(ANS – Walkerville) – Between 17 and 20 September at the youth  centre in Walkerville, near Johannesburg, Fr Fabio Attard, Salesian Councillor for Youth Ministry and his secretary, Fr Robert Simon, led a meeting of the  Conference  of the Provinces and Vice Provinces of Africa-Madagascar about Youth Ministry (CIVAM-Ministry).

Taking part in the meeting were the Delegates for Youth Ministry  of the Salesian circumscriptions of Mozambique, Zambia, Central Africa, Southern Africa, Africa -  Great Lakes, English-speaking West Africa, French-speaking West Africa, Angola, Madagascar and Africa Ethiopia Eritrea, as well the Coordinator for Social Communication for Africa-Madagascar.

The first purpose of the meeting was to assess the work carried by the same team the similar session  held the previous year in Lubumbashi, examining the progress made in the different Provinces on the Region with regard to the re-thinking of Youth Ministry. What emerged was that the process has been introduced and the whole Region has been involved in reflecting on it on the  level of communities, Provincial Councils and Rectors’ Meetings. The process has just begun and all the communities still need to send in their proposals to the Delegates.

Some signs of resistance have been noted due to the fact that the methods previously used had become deep rooted; while the process was accepted very well by the younger Salesians, who see it as a good and uptodate way of carrying out the Salesian charism in today’s world. Fr Attard encouraged the Delegates to continue to undertake and to promote the project.

A second topic was vocation ministry. In spite of the different contexts there is a common effort in the accompaniment of the  candidates, starting with the first stage. The need to develop a  Family Ministry was also pointed out, with which to help parents in the accompaniment of their children.

Other issues considered were: the “instrumentum laboris” for the next Synod on New Evangelisation and the new challenges seen to be facing the Region, with the idea of providing a plan before hand with which to guide the Salesian mission for the next six years.

In addition to work together, arrangements were made for work in language groups, there was also an update on Youth Ministry Department news and a Salesian-style festive evening. The whole group also was able to visit the former  ghetto of Soweto, the apartheid museum and the educational project developed together by the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians and the Salesians.

Published 21/09/2012