POINTS FOR MISSIONARY ANIMATION AT PROVINCIAL

LEVEL

SCHEME

Introduction:

 This weekend of ongoing formation is an occasion for sharing

the missionary dimension of our human, Christian and
salesian vocation, which is open to new horizons and more
demanding challenges.
 Main objective: to share with you the fundamental points of
missionary animation (concepts, present points of reference,
methodology and organization): to reflect together on an
essential element of our salesian identity (cf. C 30).

1. Concept of Missionary Animation

 The term "Missionary animation", in Christian theology, refers

directly to the growth of the Church's mission; in a quite
particular way it gives priority to the first evangelization, the
implanting of the Church, and the different means and
content of missionary work and cooperation.
 It is a question of a global dimension of the Christian reality in
respect of the mission.
 It is an intrinsic dimension of the Church in so far as it is
CATHOLIC, i.e. universal.
 It is an expression of the communion of the Churches, and
hence of their reciprocity.
  It is a fact of pastoral projection which tends to pervade the
other dimensions of the Church and enrich them with
innovation and missionary freshness.

2. Different aspects of Missionary Animation

 Anthropological aspect: the human person is subjective and

open to things outside himself; this implies:
self-understanding as part of the whole, openness to
horizons and universal interests, active and practical
involvement in the needs of others.
 Christological aspect: Jesus Christ is the essential
formation of Missionary Animation, because: He is the
definitive Revealer of the Father's plan of salvation; all his
life and especially in the paschal mystery he is the Good
News to be recounted and proclaimed, He is the first
Missionary sent by the Father, he is the supreme model of
inculturation through the Incarnation.
 Pneumatological aspect: Missionary Animation points to
spirituality, because the Spirit offers the surprise of the
missionary call, courage to make the proclamation,
perseverance in the face of problems and a constant search
for what is new.
 Ecclesiological aspect: the Church, as the sign and
sacrament of Christ in history, is animated and prompted to
missionary expansion by the sanctifying action of the Spirit,
because to be Catholic has always meant being missionary,
and being Catholic is the result of being missionary. If being
missionary belongs to the nature of the Church, missionary
animation becomes the transverse dimension of pastoral
method and content.

3. Main Objectives of Missionary Animation

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 The main objectives refer to the settings in which Missionary
Animation functions as a transverse dimension; they are:

 Promotion of interest in the missions ad gentes in the EPC.

 Fostering the formation of all the components of the EPC to
be living witnesses committed to spreading and
communicating the faith.
 Suggesting concrete ways of realization to facilitate in the
EPC commitment for the missions ad gentes.

4. The transverse dimension of Missionary Animation

4.1 As regards youth pastoral work

 It pervades and gives dynamism to youth pastoral work, in

its contents, style and choice of those to whom it is
directed.
 It emphasizes the priority of the First evangelization, the
witness of life, the explicit proclamation of Jesus Christ, and
the universal horizon of the Church.
 It invites the young to become involved in the worldwide
aspect, in the positive understanding of other religions and
of the culture of ethnic minorities.

4.2 As regards vocational pastoral work

 It presents the missionary vocation within vocational

pastoral work, and emphasizes its specific nature as a call
to a total exodus for the proclamation of the Kingdom of
God.
 It emphasizes the following aspects in particular: gratuity,
the global sense, complete and unconditional self-giving,
openness to dialogue, to other social and religious cultures,
a commitment to the poor and destitute, the willingness to

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 dedicate one's whole life to the proclamation of the Good
News.
 The missionary dimension is impressive as the first and
challenging vocational motivation because it appeals to the
generosity and sense of risk and adventure to which young
people are particularly sensitive (according to what novices
say in various parts of the world).

4.3 As regards the EPC

 Every religious community and, with still greater reason,

every educative and pastoral community, as an ecclesial
setting, is called to become missionary, because the
mission is its reason for existing and operating.
 The work of the EPC is directed primarily to young people
who are poor, to young workers, to the working classes and
to peoples not yet evangelized: they form the peculiarly
"missionary" sector of our efforts.
 An authentic salesian EPC is open to a vision of the
universal Church; it includes missionary animation
transversally in the PEPS and annual programming; it
fosters the twinning process with missionary territories, and
facilitates missionary cooperation of a financial and spiritual
nature; it educates both young and adults (teachers and
parents) to a global outlook and to obedience to Christ's
command about the universal proclamation of the Good
News.
 A true salesian EPC is always careful to overcome the
temptation to limit the missionary horizon to its own
particular mission.

5. The present missionary horizon of the Church and the

Congregation

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5.1 The main positive elements

 A clear awareness of the singular nature of the missionary

vocation within the vocation to the religious consecrated
life.
 The preferential option for a lifelong missionary vocation, or
for at least five years as a temporary option.
 A renewed interest in the first proclamation of the Good
News, and for the processes of the catechumenate.
 A growing awareness of the urgency of inculturation in the
liturgy, in the content of evangelization, in the discernment
of local vocations, in the style of local leadership, and in
active and positive respect for the Semina Verbi.
 A progressive evolution and change in the geography of the
countries from which missionaries come: a substantial
movement from the ancient cradles of Christianity to the
new Churches, especially those of ASIA and AFRICA.
 A competent and variegated missionary contribution in line
with the particular characteristics of each Missionary
Institute.
 A substantial and faithful reference to the ecclesiology of
Vatican II and to the missionary lines of the post-conciliar
documents (EN, RMi, CM).
 A growing and heroic testimony of many missionaries, men
and women,, martyred for the cause of the Gospel (1998:
37 martyrs!).
 A silent and contemplative missionary presence, actively
committed in the educative and social field, in
fundamentalist environments.

5.2 The more evident shortcomings

 The difficult harmonization between the needs of the First

Evangelization (i.e. the proclamation to non-believers), and
the components of an authentic interreligious dialogue.

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  The difficult synthesis between substantial fidelity to the
content of the Kerygma and of Tradition, and the
requirements of a serious inculturation; and by analogy, the
harmony between fidelity to founders of the Institutes of
Consecrated Life and the demands for the inculturation of
the charism in mission territories.
 The difficult passage and transfer of the responsibility of
leadership from missionaries coming from the Churches of
ancient Christianity and missionaries coming from the new
Churches.
 The slow process of the so-called "missionary circulation",
from the West to the mission territories, and now from
mission territories to the West (Foreign priests in Italy,
evidence during the Pastoral Week).
 The difficult dosage between missionary cooperation in
financial resources, and respect for the process of
inculturation of projects: western managerial efficiency
against local cultural parameters.
 The inadequate theological and pastoral clarity of
fundamental Christological truth regarding the uniqueness
of Christ as the universal Redeemer in relationship with
other means of salvation (especially in Asia).

6. The principal contents of salesian missionary praxis

 The history of the expansion of the Salesian Congregation is

substantially the story of missionary expansion: today the
Congregation is universal and catholic because it is
missionary.
 A process of "re-founding" of the Congregation: a new
understanding of the salesian charism starting from the
context of the new territory.
 The missionary dimension of the Congregation has become
one in variety, diversified in a substantial unity (C 100).

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  The combining of European Provinces is now being
counterbalanced by the erection of new Provinces and
Vice-provinces in Africa and Asia.
 The missions provide daily evidence of the universality of the
foundations of salesian pedagogy, flexible in every cultural
context and open to everyone for whom we work. Linked
with this fact is the universality of the 'Don Bosco'
phenomenon, spontaneously perceived as the genius of the
world of youth.
 The missions have given rise to the constant challenge of
new native vocations, and are still doing so.
 The first evangelization prompts research into the originality
of journeys of faith, especially those of the catechumenate.
 Missionary circularity induces Salesians of recently erected
circumscriptions to offer themselves as missionaries for other
territories and continents.
 Missionary experience has always been (and still is) a school
of evangelical radicalism, of holiness and joy.

7. The identity of the Provincial Delegate for Missionary

Animation (PDMA)

The PDMA should be a person with a certain experience in the

sector of missions ad gentes, with sufficient time to carry out
his work and be encouraged in it, so as to be better able to
guarantee the efficacy of animation in this sector.

 The PDMA is a relatively recent figure: he is one of the

provincial delegates for animation, with specific obligations,
and with organized links with the other delegates.

 His primary tasks are the following

– to promote interest in the missions
– to foster formation and witness to the faith
– to suggest practical ways of commitment for the

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 missions ad gentes

 As regards his specific role at the level of organization:

– The Provincial, in agreement with his Council, appoints a

Provincial Delegate for Missionary Animation. The latter
remains always in close contact with the provincial and
council. He may be invited to attend council meetings
when material dealing explicitly with missionary animation
is being discussed. He is also the reference person with
the Department for the Missions for the sharing of
programs, utilization of material, etc.

– The PDMA should have an effective place in the

organization of the pastoral animation of the province.
And so he must participate in meetings for programming,
present to the Provincial and Council the plan for
missionary animation within the PEPS, be part of the team
for youth pastoral work, coordinate the activities of
missionary animation at provincial level, check that the
missionary dimension is present in the programs of youth
pastoral work, vocational pastoral work, formation, lay
projects, training of Volunteers; he must accompany the
local communities in their programming of missionary
animation, take part in meetings of the Salesian Family on
the missionary dimension, be the spokesman of the
province in connection with missionary animation in the
local Church, coordinate and hold periodical meetings of
the committee for missionary animation, take part in
meetings of PDMAs at national and regional level, and
also at world level if so requested.

8. CONCLUSION

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Missionary animation as a teacher of Missionary Spirituality:

 We know the pneumatological, Christological and ecclesial

dimensions of missionary animation: these dimensions are
paths to holiness, because they are anchored in the call of
the Spirit, in the following Christ even to martyrdom, and in
the holiness and universality of the Church which makes of
the missionary the universal brother and sister.

 We know at a salesian level that the missionary slant

emphasizes complete donation, the spirit of creativity and
flexibility, hard work and temperance, the art of harmonizing
evangelization with education, and the indispensable Marian
dimension, and specifically the spreading of devotion to Mary
Help of Christians.

 Substantially, missionary animation aims at giving rise to

elements that can multiply holiness, because by antonomasia
the missionary life is one of evangelical radicalism for the
expansion of God's Kingdom.

Rome, 10.07.1999