(ANS – Hong Kong) – Don Bosco’s concern for vocations is known to all Salesians. The vocations born at Valdocco or in personal touch with the Founder are astonishing: the first generation of Salesians claimed more than 2600 religious and priestly vocations from Valdocco. However, many things changed from the times of classical Aspirantate, when junior high school students entered at 12 year and turned at 16 years of age into newly professed Salesians after finishing their novitiate.

By Fr Joseph Cheung

What is the requested change? Basically is the shift from ‘vocation recruitment’ into more holistic approach towards all young people to understand their life as a gift – vocation. The shift is from ‘fishing approach’ towards ‘vocation agriculture’.

The China province (Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan) is working in a particular environment. Most of the 18 Salesian schools principals and even spiritual moderators are already lay mission partners. The article ‘How a Career Master can help promote Salesian Vocations in a Salesian School’, published in the Chinese Provincial Newsletter is suggesting multiple interventions to promote the vocation culture in schools with majority of non Catholics:

• Create a warm and caring atmosphere in the school with contribution of teachers and SDB
• Explain to the students that God has a call for everyone. We are called to discover His dream.
• Make sure the topic of Vocation and Salesian vocation is part of the religious education
• Make sure the topic of Vocation and Salesian vocation is part of career-life planning lessons
• The idea of Vocation is introduced into career assessment, especially for Catholic students
• Learning from personal life experience – personal witness of Salesians and committed Lay
• Possible invitation to a short life experience in SDB community
• Personal and group planning sessions about Vocation and Salesian vocation topics
• Personal accompaniment and group counselling about Vocation topics
• Mentoring, accompaniment or peer advising arranged for those who show signs of lay vocation, priestly vocation, religions vocation or Salesian vocation.

All these materials of CIN province are accessible on the Boscolink.

Published 07/07/2015