(ANS – Rome) – As part of the planning of activities for Salesian Missions Day 2011, devoted to Missionary Voluntary Service the Councillor for the Missions, Fr Václav Klement organised a meeting for Directors of Missionary Voluntary Service at Province level. The meeting was held at the Generalate in Rome between 10 and 12 April.

 attended by 7 Directors. These were; from Australia (AUL), Mrs Lauren Hichaaba, of the “Cagliero Project” in Australia and the Pacific;  from Austria (AUS), Fr Petrus Obermuller, of the NGO “Jugend Eine Welt” – Missionary Voluntary Service; from the Czech Republic (CEP), Jana Svecova, of the “Salesianska asociace Dona Boska” (SADBA –Cagliero Project); from Great Britain (GBR), James Trewby, of the “Bosco Volunteer Action” (BOVA); from Ireland (IRL), Jane Mellet, where Voluntary activities are just beginning; from South Poland (PLS), Elżbieta Jakubek, of the “Salezjański Wolontariat Misyjny”; from the East United States (SUE), Adam Rudin of “Salesian Lay Missioners” - New Rochelle Mission Office.

In a very friendly and positive the atmosphere the Directors of Missionary Voluntary Service shared information about the various programmes in use  in their own Provinces and the ways in which these activities fitted into the Youth Ministry context. Particular attention was paid to two research projects regarding voluntary service conducted in Ireland and in the Czech Republic: the first on the BREADS Programme in the India-Bangalore Province and the comparative study of 13 volunteer organisations  in European Provinces. There was also lively discussion about the various programmes, formation methods, the issue of the integration, acceptance and support of the  volunteer in the missions.

Certain working guidelines emerged from the meeting such  as: supporting the work of the Directors of Missionary Voluntary Service; encouraging an exchange of programmes for formation and examples of good practice – available  in English and Spanish in the AGORA’ section of sdb.org – and promoting a quality volunteer service in the various Salesian Regions and Provinces.

At the end of the meeting the Rector Major, Fr Pascual Chávez, also thanked the Directors for their enthusiastic presence and expressed his own appreciation for the task they were carrying out. He insisted on the fact that voluntary service was a valuable opportunity for young people to live their lives as service and to share it with the Salesian community. The Salesians, Don Chávez continued have an obligation to believe in voluntary service, to make it grow in terms of quality, whether in preparation or in the formation and accompaniment of the young people.

In conclusion the Rector Major asked the Directors to remain united, to grow in sharing their experience, to help make the Volunteer Service Manual more specific and to know how to evoke a response as members of the Salesian Family. Fr Chávez then gave each one a medal of Don Bosco.

Published 13/04/2011