and Fr. TC George, the regional delegate for mission commission of the SPCSA.

Some of the objectives of the meeting this year, according to Fr. TC George,  were: to strengthen and re-launch the missionary animation (MA) in the region, to evaluate action plans and strategies, to draw up a six year plan for missionary animation till 2020, to promote collaboration with various SPCSA commissions, and to improve communication and collaboration among the delegates.

The group discussed about the importance of personal formation of the missionary animator which includes spiritual formation and personal updating. Another means for the formation of the MA will be the month-long missionary course in Shillong. The PDMAs have also decided to initiate a prayer campaign for the region and to promote missionary publication and documentation. They have also called for a greater missionary solidarity in the region, and planned for networking and collaboration among the Salesian Family members and among the SPCSA commissions.

The group has also decided to initiate as well as strengthen Missionary groups in the Salesian institutions and parishes. A new initiative of the Missionary Animation commission is “Anima” a missionary animation bulletin to be published as a quarterly.

The PDMA commission meeting coincided with the presence in Kolkata of the Regional Councillor for Missions, Fr. Guillermo Basañes. In the conference given on 1 August to the Provincial delegates, Fr. Basañes said that he was beginning to learn his new job. “I was born as missionary in the congregation: from the aspirantate I had  wanted to be a missioner”, he revealed.

Fr. Basañes stated that it is important to understand the roles of the PDMAs. If something can change in Congregation in missionary animation it is through clarification of roles, he stressed.

The Mission Councillor General  identified 3 target groups of missionary animation which according to him are often not stressed:

• the first target person of the group is the missionary himself;
• the second target group is the  provincial and his council, with the Provincial as the first person responsible for missionary animation in the province;
• the third target group is made up of the young confreres who also need to be animated urgently.

Fr. Basañes also exhorted the group to take the implementation of the recent document on the Missionary formation of the Salesians to be taken seriously and congratulated the missionary animation team of the region for its organization, planning and enthusiasm.

Published 06/08/2014